Murasaki (紫) is the Japanese word for **"purple" or "lavender"** — also the name of the *Lithospermum* plant used to dye purple. **Murasaki Shikibu (c. 973-1014)** was the **Heian-era Japanese lady-in-waiting and author of *The Tale of Genji* (Genji Monogatari)** — **widely considered the world's first psychological novel and the first novel by a woman in any language**. **Her diary, the *Murasaki Shikibu Nikki*, is one of the most vivid eyewitness accounts of life at the Heian imperial court.**
Featured on the 2,000-yen Japanese banknote.
Murasaki reduces to five — the number of Genji's author.