The Tale of Ise is one of the earliest and most well-known example
of uta monogatari, a subgenre of the monogatari, which focuses on
waka poetry with the narrative evolving around the poetry. Its
authorship, as well as the exact date of composition remain
unclear, but it is today dated to the early Heian period. It is
also known by the title "Zaigo chūjō nikki", or "Diaries of the
Prince Ariwara no Narihira". The main character in the Tale of Ise
is understood as being the historical prince and poet Ariwara no
Narihira (9th century), whose waka feature in the tale. Yet due to
the existence of narratives that clearly date to later periods,
Narihira himself cannot be regarded as the author. The tale is
generally concerned with human affection of many kinds, from
amorous affairs to parental affection. Whilst many chapters do have
a strong aristocratic notion, it is not limited to the world of
nobility, but also includes the commoner’s fate, such as Chapter
23 Tsutsuizutsu. The characters often remain unnamed and are only
referred to as ‘the girl’, or ‘the man’. Thus, the tale is
interpretable as an effort to generally address the topic of human
relationship and affection. This example bound in silk is adorned
with illustrations executed in ink, polychromy and gold.
Rights
e-codices - Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland
