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Book/Printed Material The Tales of Ise.

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[ Volume 1 ]

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[ Volume 2 ]

About this Item

Title

  • The Tales of Ise.

Summary

  • Ise monogatari (The tales of Ise) is a collection of some 125 brief episodes, combining elements of prose and poetry, that dates from the early Heian period (9th-10th centuries). The protagonist is believed to be modeled on Ariwarano Narihira (825-80), a handsome aristocrat who had many romantic affairs. The main character's romances, friendships, heartbroken wandering life, and various other stories are narrated in a style that owes much to waka (literally, Japanese poems). The work had a great influence on later Japanese literature, including Genji monogatari (The tale of Genji). Shown here is the earliest printed edition of Ise monogatari. It is a beautiful book with flowing characters on paper of different colors, decorated with brushed-on shell pigment. It was produced with the old movable type and illustrated with engraved wood-block prints. The publishing of this book involved the artist Hon'ami Kōetsu (1558-1637) and Suminokura Soan (1571-1617), a chirographer and wealthy trading merchant of the Kyoto-Saga area.

Names

  • Hon'ami, Kōetsu, 1558-1637 Associated Name.
  • Suminokura, Soan, 1571-1617 Associated Name.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1608.

Headings

  • -  Japan
  • -  800 to 999
  • -  Block printing
  • -  Japanese literature
  • -  Japanese poetry
  • -  Manners and customs
  • -  Poetry
  • -  The Tales of Ise
  • -  Waka (Japanese poetry)

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 2 books ; 27.1 x 19.4 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: National Diet Library.
  • -  Content in Japanese.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666414

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Hon'Ami, Kōetsu, Associated Name, and Soan Suminokura. The Tales of Ise. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1608] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666414/.

APA citation style:

Hon'Ami, K. & Suminokura, S. (1608) The Tales of Ise. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666414/.

MLA citation style:

Hon'Ami, Kōetsu, Associated Name, and Soan Suminokura. The Tales of Ise. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1608] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666414/>.