The Pillow Book

The “S” chapters are part of the Sankanbon fragments of The Pillow Book. One version suggests “that they are found after Section 141,” but in the Sankanbon text they are found at the end of the text, as they are in this version.

S1 lists “things that are better at night,” a list that includes rich, lustrous hair and silks. Violet silk, though, is one of the items that looks “worse by firelight,” as the next chapter describes (249). S3 lists “things that are hard on the ear,” like “a drowsy priest droning mantras” (249).

In S4, Shonagon lists “things whose Chinese characters make no sense, though there must be some reason to them” (250). Then, she lists “things that look lovely but are horrible inside” (250). Colors for women’s outer gowns, Chinese jackets, trains, girls’ over-robes, figured silks, damask patterns, and thin or decorated paper are the subject of the next few fragments.

S 13-15 lists Shonagon’s preferences for writing implements, like boxes, brushes, and inksticks. Then, in S16-22, she lists preferences for shells, comb boxes, mirrors, lacquer designs, braziers, tatami mats, and palm-leaf carriages.

In S23, Shonagon breaks from this series of lists to describe a pine-shaded mansion where a handsome priest performs a ritual.