The Tale of Genji is one of the most remarkable accomplishments in literary history, and of fundamental importance for Japanese art. Sometimes called the world’s first novel, it was written sometime before 1021 by Murasaki Shikibu (c. 973-c. 1014), a pseudonym for a court attendant whose name is thought to have been Fujiwara no Kaoriko. Murasaki was part of the initial generation of significant women authors in Japan, and her monumental accomplishment, some 750,000 words in 54 chapters written over a decade, had an unprecedented impact on artists and writers that endures to this day. The 20th-century American Abstract Expressionist artist Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) did a series of prints inspired by The Tale of Genji and was herself a pioneering painter during a male-dominated art movement many centuries later.

Tale of Genji was written by a woman primarily for women, with chapters likely circulated to court ladies as they were completed. The story centers around Hikaru Genji, the “shining prince,” and his many love affairs with ladies of the court (including one named Murasaki). The intricate plot weaves together the relationships of more than 400 characters, with a focus on “the poignancy of things” (mono no aware). The writing is rich in detail, providing unparalleled insight into life in the complex, culturally sophisticated but also highly insular Heian court.