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Japanese Classical Literature

This section is dedicated to Japanese classics available in English translation. I will not attempt to list all translations, which, as the case with Genji Monogatari can be quite numerous, especially if one counts abridged versions or excerpts. Instead, I will only list translations of the complete works (where available) in the versions that I have read. These usually will be the ones most recommended by specialists --- as I do research the matter prior to reading --- so if the book is listed here, it will be the version that is widely regarded as the best translation. Generally, anything by Helen Craig McCullough or Donald Keene will be by far the best choice. Entries are arranged chronologically by period covered (not by date written). If the name is clickable, there is a longer review available.
  1. Tales of Ise (Ise monogatari)
    • Written b/n 880-950 (date uncertain), anonymous
    • Covers 9th century, at least datable events relating to principal poets
    • Loose collection of lyric episodes each consisting of at least one poem in a fictionalized prose context
    • Translated by Helen Craig McCullough; Stanford, 1968; ISBN: 0-8047-0653-0
    • A necessary reading to appreciate all the references in the later classical works

  2. The Kagero Diary (Kagero nikki)
    • Written b/n 969-74 by Michitsuna no Haha (Michitsuna's mother, real name unknown)
    • Covers 954-74 (especially the latter five years)
    • Intensely personal account of the disintegration of author's marriage to Fujiwara Kaneie
    • Translated by Sonja Arntzen; Center for Japanese Studies, Michigan, 1997; ISBN: 0-939512-81-5
    • Also translated by Edward Seidensticker as Gossamer Years (not very good)
    • Excellent work, especially book two (my favorite)

  3. The Diary of Lady Murasaki (Murasaki Shikibu nikki)
    • Written b/n 1009-10 by Lady Murasaki Shikibu (real name unknown)
    • Covers 1008-10
    • Events surrounding Prince Atsuhira's birth, comments on court circles
    • Translated by Richard Bowring; Penguin Books, 1996; ISBN: 0-14-043576-X
    • First part is slow, picks up pace in the personal observations

  4. As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams (Sarashina nikki)
    • Written b/n 1055-60 by Lady Sarashina (Sugawara no Takasue no Musume, real name unknown)
    • Covers 1020-59 (sporadically)
    • Personal recollections of a not-so-successful court lady
    • Translated by Ivan Morris; Penguin Books, 1989; ISBN: 0-14-044282-0
    • Fine reading, a bit too whining and scattered

  5. The Emperor Horikawa Diary (Sanuki no Suke nikki)
    • Written around 1109-1110 by Fujiwara no Nagako (Lady Sanuki)
    • Covers 1107 (Emperor Horikawa's death and first months of Toba's reign)
    • First-hand account of Horikawa's last days, painful memories while serving his son
    • Translated by Jennifer Brewster; The University Press of Hawaii, 1977; ISBN: 0-8248-0605-0
    • Second part is especially appealing, if a bit scattered

  6. Tale of the Disorder in Hôgen (Hôgen Monogatari)
    • Written sometime after the events, much revised; anonymous
    • Covers 1156 (the unsuccessful rebelion by cloistered emperor Sutoku)
    • War tale about the causes, fighting, and aftermath of the Hôgen Disturbance
    • Translated by William R. Wilson; Cornell East Asia Program, 2001; ISBN: 1-885445-99-7
    • One of the five important war tales, too Confucian

  7. Yoshitsune (Yoshitsune)
    • Written b/n 1400-50, anonymous
    • Covers 1159-89
    • War tale about the life of Minamoto Yoshitsune
    • Translated by Helen Craig McCullough; Stanford, 1966; ISBN: 0-8047-0270-5
    • Excellent, highly recommended

  8. The Tale of the Heike (Heike Monogatari)
    • Written in the 13th century, anonymous
    • Covers 1153-1199 (main emphasis on the Gempei War, 1180-1185)
    • War tale about the rise and fall of the Taira clan
    • Translated by Hellen Craig McCullough; Stanford, 1988; ISBN: 0-8047-1803-2
    • Excellent, highly recommended; the best of the war tales

  9. An Account of the Shôkyû War of 1221 (Shôkyûki)
    • Written in the 13th century, anonymous
    • Covers 1221 (the Shôkyû, or Jôkyû, Disturbance between Go-Toba and Kamakura)
    • Chronicle of the war detailing the defeat of the loyalist forces
    • Translated by William H. McCullough; Monumenta Nipponica, 19(1-4), 1964
    • "Its historical value exceeds its literary worth," as the authors of the Princeton Companion nicely put it

  10. The Confessions of Lady Nijô (Towazugatari)
    • Written ca. 1307 by Lady Nijô (court title, real name unknown)
    • Covers 1271-1306
    • Account of author's life from Emperor GoFukakusa's lover to a wandering Buddhist nun
    • Translated by Karen Brazell; Stanford, 1973; ISBN: 0-8047-0930-0
    • Very good, especially love affairs and travelogue

  11. The Clear Mirror (Masukagami)
    • Written 1368-76, anonymous
    • Covers 1180-1338 (Emperor Go-Toba's birth through the Kemmu Restoration)
    • Historical tale, court life, public events
    • Translated by George W. Perkins; Stanford, 1998; ISBN: 0-8047-2953-0
    • Tedious, should be postponed until taste for such writing is acquired

  12. The Taiheiki
    • Written at various stages, perhaps finalized in 1372 by Priest Kojima
    • Covers 1318-1367 (ascession of Go-Daigo, fall of Kamakura, Kemmu Restoration, War of the Two Courts)
    • War tale about the destruction of the Hôjô family and the imperial succession conflict
    • Translated by Helen Craig McCullough; Columbia, 1959
    • Excellent; however, the translation only covers first 12 chapters, ending the narrative in 1333