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Why was The Tale of Genji written almost entirely in hiragana?

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Japanese calligraphy — Japanese language Record of a haiku exchange on *kaishi* writing paper by Japanese poet Bashō and one of his pupils in the teacher's own handwriting, 17th century, from a hanging scroll (ink on paper).

The Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu in the 11th century, was composed almost entirely in hiragana primarily because of the gendered social norms of the Heian period.

During this era, the study and use of kanji—the complex Chinese characters introduced to Japan—were considered the exclusive domain of men, who used them for official documents and formal writing. Women, however, were generally discouraged from learning these characters. Consequently, women with literary aspirations eagerly adopted kana (the phonetic syllabaries), which had been developed by simplifying Chinese characters.

Because hiragana was more accessible and better suited for expressing the nuances of the Japanese language than the rigid Chinese-based system, it became the preferred script for literature, personal communication, and poetry. By writing in hiragana, Murasaki Shikibu was able to craft a complex, emotionally resonant narrative that transcended the formal constraints of the male-dominated academic writing of her time.12