Murasaki Shikibu

Yashima Gakutei designed this portrait of Murasaki Shikibu in 1822, paying homage to the eleventh-century Heian court lady who composed The Tale of Genji, the foundational masterpiece of Japanese prose fiction. The print survives in the Victoria and Albert Museum, which has assembled a substantial collection of Gakutei's surimono and book illustrations.

Murasaki appears in the long, layered junihitoe robes associated with Heian court women, her hair flowing in a single dark cascade down her back in the classical taregami style. She is depicted in an attitude of poetic composition, the brush poised above paper as if mid-thought, and Gakutei carefully renders the cuffs, hems, and trailing layers of her costume to evoke the centuries-old elegance of the imperial court. A writing implement, paper, and perhaps a glimpse of garden complete the iconography of literary inspiration.