The Golden Age of Japan - The Pillow Book

Welcome back to The Golden Age of Japan. Last time, we wandered the scented corridors of the imperial court with Murasaki Shikibu and glimpsed the tangled loves and rivalries that defined The Tale of Genji. Tonight, everything shifts. We trade Genji’s moonlit drama for sharp wit and razor-edged observation, stepping into the mind of a woman who didn’t just survive court life—she laughed at it.

This is The Pillow Book, and our guide is Sei Shōnagon: lady-in-waiting, poet, and the original queen of lists. Where Murasaki gave us whispered secrets, Sei gives us dazzling snapshots—moments of beauty, irritation, and the odd pleasure of watching a rival trip over her own robes. In these pages, the Heian court is less a soap opera, more a stage for Sei’s singular, sparkling voice. If Genji is the heart, The Pillow Book is the sly, knowing smile behind the fan.

So settle in. Tonight, we peel back the screens and join Sei Shōnagon for a masterclass in courtly life, where every passing moment is worthy of notice—and nothing escapes her pen.