Yamato Monogatari - Structure

Structure

The Yamato Monogatari as we know it today is a collection of 334 waka poems in 173 episodes. However, the original text only contains less than 300 waka poems in 172 episodes. This extra episode, along with two extra sections, was added some time after the compiling of the original text to form the Yamato Monogatari that we know today.

The poems of Yamato Monogatari can be roughly divided into two distinct parts: the first half being composed of solely waka poems about actual historical figures. 140 of these 173 episodes describe the lives of those who lived in the court circle. Over 100 different people were mentioned in Yamato Monogatari; 80 are mentioned by a name, while the rest are only referred to by their court titles. It is difficult to be able to recognize one noble from another because of the sheer number of them that are mentioned. However, it is clear that the writers of these poems were eager to know about the details of the private lives of these people.

The second half contains legends and stories told in a more literary and prose style. The sections in this prose half of Yamato Monogatari are much longer and descriptive. These legends have gone on to inspire many writers throughout Japan’s history, even some authors as recent as 50 years ago.