▁the ▁use ▁of ▁k ana , ▁unlike ▁men ▁who ▁still ▁conducted ▁business ▁in ▁Chinese . ▁ ▁Women ' s ▁writing ▁showed ▁a ▁marked ▁difference ▁from ▁men ' s , ▁more ▁personal ▁and ▁intros pective ▁in ▁nature . ▁ ▁Thus ▁written ▁Japanese ▁was ▁developed ▁by ▁women ▁who ▁used ▁the ▁language ▁as ▁a ▁form ▁of ▁self - expression ▁and , ▁as ▁Japanese ▁literature ▁scholar ▁Richard ▁Bow ring ▁says , ▁by ▁women ▁who ▁under to ok ▁the ▁process ▁of ▁building ▁" a ▁flexible ▁written ▁style ▁out ▁of ▁a ▁language ▁that ▁had ▁only ▁previously ▁existed ▁in ▁a ▁spoken ▁form ". ▁▁▁ ▁Emperor ▁Ich ij ō ' s ▁court , ▁domin ated ▁by ▁the ▁powerful ▁Fu ji w ara ▁cl an , ▁was ▁the ▁seat ▁of ▁two ▁rival ▁imperial ▁em press es , ▁Te ishi ▁and ▁Sh ō sh i , ▁each ▁with ▁ladies - in - wait ing ▁who ▁were ▁prof ic ient ▁writers ▁producing ▁works ▁hon oring ▁their ▁mist ress es ▁and ▁the ▁Fu ji w ara ▁cl an . ▁The ▁three ▁most ▁not ew orth y ▁He ian ▁era ▁di aries ▁in ▁the ▁genre ▁of ▁Nik ki ▁B ung aku   – ▁Mur as aki ' s ▁Mur as aki ▁Sh ik ib u ▁n ik ki , ▁Se i ▁Sh ō n agon ' s ▁The ▁P ill ow ▁Book ▁and ▁Iz umi ▁Sh ik ib u ' s ▁( I z umi ▁Sh ik ib u ▁Nik ki )   – ▁came ▁from ▁the ▁em press es ' s ▁courts . ▁Mur as