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Paper short abstract

For medieval courtiers, letters (fumi; shōsoku) were integral to communication and a building block for diaries, tales, and poetry collections. This paper considers motivations for the epistolary form within women’s writing, including in autobiographical and didactic texts.

Paper long abstract

“One marvels how there can be such a wondrous thing as letters in this world,” exclaims a court woman in Mumyōzōshi (The Unnamed Book, ca. 1198–1202), arguing that reading an epistle may be even more pleasurable than an in-person meeting. For medieval courtiers, letters (fumi; shōsoku) were an integral mode of communication and an essential building block for producing diaries, tales, and collections of poetry. This paper will focus on letters as both an ingredient in women’s autobiographical writing and a medium of imparting advice, examining a series of examples to determine the motivations behind the epistolary form within women’s writing.

Letters appear frequently in women’s self writing as means of conveying information and as “proof” of perspectives outside that of the author, such as correspondence quoted in Lady Nijō’s memoir Towazugatari (The Unrequested Tale, 1306) to justify her stature and family history. Letters also serve as methods and models for teaching, as can be seen in correspondence conveying poetic teachings, composed by Shunzei’s Daughter in 1252, and by a guide to court life Nun Abutsu sent in epistolary form to her daughter in 1264. Both Shunzei’s Daughter and Abutsu describe or appear to have modeled themselves on earlier letter writers, including Sei Shōnagon (ca. 964–after 1027) and Murasaki Shikibu (ca. 973–ca. 1014). Letters of advice may thus be interpreted within a long tradition of didactic literature from ancient through early modern times, aimed at transmitting family teachings, authorizing the acquisition of proprietary knowledge, or simply improving literacy and handwriting. By weaving together a sampling of stylistic effects, this paper will attempt to decipher common motivations around the use of epistolary writing in women’s autobiographical writings.