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Daily Life: Court
 The Pillow Book
Probably the second most significant book from the Heian period (794-1185 A.D.) is The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. The book consists of a series of anecdotes, often keen and poetic, stemming from a life spent in the imperial court.
Of the gentlewomen's apartments attached to the Empress's own quarters, those along the Narrow Gallery are the most agreeable. When the wooden blinds at the top are rolled up, the wind blows in very hard, and it is cool even in the summer...We generally ensconce ourselves behind screens, where the quiet is delightful, for there is none of the loud talk and laughter that disturb one in other quarters of the Palace.
All night long one hears the noise of footsteps in the corridor outside. Every now and then the sound will cease in front of some particular door, and there will be a gentle tapping, just with one finger; but one knows that the lady inside will have instantly recognized the knock. Sometimes, this soft tapping lasts a long while; the lady is no doubt pretending to be asleep. But at last comes the rustle of a dress or the sound of someone cautiously turning on her couch, and one knows that she has taken pity on him.
In summer she can hear every movement of his fan, as he stands chafing outside; while in the winter, stealthily though it be done, he will hear the sound of someone gently stirring the ashes in the brazier, and will at once begin knocking more resolutely, or even asking out loud for admittance (translated by Arthur Waley).
The above print, a portrait of the famous Heian author, Sei Shonagon, provides a good example of Heian court dress as well as the ideals of female beauty from that period. The inclusion of this portrait of Sei Shonagon in the book entitled Tales of Famous Women from the Past and Present, printed between 1786 and 1864, shows the enduring influence that women writers in the Heian period have had on Japanese culture.
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