Konjaku Monogatarishū (今昔物語集, kon present + jaku past + monogatari tale + shū collection) is a Japanese collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian Period (794-1192). The entire collection was originally contained in 31 volumes, of which only 28 remain today. The volumes cover various tales from India, China, and Japan. History of Japan Paleolithic Jomon Yayoi Yamato period ---Kofun period ---Asuka period Nara period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period ---Nanban period Edo period Meiji period Taisho period Showa period ---Japanese expansionism ---Occupied Japan ---Post-Occupation Japan Heisei Overview The Heian period (平安時代) is the last division... Events Kyoto becomes the Japanese capital. ... Events The Third Crusade ends in disaster. ... The Republic of India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of more than one billion, and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. ... The Great Wall of China, stretching over 6,700 km, was erected beginning in the 3rd century BC to guard the north from raids by men on horses. ... Official language Japanese Capital Tokyo Largest City Tokyo Emperor Akihito Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 60th 377,835 km² 0. ...

The work is also commonly known by the name "Konjaku Monogatari"; since it is an anthology rather than a single tale, however, the longer title is more accurate.

Contents

The tales contained in the work are divided according to the region in which the tales take place. The first 5 volumes contain tales from India, the next five tales from China, and the remainder tales from Japan. The subject-matter is drawn from Buddhism and secular folklore. Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ... This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ... Folklore is the ethnographic concept of the tales, legends, or superstitions current among a particular ethnic population, a part of the oral history of a particular culture. ...

All of the tales in the collection start of with the phrase "The time is of days of old" (今ハ昔 ima wa mukashi). When read in the Japanese Chinese-style pronunciation this becomes "Konjaku", and it is from this that the collection is named.

The Buddhist tales cover a wide range of topics, both historical tales about the development, transmission, and spread of Buddhism, and dogmatic tales which emphasis karmic retribution. This article is on dogma in religion. ... The law of Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म), or Kamma (Pali) originated in the Vedic system of religion, otherwise known as Hinduism. ...

The folkloric tales mostly depict encounters between human beings and the supernatural. The typical characters are drawn from Japanese society of the time -- nobility, warriors, monks, scholars, doctors, peasant farmers, fishermen, merchants, prostitutes, bandits, beggars. Their supernatural counterparts are oni and tengu. Oni (鬼) are fabulous creatures from Japanese folklore, similar to Western demons or ogres. ... Tengu (天狗) are minor kami found in Japanese folklore. ...

Date and authorship

The work is anonymous. Several theories of authorship have been put forward: one argues that the compiler was Minamoto no Takakuni, author of Ujidainagon Monogatari, another suggests the Buddhist monk Tobane Sōjō, a third proposes a Buddhist monk living somewhere in the vicinity of Kyoto or Nara during the late Heian period. So far no substantive evidence has emerged to decide the question, and no general consensus has formed. Location of Kyoto, on the main island of Japan Kyoto (Japanese: 京都市; Kyōto-shi) is a city in Japan that has a population of 1. ... Nara (奈良市; -shi) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan, near Kyoto. ...

The date of the work is also uncertain. From the events depicted in some of the tales it seems likely that it was written down at some point during the early half of the 12th century, after the year 1120. (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Events Welcher of Malvern creates a system of measurement for the earth using degrees, minutes, and seconds of latitude and longitude. ...

Significance

Many of the tales which appear in the Konjaku are also found in other collections, such as ghost story collections; having passed into the common consciousness, they have been retold many times over the succeeding centuries. Modern writers too have adapted tales from the Konjaku Monogatarishū: a famous example is Akutagawa Ryūnosuke's Rashōmon (well known in the West from Kurosawa's movie of the same name). Other authors who have written stories based on tales from the Konjaku include Tanizaki Jun'ichiro and Hori Tatsuo. [[龍之介 Akutagawa Ryūnosuke or 芥川竜之介, March 1, 1892 - July 24, 1927) was a Japanese writer. ... Rashōmon (羅生門) is a short story by Akutagawa Ryūnosuke based on tales from the Konjaku Monogatarishū. ... Akira Kurosawa Akira Kurosawa (黒澤 明 Kurosawa Akira, also 黒沢 明) ( March 23, 1910 - September 6, 1998) was a prominent Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter of films, many of which are considered highly influential worldwide classics. ... Rashomon (羅生門) is a Japanese motion picture made in 1950 by director Akira Kurosawa. ...