Lady Murasaki also leaves a diary of…

Lady Murasaki also leaves a diary of the years 1007 to 1010, providing a window into Japanese court life and the history and mores of the period.

Japanese poet and writer Sei Shonagon, a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Sadako and a contemporary of Lady Murasaki, publishes a diary of the years 991—1000.

Entitled “The Pillow-book of Sei Shonagon,” her journal is a miscellany of various witty epigrams, keen observations of people and events, and poetic notes on natural phenomena.