Around the time the banknote with a portrait of Shotoku Taishi (Prince Shotoku) was discontinued (1983), when those involved in designing the new banknotes were considering the use of a woman's portrait, Seishonagon, Lady Murasaki Shikibu, Ichiyo HIGUCHI and Akiko YOSANO (in birth order) were proposed as candidates, but none of them was adopted at the time.
聖徳太子の紙幣使用の終わり（1983年）ごろ、新紙幣の図柄を決める関係者の女性を採用してはという意見の中で、清少納言、紫式部、樋口一葉、与謝野晶子（出生順）の4人が候補に上がったが、当時はいずれも採用にはいたらなかったという逸話がある。