Hon'ami, Kōetsu, 1558-1637 Associated Name. Suminokura, Soan, 1571-1617 Associated Name. text [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1608. jpn Ise monogatari (The tales of Ise) is a collection of some 125 brief episodes, combining elements of prose and poetry, that dates from the early Heian period (9th-10th centuries). The protagonist is believed to be modeled on Ariwarano Narihira (825-80), a handsome aristocrat who had many romantic affairs. The main character's romances, friendships, heartbroken wandering life, and various other stories are narrated in a style that owes much to waka (literally, Japanese poems). The work had a great influence on later Japanese literature, including Genji monogatari (The tale of Genji). Shown here is the earliest printed edition of Ise monogatari. It is a beautiful book with flowing characters on paper of different colors, decorated with brushed-on shell pigment. It was produced with the old movable type and illustrated with engraved wood-block prints. The publishing of this book involved the artist Hon'ami Kōetsu (1558-1637) and Suminokura Soan (1571-1617), a chirographer and wealthy trading merchant of the Kyoto-Saga area. Title devised, in English, by Library staff. Original resource extent: 2 books ; 27.1 x 19.4 centimeters. National Diet Library. Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions. 800 to 999 Block printing Japanese literature Japanese poetry Manners and customs Poetry The Tales of Ise Waka (Japanese poetry) Japan https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.wdl/wdl.11826