SS Japan project Sei Shonagon

The most famous diary in Japan, Pillow book and its author

Sei Shonagon was born in 966 and died in 1025. Influenced by her father, Sei Shonagon later became a writer. Her work Pillow Book, is a classic Japanese literature. Pillow Book exhibits a brilliant and original Japanese prose style and is a masterpiece of classical Japanese literature. This work is also considered the originator of Japanese prose. This book records a lot of information, from the changes of the seasons, to the trivia of life. The author also joked that "the pens are all bald". She often rates things as "interesting". Although this work reflects the inequality between social classes and worries about the times, but it still focuses on the praise of the emperor and the affirmation of the Japanese aristocratic society. This book wrote from an aesthetic point of view, showing the beautiful and lovely things in the world, fresh and beautiful. She finally experienced three failed marriages and died in depression. In the later Japan, Murasaki Shikibu, Izumi Shikibu and Sei Shonagonthey  are known as the three talented women of the Heian period.

(Picture from Internet)

日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ) 朝日日本歴史人物事典. “清少納言とは.” コトバンク, https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%B8%85%E5%B0%91%E7%B4%8D%E8%A8%80-85976.