Otogi-zōshi
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. Overview is a general term for narrative literature written between the Muromachi period (approximately 1336–1573) and the beginning of the Edo period (1603–1867). The term originates with a mid-Edo collection of 23 stories, titled or . It later came to denote other works of the same genre and period. Modern scholarship sometimes distinguishes between "true" , covering only the 23 works included in the aforementioned collection, and other works that it instead terms or . List The 23 tales covered by the narrow definition are: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Under the broad definition, there are around 500 surviving examples of . Most are around 30–40 pages in length, and are of uncertain date. Their a ...
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Issun-bōshi
is the subject of a fairy tale from Japan. This story can be found in the old Japanese illustrated book '' Otogizōshi''. Similar central figures and themes are known elsewhere in the world, as in the tradition of Tom Thumb in English folklore. Synopsis The general story is: *A childless old couple prayed to the Sumiyoshi sanjin to be blessed with a child, and so they were able to have one. However, the child born was only one ''sun'' (around 3 cm or 1.2 in) in height and never grew taller. Thus, the child was named the "one-sun boy" or "Issun-bōshi". *One day, Issun-bōshi said he wanted to go the capital to become a warrior, so he embarked on his voyage with a bowl as a boat, a chopstick as a paddle, a needle as a sword, and a piece of straw as a scabbard. In the capital, he found a splendid big house and found employment there. When a girl of that family went on a journey to visit a palace, an ''oni'' kidnapped the girl. As Issun-bōshi attempted to save the girl, ...
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Urashima Tarō (otogi-zōshi)
is a Japanese '' otogi-zōshi'' in one volume. Date, genre and title ''Urashima Tarō'' was composed during the Muromachi period. It is a work of the '' otogi-zōshi'' genre. Most of the surviving manuscripts of the work give its title as simply ''Urashima'', written in hiragana. Plot Urashima Tarō of Tango Province spares the life of a turtle he has caught and releases it. The next day a beautiful woman arrives on a small boat, and requests Tarō escort her back to her country. He takes her to her home in the Dragon Palace, and becomes her husband. Three years later, he becomes homesick and requests her leave to go visit his home. His wife protests, but allows him to return home for time, admitting that she is the turtle he saved and entrusting him with a box as a keepsake, which she warns him never to open. On Tarō's return to his home, he learns to his shock that 700 years have passed. Without thinking, he opens the box he had received from his wife, and from it eme ...
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Komachi Sōshi
''Komachi Sōshi'' (小町草紙) is a Japanese '' otogi-zōshi'' in one or two volumes, composed during the Muromachi period. Date, genre and sources ''Komachi Sōshi'' was composed during the Muromachi period. It is a work of the '' otogi-zōshi'' genre. It is one of a large number of works that draw on the legends surrounding the poet Ono no Komachi, a category that also includes ''Komachi Monogatari'', ''Komachi Uta-arasoi'', ''Kamiyo Komachi'' and '' Tamazukuri Monogatari''. It specifically draws on the ''dokuro-densetsu'' (髑髏伝説), legends about Komachi's skull being found in a grassy field. Plot Ono no Komachi, the great beauty and '' waka'' poet, has grown old and wretched. She prays to Kanzeon for salvation. She encounters Ariwara no Narihira, and the two discuss their romantic histories and how popular they had once been. Komachi abandons the capital when she is ridiculed for her decrepit appearance, and travels to the Tōkaidō and eventually to Mutsu Pr ...
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Tale Of Issun Bōshi From Otogi-zōshi
Tale may refer to: * Narrative, or story, a report of real or imaginary connected events * TAL effector (TALE), a type of DNA binding protein * Tale, Albania, a resort town * Tale, Iran, a village * Tale, Maharashtra, a village in Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra state, India * River Tale, a small river in the English county of Devon * '' The Tale'', 2018 American drama film See also * Tale-e Rudbar, a village in Iran * Taleh, a town in Somalia * Tales (other) Tales may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Tales'' (album), a 1995 album by Marcus Miller * ''Tales'' (film), a 2014 Iranian film * ''Tales'' (TV series), an American television series * ''Tales'' (video game), a 2016 point-and-click adventure ...

Samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They had high prestige and special privileges such as wearing two swords and ''Kiri-sute gomen'' (right to kill anyone of a lower class in certain situations). They cultivated the '' bushido'' codes of martial virtues, indifference to pain, and unflinching loyalty, engaging in many local battles. Though they had predecessors in earlier military and administrative officers, the samurai truly emerged during the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1185 to 1333. They became the ruling political class, with significant power but also significant responsibility. During the 13th century, the samurai proved themselves as adept warriors against the invading Mongols. During the peaceful Edo period (1603 to 1868), they became the stewards and chamberlains of ...
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Monogatari
is a literary form in traditional Japanese literature – an extended prose narrative tale comparable to the epic novel. ''Monogatari'' is closely tied to aspects of the oral tradition, and almost always relates a fictional or fictionalized story, even when retelling a historical event. Many of the great works of Japanese fiction, such as the '' Genji Monogatari'' and the ''Heike Monogatari'', are in the ''monogatari'' form. History The form was prominent around the 9th to 15th centuries, reaching a peak between the 10th and 11th centuries. ''Monogatari'' was the court literature during the Heian era and also persisted in the form of archaic fiction until the sixteenth century. According to the '' Fūyō Wakashū'' (1271), at least 198 ''monogatari'' existed by the 13th century and that only 24 exist today. Genres The genre is sub-divided into multiple categories depending on their contents: ''Denki-monogatari'' Stories dealing with fantastical events. ''Uta-monogatari'' ...
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Kamakura Period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans. The period is known for the emergence of the samurai, the warrior caste, and for the establishment of feudalism in Japan. During the early Kamakura period, the shogunate continued warfare against the Northern Fujiwara which was only defeated in 1189. Then, the authority to the Kamakura rulers waned in the 1190s and power was transferred to the powerful Hōjō clan in the early 13th century with the head of the clan as regent (Shikken) under the shogun which became a powerless figurehead. The later Kamakura period saw the invasions of the Mongols in 1274 and again in 1281. To reduce the amount of chaos, the Hōjō rulers decided to decentralize power by allowing two imperial lines – Northern and Southern ...
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Heian Period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. It is a period in Japanese history when the Chinese influences were in decline and the national culture matured. The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art, especially poetry and literature. Two types of Japanese script emerged, including katakana, a phonetic script which was abbreviated into hiragana, a cursive alphabet with a unique writing method distinctive to Japan. This gave rise to Japan's famous vernacular literature, with many of its texts written by court women who were not as educated in Chinese compared to their male counterparts. Although the Imperial House of Japan had power on the surface, the real power was in the hands of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful aristocratic f ...
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Shuten-dōji
Shuten-dōji (, also sometimes called , or ) is a mythical ''oni'' or demon leader of Japan, who according to legend was killed by the hero Minamoto Raikō. Although decapitated, the demon's detached head still took a bite at the hero, who avoided death by wearing multiple helmets stacked on his head. Shuten-dōji had his lair at Mount Ōe () northwest of the city of Kyoto, or Mount Ibuki, depending on the version. It has also been theorized that the original mountain was Mount Ōe () on the western edge of the city of Kyoto. Texts The oldest surviving text of the legend is recorded in the 14th century ''Ōeyama Ekotoba'' (大江山絵詞 "Tale of Mount Ōe in Pictures and Words"), a picture scroll held by the Itsuō Art Museum. It was later incorporated into the corpus of ''Otogi-zōshi'' ("Companion tales"), and became widely read in the woodblock-printed versions of them called the ''Otogi Bunko'' (Companion Library), especially Shibukawa Seiemon editions (ca. 1720). The ...
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