Bibliography and resources
Meredith McKinney’s marvelous and highly readable translation of The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon inspired me to write a book with Sei Shonagon as a key character. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu, translated by Edward Seidensticker, and Murasaki Shikibu: Her Diary and Poetic Memoirs, translated by Richard Bowring, also contributed to my inspiration.
The Essence of Shinto: Japan’s Spiritual Heart by Motohisa Yamakage is a truly remarkable book, and a must-read for anyone interested in Shinto. Yamakage’s description of Shinto practices and underpinnings gave me a deeper appreciation for this faith, and the book is thought-provoking and truly uplifting. Another informative book on the importance of Shinto in Japanese history is Shinto: A History by Helen Hardarcre.
Amino Yoshihiko's book Rethinking Japanese History was a valuable resource for understanding ancient and medieval Japanese society, commerce, religious beliefs, aristocracy, and the role of women.
The Sarashina Diary: A Woman’s Life In Eleventh Century Japan, translated by Sonja Arntzen and Itō Moriyuki. The author, Sugawa no Takasue no Musume (Takasue’s Daughter) traveled from Kazusa (modern-day Chiba Prefecture) to the capital Heian-Kyo (modern-day Kyoto) just a few years after Mina and Masako’s journey.
Ōkagami, The Great Mirror: Fujiwara Michinaga (966-1027) and His Times, translated by Helen Craig McCullough.
An excellent resource for detail on the Heian Period comes from Emperor and Aristocracy in Heian Japan: 10th and 11th centuries, by Francine Herail, translated by Wendy Cobcroft.
A Tale Of Flowering Fortunes, Authors Unknown, translated by William H. and Helen Craig McCullough, Stanford University Press; 2nd edition (January 1, 1980)
To figure out which date in the Japanese lunar calendar corresponds with a date in our western calendar, seek out Japanese Chronological Tables from 601 to 1872 A.D. by Yachita Tsuchihashi, Sophia University Press, 1952.
The following works by Dr. Noriko Tsunoda Reider are excellent resources for understanding Japanese folklore:
- Reider, N. T. (2010). An Overview: What Are Oni? In Japanese Demon Lore: Oni from Ancient Times to the Present (pp. 1–29). University Press of Colorado.
- Reider, N. T. (2003). Transformation of the Oni: From the Frightening and Diabolical to the Cute and Sexy. Asian Folklore Studies, 62(1), 133–157.
- Reider, N. T. (2010). Oni in Manga, Anime, and Film. In Japanese Demon Lore: Oni from Ancient Times to the Present(pp. 144–169). University Press of Colorado.
- Reider, N. T. (2005). “Spirited Away”: Film of the Fantastic and Evolving Japanese Folk Symbols. Film Criticism, 29(3), 4–27.
The following are also great resources for understanding Heian culture:
- Gatten, A. (1977). A Wisp of Smoke. Scent and Character in The Tale of Genji. Monumenta Nipponica, 32(1), 35–48.
Williams, E. L. (2015). Will the Real Ancestor Please Stand Up? Ritual and the Social Construction of Ancestors, Kami, and Goblins in Japan. Journal of Ritual Studies, 29(2), 57–70. - Shinʾichi, S., Sekimori, G., & 繁田信一. (2013). A Portrait of Abe no Seimei. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 40(1), 77–97.
- Kory, S. N. (2015). From Deer Bones to Turtle Shells: The State Ritualization of Pyro-Plastromancy during the Nara-Heian Transition. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 42(2), 339–380.