DISCOVER FUKUI

Echizen City is where Murasaki Shikibu (970–1019), the author of The Tale of Genji, lived away from the capital for the only time in her life. It is said that she visited the city with her father, Fujiwara no Tameoki, who became the governor of Echizen Province, and spent a little more than a year there.

Murasaki Shikibu Park commemorates the area’s connection with Murasaki Shikibu. She was a prolific writer of the imperial court during the Heian period (794–1185). Much of her work used this area as a reference, based on her time living here. In 1983, Echizen City built this park in honor of this local history. The park was built in the shinden-zukuri style, which is rare in Japan, and was created based on precise period research, allowing visitors to experience the elegant world depicted in the Heian-era picture scrolls in real size.

The park features a golden statue of Murasaki Shikibu as its centerpiece, as well as a Japanese garden with an old-fashioned pavilion, a large lake, and an arched bridge. The garden has a 200-meter-long frame covered with wisteria flowers, which bloom in late April and early May. In November, the park’s maple trees turn a deep red. 

Golden Statue of Murasaki Shikibu

The "Golden Statue of Murasaki Shikibu" standing in the garden is an image of Murasaki Shikibu, who was said to have been intelligent and beautiful. The statue stands looking toward the capital (Kyoto), and its gaze leads to Mount Hino, known as Echizen Fuji. It is said that Mt. Hino is particularly beautiful when viewed from here, and Murasaki Shikibu even wrote a poem about it.

　- Hino's cedars are buried in the snow, and the pine trees of Koshio are covered with snow.

　Translation: The first snow has fallen and is now in sight, so much so that it has buried the cedar grove on Mt. Hino. I wonder if the pines on Mount Koshio in the capital of Kyoto are also covered with snow today.

These poems can also be seen on the monument behind the statue of Shikibu.

Murasaki Related Pavilion

Adjacent to Murasaki Shikibu Park, visitors can view materials and exhibits related to Murasaki Shikibu at the Murasaki Yukari no Yakata (Murasaki Yukari Museum of Echizen). History fans can also enjoy picture scroll–style movies, take a ‘princess type’ personality quiz, and see a paper-doll procession recreating her journey to Echizen.

Click here for more details.