The Matsuranomiya monogatari is an unfinished monogatari written by Fujiwara no Teika, the famous waka poet of the Kamakura period. It was written at the end of the 12th century or the very beginning of the 13th century.
Overview
The is an unfinished monogatari written by Fujiwara no Teika, the famous waka poet of the Kamakura period. It was written at the end of the 12th century or the very beginning of the 13th century.
Authorship and date
The majority of scholars accept Fujiwara no Teika as the author of the work. It is the only extant work of fiction by Teika, although there were probably others at one time. The Mumyōzōshi (1200 or 1201) attributes the work to him.
It was probably written between 1189 and 1201. This date is established by collating the Mumyōzōshi passage (which calls him shōshō or "lesser captain") with what is known about Teika from external sources (he was held the office of shōshō from 1189 to 1202).
Influences
The work is thematically similar to the Utsubo monogatari, whose hero and use of music as a central theme are both mirrored. The Mumyōzōshi claimed that the work's plot brought Utsubo to mind. The work contains poems that, particularly in the first book, show the influence of the Man'yōshū (as is noted in the Mumyōzōshi). Teika may have lifted the idea of setting a significant part of the tale in China from the Hamamatsu Chūnagon Monogatari.
