During this period, works that can be said to be representative of Japanese classical literature were written, starting with the "Tosa Nikki" (The Tosa Diary) written by KI no Tsurayuki, then the miscellaneous compositions of "Makura no soshi" (the Pillow Book) by Sei Shonagon, as well as "Genji Monogatari" (The Tale of Genji) by Murasaki Shikibu.
紀貫之の『土佐日記』が書かれたのに続き、清少納言の随筆『枕草子』、紫式部の『源氏物語』など古典文学の代表作と言える作品が著された。