Monogatari

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Monogatari (物語^?) is a literary form in traditional Japanese literature, an extended prose narrative tale comparable to the epic. It is closely tied to aspect of the oral tradition, and almost always relates a fictional or fictionalized story, even when retelling a historical event. Many of the great works of Japanese fiction, such as the Genji monogatari and the Heike monogatari are in this monogatari form.

The form was prominent around the 9th to 15th centuries, reaching a peak between the 10th and 11th centuries. According to the Fūyō Wakashū (1271), there were at least 198 monogatari in existence by the 13th century. Of these, around forty are still extant.

Contents 1 Genres 1.1 Denki-monogatari 1.2 Uta-monogatari 1.3 Tsukuri-monogatari 1.4 Rekishi-monogatari 1.5 Gunki-monogatari 1.6 Setsuwa-monogatari 1.7 Giko-monogatari 2 See also 3 References

[edit] Genres

The genre is sub-divided into multiple categories depending on their contents:

[edit] Denki-monogatari

Stories dealing with fantastical events.

• Taketori Monogatari
• Utsubo Monogatari

[edit] Uta-monogatari

Stories drawn from poetry.

• Heichū Monogatari
• Ise Monogatari
• Yamato Monogatari

[edit] Tsukuri-monogatari

Aristocratic count romances.

• Genji Monogatari
• Hamamatsu Chūnagon Monogatari
• Ochikubo Monogatari
• Sagoromo Monogatari
• Torikaebaya Monogatari
• Tsutsumi Chūnagon Monogatari
• Yoru no Nezame

[edit] Rekishi-monogatari

Historical tales.

• Eiga Monogatari
• Ōkagami

[edit] Gunki-monogatari

War tales.

• Gikeiki
• Heiji Monogatari
• Heike Monogatari
• Hōgen Monogatari
• Soga Monogatari
• Taiheiki

[edit] Setsuwa-monogatari

Anecdotal tales.

• Konjaku Monogatari
• Uji Shūi Monogatari

[edit] Giko-monogatari

Pseudo-classical imitations of earlier tales.

• Matsura no Miya Monogatari
• Sumiyoshi Monogatari

[edit] See also

• Mumyōzōshi, a 13th century literary critique on monogatari, many of which are no longer extant
• Fūyō Wakashū, a 13th century collection of poetry from various monogatari sources, many of which are no longer extant

[edit] References

• Frederic, Louis (2002). "Monogatari." Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
• Kubota, Jun (2007) (in Japanese). Iwanami Nihon Koten Bungaku Jiten. Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4-00-080310-6. 
• Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten: Kan'yakuban. Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten. 1986. ISBN 4-00-080067-1.