Sei Shōnagon

Renowned Heian court lady and author of The Pillow Book.

Chronology: 966 – 1025

Origins & Early Life

Sei Shōnagon (清少納言; [sei ɕoː.naꜜ.ɡoɴ, seː-, -ŋoɴ], c. 966–1017 or 1025), or Seijo (清女; [seꜜi.(d)ʑo, seꜜː-], lit. 'Lady Sei'), was a Japanese author, poet, and court lady who served the Empress Teishi (Sadako) around the year 1000, during the middle Heian period. She is the author of The Pillow Book (枕草子, makura no sōshi).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

== Name == Sei Shōnagon's actual given name is not known. It was the custom among aristocrats in those days to call a court lady by a nickname taken from a court office belonging to her father or husband. Sei (清) derives from her father's family name "Kiyohara" (the native Japanese reading of the first character is kiyo, while the Sino-Japanese reading is sei). Shōnagon (少納言, "lesser councilor of state") refers to a government post, although her relationship to this post is unknown—neither her father nor either of her two husbands held such a post. Bun'ei Tsunoda has suggested that it may have belonged to a third husband, perhaps Fujiwara no Nobuyoshi.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Her actual name has been a topic of debate among scholars, and the name Kiyohara no Nagiko (清原諾子) is a possibility. == Early life == Little is known about her life except what can be found in her writing. She was the...

Source: Wikipedia