The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
High-ranked noblemen sometimes kept multiple wives or concubines. Aristocratic wives could remain in their fathers' house, and the husband would recognize paternity with the formal presentation of a gift. The forms of Heian courtship, as well as the pitfalls of amorous intrigue, are well represented in the literature of the period, especially "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter", "The Sarashina Diary", "The Pillow Book", and "The Tale of Genji".