Monogatari

Monogatari (物語) is a literary form in traditional Japanese literature, an extended prose narrative tale comparable to the epic. It is closely tied to aspect 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 this monogatari form.

The form was prominent around the 9th to 15th centuries, reaching a peak between the 10th and 11th centuries. According to the Fūyō Wakashū (1271), there were at least 198 monogatari in existence by the 13th century. Of these, around forty are still extant.

Later when foreign literature became known to Japan, the word "monogatari" has been used in Japanese titles of foreign works of a similar nature. For example, A Tale of Two Cities is known as Nito Monogatari (二都物語) and more recently The Lord of the Rings as Yubiwa Monogatari (指輪物語).

Genres
The genre is sub-divided into multiple categories depending on their contents:

Denki-monogatari
Stories dealing with fantastical events.
 * Taketori Monogatari
 * Utsubo Monogatari
 * Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai

Uta-monogatari
Stories drawn from poetry.
 * Heichū Monogatari
 * Ise Monogatari
 * Yamato Monogatari

Tsukuri-monogatari
Aristocratic count romances.
 * Genji Monogatari
 * Hamamatsu Chūnagon Monogatari
 * Ochikubo Monogatari
 * Sagoromo Monogatari
 * Torikaebaya Monogatari
 * Tsutsumi Chūnagon Monogatari
 * Yoru no Nezame

Rekishi-monogatari
Historical tales.
 * Eiga Monogatari
 * Ōkagami

Gunki-monogatari
War tales.
 * Gikeiki
 * Heiji Monogatari
 * Heike Monogatari
 * Hōgen Monogatari
 * Soga Monogatari
 * Taiheiki

Setsuwa-monogatari
Anecdotal tales.
 * Konjaku Monogatari
 * Uji Shūi Monogatari

Giko-monogatari
Pseudo-classical imitations of earlier tales.
 * Matsura no Miya Monogatari
 * Sumiyoshi Monogatari