The Tales of Ise (Ise Monogatari)

Unknown · 10th century

Overview

A "poem tale" made of about 125 short episodes, most of which begin, "Long ago, there was a man." Each episode centers on a waka and tells how the poem came to be written. The "man" is read as Ariwara no Narihira, and the episodes are arranged to begin with his coming of age and end with his death poem. The author is unknown; episodes seem to have been added over a long time.

Background

Ariwara no Narihira (825–880) was a grandson of Emperor Heizei but was made a commoner, and in an age when the Fujiwara were consolidating their power he stood outside the center of politics. The tales tell of his love for Fujiwara no Takaiko, later empress to Emperor Seiwa, and of a secret meeting with the priestess of Ise, portraying the miyabi (courtly grace) and defiance of a man outside power. The sense of distance between the capital and the east also conveys how nobles of the early Heian period saw their world.

Highlights

  1. Akuta RiverOn the night he flees carrying the woman he has stolen, she is eaten by a demon in one gulp. "When she asked, 'Are those white jewels?', I should have answered, 'Dew,' and vanished like the dew."Read “Akuta River” →
  2. The journey east"I will not stay in the capital; I will go east to look for a land to live in." The iris acrostic at Yatsuhashi, Mount Utsu, Fuji: the origin of Japanese travel writing.Read “The Journey East” →
  3. The capital bird"If you are true to your name, let me ask you, capital bird: is the one I love alive or not?" On the ferry across the Sumida, everyone weeps.Read “The Journey East” →
  4. The hunting envoyOne night with the priestess of Ise. "Did you come, or did I go? I cannot tell. Was it dream or waking? Was I asleep or awake?"Read “The Hunting Envoy” →