Murasaki Shikibu

A renowned writer and poet of Japan's Heian period. Details of her birth and death are unknown. Her works include "The Tale of Genji," "Poetic Memoirs," and "The Diary of Lady Murasaki." Dozens of her poems were chosen as part of the Goshui Wakashu anthology, a collection of waka poems commissioned by the Emperor.

Height/Weight: 163cm, 51kg

Origin: History

Region: Japan

Alignment: Neutral-Good

Sub-Attribute: Human

Gender: Female

She normally does her best to give the impression of being a calm and collected librarian, but when a certain story, book, or thought is brought up, she starts to rattle off poems.

She was the daughter of Fujiwara-no-Tametoki, a poet and scholar of Chinese classics. Her father's family line included many renowned cultural icons (her great-grandfather, Fujiwara-no-Kanesuke, was a known poet who also penned the biography "Shoutokutaishi Denryaku," and he was known as Tsutsumi Chunagon), and so it's assumed that her lineage helped her surround herself with books and other writings. She married Fujiwara-no-Nobutaka, a titled court official, while she was in her twenties. The couple had a child, but as Nobutaka was much older than her, he died three years after they were married. As a young widow, Kaoruko began to write a story that autumn. That story became the great fifty-four chapter classic, "The Tale of Genji."

A mild-mannered, honor-student type. Cultured, sensible, and gentle, she loves to read and write poems and stories that touch on the vivid and elegant literary potential of love. She is punctual as well, and keeps a rather true to life diary. Some of her favorite stories are "Taketorimonogatari" and "Isemonogatari." In fact, it's said that Murasaki Shikibu's characterizations were influenced by "Taketorimonogatari," while her wording, phrasing, and characters were heavily influenced by "Isemonogatari." She also took inspiration from Bai Juyi's poetry collections and biography, and it's said that the lines Hikaru Genji used to seduce women were influenced by the Chinese supernatural stories of the Tang dynasty, "You Xian Ku." Three poems, "Kokinshu," "Gosenshu," and "Shuuishu" stand among her very favorites, even among the many anthologies of poetry she read during her lifetime. She shows great interest in stories and poems from other ages and regions, and will take any opportunity to read more.

Great Poet's Poem: A

According to chapter sixteen, titled "Nihonchoutekiji" in the "Taiheiki," a man named Kinotomoo was dispatched to slay the rebel Fujiwara-no-Chikata, who had four oni subordinates. He banished the four oni by reading the following poem:

"All things, grass and trees/Are ruled under our great Lord/No oni at all/Have a place in this nation/They may ever call their home."

Just like Kinotomoh, Murasaki Shikibu, as one of the chosen thirty-six imperial poets, can read poems that can banish evil oni.

One of her poems was also chosen to be a part of Ogura Hyakunin Isshu:

"Almost before/I had the chance to notice/it was there,/the late-night moon swiftly/slipped behind the clouds."

Curse (Poem): D+

It appears Murasaki Shikibu delved some into the way of the onmyou and some elements of it are mentioned and appeared in the "Tale of Genji."

In modern-day terms, she would be an author who educated herself in magecraft in order to write a novel that features magecraft.

『Tale of Genji, Aoi, Evil Spirit』

Rank: C

NP Type: Poetry Noble Phantasm

Range: 1 - 20

Maximum Targets: 50

"Bound as I am, these mourning robes are dyed but a shallow shade of gray,

Yet there are depths where the tears have made pools on my sleeves."

When this poem is read with its True Name revealed, it works as a curse and hurls destruction upon its victims, inflicting both damage and debuffs.

This is a waka poem from chapter nine of "The Tale of Genji" and is titled "Aoi." It is a lamentation Hikaru Genji reads when his wife passes away shortly after giving birth to their son, Yuugiri. The cause of Aoi-no-Ue's death was a powerful grudge from Lady Rokujyo, Genji's mistress. This functions as a type of death curse. By reading the lamentation touching on grudges and death curses, the Caster Murasaki Shikibu mourns the fate of her targets.

It is worth noting that the anecdotes revolving around the death of Aoi-no-Ue reference the Noh play of the same name.

Physical publications, paper books... She is a librarian in a vast library that is home to many, many books.

Specifically, her curse magecraft converts all electronic publications into paper books, quietly building a library through her collection. As the sole administrator, librarian, and master, she protects this cool, dark haven for books. If asked, she is pleased to give advice on how to write diaries and letters.

She's also able to find the book best suited for a person simply by looking at them. The book's themes will always be to a person's interests, like love or revenge stories, since she is a Heroic Spirit so closely tied to sentiment.

"I am a Heroic Spirit who creates compositions to suit people's feelings. What I put down on paper always focuses on how people feel about each other."