The Heian period saw major developments in Japanese literature, poetry, painting, and architecture. The spread of the phonetic kana scripts encouraged a flourishing of Japanese-language literature, particularly among aristocratic women. Murasaki Shikibu wrote The Tale of Genji, sometimes considered to be the world’s first novel, while Sei Shōnagon produced the Pillow Book. Waka poetry flourished, and distinctively Japanese artistic forms such as yamato-e painting and emaki illustrated handscrolls developed.
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