Lady Murasaki’s Tale of Genji is one of the most celebrated novels in Japanese history. The story follows the life of Hikaru Genji, a child of nobility born into ancient Japan’s Heian Period. It was written by a woman known only as Murasaki Shikibu, who lived during this tumultuous time and recorded the customs and details of court life.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://martinifisher.com/2022/09/06/what-happened-behind-lady-murasakis-tale-of-genji-discovering-the-secret-lives-and-times-of-11th-century-heian-japan/