Editing Japanese literature (section)

== Female authors ==
Female writers in Japan enjoyed a brief period of success during the [[Heian period]], but were undermined following the decline in power of the [[Emperor of Japan|Imperial Court]] in the 14th century. Later, in the [[Meiji era]], earlier works written by women such as Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon were championed amongst the earliest examples of the Japanese literary language, even at a time when the authors themselves experienced challenges due to their gender. One Meiji-period writer, [[Shimizu Shikin]], sought to encourage positive comparisons between her contemporaries and their female forebears in the hopes that female authors would be viewed with respect by society, despite assuming a public role outside the traditional confines of a woman's role in her home (see [[Good Wife, Wise Mother]]). Other notable authors of the Meiji period included [[Hiratsuka Raicho]], [[Higuchi Ichiyo]], [[Tamura Toshiko]], [[Nogami Yaeko]] and [[Yosano Akiko]].<ref>The Modern Murasaki, Columbia University Press, pages x-2</ref>