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Period: 250 to 710
Yamato period
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Period: 710 to 794
Nara period
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712
Kojiki
The Kojiki (古事記, "Records of Ancient Matters" or "An Account of Ancient Matters"), also sometimes read as Furukotofumi or Furukotobumi, is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the kami (神), and the Japanese imperial line. -
720
Nihon Shoki
The Nihon Shoki (日本書紀), sometimes translated as The Chronicles of Japan, is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. The book is also called the Nihongi (日本紀, "Japanese Chronicles"). -
787
Nihon Ryoiki
The Nihon Ryōiki (日本霊異記) is an early Heian period setsuwa collection. Written by Kyōkai between 787 and 824, it is Japan's oldest collection of Buddhist setsuwa. It is three volumes in length. -
Period: 794 to 1185
Heian period
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909
Taketori monogatari
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Japanese: 竹取物語, Hepburn: Taketori Monogatari) is a monogatari (fictional prose narrative) containing elements of Japanese folklore. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the Heian period, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the monogatari form. -
947
Ise monogatari - The Tales of Ise
The Tales of Ise (伊勢物語, Ise monogatari) is a Japanese uta monogatari, or collection of waka poems and associated narratives, dating from the Heian period. The current version collects 125 sections, with each combining poems and prose, giving a total of 209 poems in most versions. -
1002
Makura no sōshi - The pillow book
The Pillow Book (枕草子, Makura no Sōshi) is a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Empress Consort Teishi during the 990s and early 1000s in Heian-period Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002. -
1014
Genji monogatari - The tale of Genji
The Tale of Genji (源氏物語, Genji monogatari, pronounced [ɡeɲdʑi monoɡataɾi]) is a classic work of Japanese literature written in the early 11th century by the noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu. The original manuscript, created around the peak of the Heian period, no longer exists. It was made in "concertina" or orihon style: several sheets of paper pasted together and folded alternately in one direction then the other. -
1120
Konjaku monogatari shu - Tales of times now past
Konjaku Monogatarishū (今昔物語集, lit. Anthology of Tales from the Past), also known as the Konjaku Monogatari (今昔物語), is a Japanese collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian period (794–1185). The entire collection was originally contained in 31 volumes, of which 28 remain today. The volumes cover various tales from India, China and Japan. -
1150
Mushi mezuru himegimi
The Lady who Loved Insects (虫めづる姫君, Mushi-mezuru Himegimi) is the twelfth-century Japanese tale of one who defies social convention and breaches the decorum expected of a Heian court lady. It is one of ten short stories in the collection Tsutsumi Chūnagon Monogatari. -
Period: 1185 to 1333
Kamakura
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1212
Uji monogatari
Uji Shūi Monogatari (宇治拾遺物語) is a collection of Japanese tales written around the beginning of the 13th century. The author is unknown, and it may have been revised several times. The title means "gleanings from Uji Dainagon Monogatari", a book which no longer exists. The Dainagon of Uji was Minamoto no Takakuni. The work is classified as setsuwa literature. Following in the footsteps of Konjaku Monogatarishū, it is the representative setsuwa work of the Kamakura period. -
1250
Heiji monogatari - Tale of Heiji
The Tale of Heiji (平治物語, Heiji monogatari) is a Japanese war epic (gunki monogatari) detailing the events of the Heiji Rebellion of 1159–1160, in which samurai clan head Minamoto no Yoshitomo attacked and besieged Kyoto, as part of an Imperial succession dispute, in which he was opposed by Taira no Kiyomori, head of the Taira clan.The Tale, like most monogatari, exists in three main forms: written, oral, and painted. -
1320
Hogen monogatari - The Tale of Hōgen
The Tale of Hōgen (保元物語, Hōgen monogatari) is a Japanese war chronicle or military tale (gunki monogatari) which relates the events and prominent figures of the Hōgen Rebellion. This literary and historical classic is believed to have been completed in the Kamakura period ca. 1320. Its author or authors remain unknown. The events which are recounted in the Hōgen story become a prelude to the story which unfolds in Tale of Heiji. -
Period: 1336 to 1573
Muromachi period
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1337
Otogizoshi
Otogi-zōshi (御伽草子) are a group of about 350 Japanese prose narratives written primarily in the Muromachi period (1392–1573). These illustrated short stories, which remain unattributed, together form one of the representative literary genres of the Japanese medieval era. -
1340
Taiheiki
The Taiheiki (太平記) (Chronicle of Great Peace) is a Japanese historical epic (see gunki monogatari) written in the late 14th century and covers the period from 1319 to 1367. It deals primarily with the Nanboku-chō, the period of war between the Northern Court of Ashikaga Takauji in Kyoto, and the Southern Court of Emperor Go-Daigo in Yoshino. -
1363
Zeami noh plays
Zeami Motokiyo (世阿弥 元清) (c. 1363 – c. 1443), also called Kanze Motokiyo (観世 元清), was a Japanese aesthetician, actor, and playwright. -
1371
Heike monogatari - The tale of Heiki
The Tale of the Heike (平家物語, Heike Monogatari) is an epic account compiled prior to 1330 of the struggle between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185). Heike (平家) refers to the Taira (平), hei being the on'yomi reading of the first kanji and "ke" (家) means family. -
1503
Sessoseki - The Killing stone
The Sesshoseki (殺生石), or Killing Stone, is a stone in the volcanic mountains of Nasu, an area of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, that is famous for sulphurous hot springs. In Japanese mythology, the stone is said to kill anyone who comes into contact with it. In Japan, rocks, large stones in areas where volcanic toxic gases are generated are often named Sesshoseki, meaning Killing Stone, and the representative of such stones is this one associated with the legend of Tamamo-no-Mae and the fox spirit. -
Period: to
Edo period
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Tamamo no soshi - Lady Tamamo
Tamamo no Mae was a courtesan under the Japanese Emperor Konoe. Tamamo was a legendary two-tailed fox. She was the most favored courtesan of Emperor Toba. She was said to be a beautiful and smart woman, being able to answer any question. She caused the Emperor to be extremely ill and was in the end exposed as a fox spirit by the astrologer AbenoYasuchika. He was called to diagnose the cause of the Emperor's poor health. later, the emperor sent warriors/hunters to kill the fox in the Nasu moor.