6 h 30 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 30 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Behind the ceremonies of Japan’s Heian court, three women reveal love, sharp judgments, and a hunger for stories.
Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan brings together the diary of Izumi Shikibu, the diary of Murasaki Shikibu, and the Sarashina diary. These women share a courtly world, but each sees it differently. Their private voices lead you beyond ceremony into grief, desire, and the close observation of other people.
Izumi Shikibu tells of a love affair that shocks the capital, with secret meetings and questions about where she will live. Murasaki Shikibu, author of The Tale of Genji, watches Empress Shoshi’s household and judges fellow writers. In the Sarashina diary, Sugawara no Takasue’s daughter looks back on a life that begins with a long journey and a longing for stories.
What you’ll discover
- Love against the rules Follow Izumi Shikibu into an affair where private longing meets the demands of a household.
- A watchful court writer See an empress’s household through Murasaki Shikibu’s close attention to ceremony and the people around her.
- Sharp portraits of women Meet fellow writers through Murasaki’s frank judgments of their writing and character.
- A life shaped by stories Travel toward the capital with Takasue’s daughter and discover her hunger for tales.
- Three distinct private voices Set these accounts beside one another and find different views of the same courtly world.
Who will love it
Readers who love the world of the Tale of Genji, poems that answer one another, old Japan and court gossip, and anyone who likes a diary that feels like a friend's letter.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Three women turn private life into writing
- A girl crosses Japan chasing stories
- Dreams and losses cool her romantic hopes
- A queen's house waits for a royal birth
- Clothes, rivalry and drink fill court life
- A writer judges her peers and herself
- A prince courts a grieving woman in verse
- Love in the palace brings gossip and pain
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
Diarios de damas de la Corte del antiguo Japón
by Izumi Shikibu; Murasaki Shikibu; Sugawara no Takasue no Musume
A girl of thirteen prays to a Buddha statue for one thing: the chance to read every volume of Genji.
Medium level5–10 hours to readEspañol
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
Why would a girl of thirteen pray to a Buddha statue as tall as herself, just for the chance to go to the capital? She wants to read.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Three women turn private life into writing
This book gathers three diaries by women of the Heian court, dated from about 1002 to 1059. The Sarashina Diary follows a girl who yearns all her life for stories. The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu watches the household of a queen who has just borne a son. The Diary of Izumi Shikibu follows a lonely woman and a prince who woo each other in verse.
Each is shaped differently. The Sarashina Diary looks back over many years, from a road trip at thirteen to a widow's quiet old age. Murasaki writes dated entries about ceremonies, then breaks off for portraits of her fellow ladies. Izumi's diary is told in the third person, as if the writer stands outside herself and watches.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- Español
- Reading time
- 4 h 10 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Izumi Shikibu, et al. Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/diaries-of-court-ladies-of-old-japan.
Izumi Shikibu, Murasaki Shikibu, & Sugawara no Takasue no Musume. (2026). Diaries of court ladies of old Japan. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/diaries-of-court-ladies-of-old-japan
Izumi Shikibu, Murasaki Shikibu, and Sugawara no Takasue no Musume. Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/diaries-of-court-ladies-of-old-japan.
@book{izumishikibu2026diaries,
author = {Izumi Shikibu and Murasaki Shikibu and Sugawara no Takasue no Musume},
title = {Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/diaries-of-court-ladies-of-old-japan}
}
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Diarios de damas de la Corte del antiguo Japón
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What are the Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan about?
The book gathers three diaries by women of the Heian court. They tell of a girl's journey to the capital and her love of stories, a queen's household at a royal birth, and a prince's courtship of a poet.
Who wrote the Sarashina Diary?
The record names Sugawara no Takasue no Musume, meaning the daughter of Sugawara no Takasue. She looks back from her childhood journey at thirteen to her old age, with travel, pilgrimages, dreams and her love of the Tale of Genji.
What is the Diary of Murasaki Shikibu like?
It mixes dated scenes of court ceremony with portraits of the queen's ladies and personal thoughts. Murasaki writes about the birth of a prince, drinking feasts and elaborate clothes, and she also reflects on her own learning.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
