Жапон әдебиетінің көрнекті өкілі Сэй Сёнагон

Japanese author and court lady

was a Japanese author, poet, and a court lady who served the Empress Teishi (Sadako) around the year 1000 during the middle Heian period. She is the author of The Pillow Book (枕草子).

Sei Shōnagon's actual given name is not known. It was the custom among aristocrats in those days to call a court lady by a nickname taken from a court office belonging to her father or husband. (清) derives from her father's family name "Kiyohara" (the native Japanese reading of the first character is , while the Sino Japanese reading is ), while "lesser councilor of state"; 少納言; Shōnagon refers to a government post. Her actual name has been a topic of debate among scholars, and the name Kiyohara no Nagiko (清原 諾子) is a possibility.

Little is known about her life except what can be found in her writing. She was the daughter of Kiyohara no Motosuke, a scholar and well known poet, who worked as a provincial official. Her grandfather Kiyohara no Fukayabu was also a poet. The family were middle ranking courtiers and had financial difficulties, possibly because they were not granted a revenue producing office. She married Tachibana no Norimitsu, a government official at 16, and gave birth to a son, Norinaga. In 993, at 27, when she began to serve the Empress Teishi, consort of Emperor Ichijō, she may have been divorced. When her court service ended she may have married Fujiwara no Muneyo, governor of Settsu province, and had a daughter, Koma no Myobu, although some evidence suggests she became a Buddhist nun. Hiroaki Sato questions whether Lady Sei and Norimitsu were actually married or just close friends, "the ladies and gentlemen of the court teased them by calling him her big brother and her his little sister."

Shōnagon is also known for her rivalry with her contemporary, writer and court lady Murasaki Shikibu, author of The Tale of Genji who served the Empress Shoshi, second consort of the Emperor Ichijō. Murasaki Shikibu wrote about Shōnagon – somewhat scathingly, though conceding Shōnagon's literary gifts – in her diary, The Diary of Lady Murasaki.

Shōnagon became popular through her work The Pillow Book, a collection of lists, gossip, poetry, observations and complaints written during her years in the court, a miscellaneous genre of writing known as Shōnagon's essays describe the various daily experiences and customs of the time, and the affairs of the Imperial Court in Kyoto where she lived, from a unique point of view. The Pillow Book was circulated at court, and for several hundred years existed in handwritten manuscripts. First printed in the 17th century, it exists in different versions: the order of entries may have been changed by scribes with comments and passages added, edited, or deleted. Four main variants of the text are known to modern scholars. The two considered to be the most complete and accurate are the Sankanbon and Nōinbon texts. Later editors introduced section numbers and divisions; the Sankanbon text is divided into 297 sections, with an additional 29 "supplemental" sections which may represent later additions by the author or copyists. In The Pillow Book, Shōnagon writes about Empress Teishi, and her disappointment after her father's death when Fujiwara no Michinaga made his daughter Shōshi consort to Ichijō, and then empress, making Teishi one of two empresses at court. Because of the risk of fire, the Imperial family did not live in the Heian Palace. Empress Teishi resided in a part of , the "Bureau of Serving the (Middle) Empress", and moved to other residences as circumstances changed. Shōnagon writes with apparent lightheartedness about events at court, de emphasizing or omitting harsh realities such as Teishi's death from childbirth in 1000. According to the prevalent fashion, to have written more passionately would have been considered unstylish. Her writing is considered witty, depicting Teishi's elegant court from a detailed, gossipy perspective.==
Main background events are included. Names are given in the Japanese order, family name first. 966? Sei Shōnagon born. Father Kiyohara Motosuke, mother’s name unknown. 967 Emperor Murakami, Ichijō’s grandfather, dies. Interregnum for two years. 969 Enyū(b. 959), Ichijō’s father, succeeds to the throne. 975 Princess Senshi (964–1035) becomes Kamo High Priestess (until 1031). 977 Fujiwara Teishi born. Father Fujiwara Michitaka (b. 953), mother Takashina Kishi (d. 996). 978 Fujiwara Senshi (962–1001), daughter of Fujiwara Kaneie, becomes Empress of Emperor Enyū. 980 Ichijō born. Father Emperor Enyū, mother Fujiwara Senshi. 984 Emperor Enyū retires and takes Buddhist orders. Succeeded by Kazan (968–1008), eldest son of Emperor Reizei. 986 Emperor Kazan retires and takes Buddhist orders. Succeeded by Ichijō. 990 Teishi becomes High Consort to Emperor Ichijō. Fujiwara Kaneie, Michitaka’s father, becomes Chancellor. 991 Retired Emperor Enyū dies; Empress Dowager, Fujiwara Senshi, takes the tonsure. 993 Fujiwara Michitaka becomes Chancellor. ? Sei Shōnagon becomes a gentlewoman in Teishi’s court. 994? Fujiwara Korechika (974–1010), Michitaka’s son, presents Empress Teishi with the paper Sei Shōnagon will use for her Pillow Book. 995 Chancellor Fujiwara Michitaka dies. Michitaka’s brother and rival, Fujiwara Michinaga (966–1027), increases his power. 996 Teishi’s brothers Korechika and Takaie (979–1044) attack Retired Emperor Kazan; they are arrested and forced to leave the capital. ? Governor of Ise Minamoto Tsunefusa visits Sei Shōnagon and discovers and circulates the early draft of The Pillow Book. Teishi gives birth to a daughter, Princess Shūshi. 997 Korechika and Takaie are allowed to return to the capital. 999 Major fire at Imperial Palace. Teishi gives birth to a son, Prince Atsuyasu. 1000 Michinaga’s daughter Shōshi becomes High Consort to Emperor Ichijō, replacing Teishi in his favour. Teishi gives birth to a daughter, Princess Kyōshi, and dies two days later. Sei Shōnagon leaves the court. 1011 Emperor Ichijō dies. Succeeded by Sanjō. 1017 Last reference to Sei Shōnagon.