Sei Shounagon

Sei Shounagon's father was Kiyohara-no-Motosuke, one of the scholars of the Five Men of the Pear Chamber who helped to compile the kun-doku (the Japanese reading of Chinese characters) version of the "Manyoshu" waka poem anthology.

She was a woman of outstanding intellect whose forward behavior (some would say "unorthodox") made her stand out in the male-dominated society of her lifetime.

She faithfully served Empress Teishi, consort of Emperor Ichijou, until the Empress's death. The many prose writings Sei Shounagon wrote in offering to Empress Teishi were later collected to become "Makura-no-Soushi." (The Pillow Book)

Height/Weight: 157cm, 46kg

Origin: History

Region: Japan

Alignment: Chaotic-Good

Sub-Attribute: Human

Gender: Female

Say! Show Now Go On!

An author and poet of Japan's Heian period, she immersed herself in Chinese classics poetry (which were studied exclusively by males at the time). Many tales tell of her arguing down men with her vast knowledge, making her one of the more unconventional female figures of her time. Even in excerpts from "The Diary of Lady Murasaki," it's clear that Murasaki Shikibu saw Sei Shounagon as a force to be reckoned with.

She served as a lady-in-waiting to Consort Teishi during the latter half of her twenties. The young Teishi was very affectionate to Shounagon, even though Shounagon was significantly older, and Shounagon reciprocated by loyally serving the beautiful, intelligent consort.

While in court, Shounagon recorded her own observations and musings on court life, and these were later gathered into a collection. This is considered Japan's first essay anthology, "The Pillow Book."

She's always in a good mood...or that's how it seems, though she gets sulky at the drop of a hat. The people around her are sometimes at the mercy of her catlike nature, but she is essentially a party-loving Servant who prioritizes all things fun. Sei was a woman well ahead of her time...a girl who's slayin' it and loves anything she finds charming (emotionally triggering).

Her drastic change of appearance does leave open the question of where her distinguished, courtly air as a poet went, but her transformation probably resulted from her strong affinity for modern youth. As biographical information supports that Shounagon was keenly aware of her age during her time in Teishi's court, her being summoned in the form of a high school girl hardly seems unnatural.

She gets along with Chaldea's Murasaki Shikibu. (Well, she thinks she does.)

Great Poet's Poem: B

Despite being named one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets and Thirty-Six Immortal Poetesses and having her poem selected to be a part of the "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu," Sei Shounagon self-depreciatingly claimed that she had no talent in poetry. This opinion on her part may have originated from her forward-thinking ways not meshing well with the rigid, antiquated structures governing Japanese poetry of her time. Even so, her poems have resonated strongly with audiences, and were at times highly critical of the men of her period.

Meeting Checkpoint of Osaka: A

The Hangu Pass gates may open at a rooster's crow, but the gates of love does not open so easily.

The impregnable meeting gate in Osaka...

Just who will be the first one allowed through...?

The Stars' Clusters: B

The deeper the night sky's darkness, the more brilliant the starlight.

Pleiades, Altair, Venus, shooting stars...

And the light radiating from her is just like the stars...

『Emotional Engine, Full Drive』

Rank: D++

NP Type: Poetry Noble Phantasm

Range: 1 - 20

Maximum Target: 50

Makura-no-Soushi, Shunshoshou.

A Noble Phantasm that substantiated neither through martial arts nor through the techniques of the Onmyou, but rather through continuous writing. She lets the waves of emotion take her, and the landscape painted within her "Pillow Book" is actualized in a sort of Reality Marble.

To Sei Shounagon, the repainted world becomes a familiar, nostalgic scene which then encroaches into the heart of the target who is incorporated into the bounded field.

Sorrow...nostalgia...poignancy...

The strong emotions that disturb her bubble up from within, allowing her to forget about battle, even if for a second, and the energy and power that possesses her is released, making the intense (and preposterous) attack unavoidable.

As a side note, "Makura-no-Soushi, Shunshoshou" is the annotated edition of "The Pillow Book" written by the poet Kitamura Kigin during the Edo period. That her thoughts have reached across time to strike a chord even with modern audiences is truly a stroke of luck for Sei Shounagon. She uses the "Shunshoshou" as a metaphorical bridge that connects the past to the future, combined with her line of "Dawn is most beautiful in spring..." (shunsho) to beautifully express her sentiments in her Noble Phantasm, ultimately subliming the title "Makura-no-Soushi, Shunshoshou" as her Noble Phantasm's name.

Under normal circumstances, Sei Shounagon would not have been registered into the Throne of Heroes as a Servant.

When she completed writing "The Pillow Book," she gracefully departed court life. Discarding both love and resentment of her previous lifestyle, she continued to live the rest of her life carrying the one hopeful star within her heart as she looked back at her incredible past life. Closing that door also meant that her star's light went out, and she did not have the means of becoming a guardian of humanity.

However, due to an irregular summoning caused by a certain incident, Sei Shounagon was given another chance. Through the many connections she formed with the people she trusted and the many things she experienced, the long-dormant poet within her awoke, creating new possibilities within her that ultimately resulted in her being inscribed upon the Throne of Heroes. And so it became possible to summon her.

Even should they never have experienced those wild times with her, Sei Shounagon surely anticipates the day she can finally reunite with them.