Sagoromo Monogatari

Sagoromo Monogatari

Sagoromo Monogatari (狭衣物語) is a monogatari written between 1069 and 1081. The author of this piece remains unknown but it is generally thought to have been composed by Seji (Some put forth Daini no Sanmi as the author²). You can find strong influences in this text from the ‘Uji Chapter’ of the Tale of Genji, with the tale containing many waka poems throughout.

This piece details the story of the protagonist Sagoromo, a man who has a desire and love for his cousin and adopted sister Genji no Miya.

Throughout the sotry he flits between periods of severe melancholoy in which he wished to enter into the priesthood, and episodes of passionate daliences during which times he charms many women.

At the conclusion of the story he finds himself becoming emperor after an oracular decree from Amaterasu.¹

External Links

• • You can find online scans of the Sagoromo Monogatari: HERE.

Footnotes

1. Kodansha. (1993) ”Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia”. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.
2. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.

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