uta monogatari
poem tales
Quick Summary
Uta monogatari are a genre of Japanese fiction, primarily from the Heian to Muromachi periods (794–1573). These "poem tales" developed from women's storytelling at court. Each uta monogatari episode typically includes one or more poems, accompanied by prose that describes the circumstances under which the poems were composed. A prime example is the Ise monogatari (c. 980), which features 143 such episodes. This form is closely related to literary diaries of the period, which also intersperse prose narratives with poetry.12
Summary created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.