is a c. 11th century Japanese

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 story. It is one of the major representative Heian period

Heian period

The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...

 texts. It is a courtly romance and belongs to the tsukuri monogatari

Monogatari

is a literary form in traditional Japanese literature, an extended prose narrative tale comparable to the epic. Monogatari is closely tied to aspects of the oral tradition, and almost always relates a fictional or fictionalized story, even when retelling a historical event...

genre.

Composition

The text exists in both three and five volume editions. Beside the title Yoru no Nezame, it was also known as Yowa no Nezame and Nezame
. Which was the original title is unclear. Also unclear is the author. The Teika manuscript of Sarashina Nikki

Sarashina Nikki

The is a memoir written by Lady Sarashina , a lady-in-waiting of Heian-period Japan. Her work stands out for its descriptions of her travels and pilgrimages and is unique in the literature of the period, as well as one of the first in the genre of travel writing...

identifies the author as the daughter of Sugawara no Takasue

Sugawara no Takasue no musume

Sugawara no Takasue no musume , also known as Lady Sarashina, was a Japanese author. "Sugawara no Takasue no musume" means a daughter of Sugawara no Takasue. Her real name is unknown....

 (1008 - c. 1059); however, there are no other means to corroborate this. Linguistic analysis suggests a post 1086 composition. The text as a whole is judged to be a c. 11th century work.

Major portions of the middle and end are no longer extant. Their contents may be inferred from other sources such as Mumyōzōshi

Mumyōzōshi

is an early 13th century Japanese text. One volume in length, it is the oldest existing Japanese text on literary criticism. The author is unknown.-Composition:...

, Shūi Hyakuban Utaawase, Fūyō Wakashū

Fūyō Wakashū

is a late 13th century collection of poetry from Japanese literature..-Composition:The collection of poems was compiled in the year 1271. Although this is not completely certain, the author is believed to be Fujiwara no Tameie...

, Yoru no Nezame Monogatari, and Nezame Monogatari Emaki.

The text is a successor to Genji Monogatari

The Tale of Genji

is a classic work of Japanese literature attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century, around the peak of the Heian period. It is sometimes called the world's first novel, the first modern novel, the first psychological novel or the first novel still to be...

, from which it shows much influence. However, while Genji is told from a male perspective, Yoru no Nezame is told from the perspective of a female protagonist.

Contents

Yoru no Nezame is a tragic love story revolving around the life of Nakanokimi, also known as Nezame no Ue from which the story takes its title. Other characters include her elder sister Ōigimi and a Middle Counselor

Chunagon

was a counselor of the second rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century.The role was eliminated from the Imperial hierarchy in 701, but it was re-established in 705...

.

The story is divided into four sections:

1. The Middle Counselor is engaged with the elder sister Ōigimi. He mistakes the younger sister Nakanokimi for her and gets her pregnant. She gives birth to a daughter who goes to live with the father. When his now wife learns the truth it destroys the family.
2. [No longer extant. Inferred from other sources.] Nakanokimi marries an older Left Captain. She gives birth to a son Masako, but he is really the son of the Middle Counselor. Ōigimi and the Left Captain pass away. The emperor has a thing for Nakanokimi and summons her to the palace; however, she escapes by sending someone else in her place.
3. While Nakanokimi is visiting the palace on business, the emperor attempts to sneak into her quarters. Again Nakanokimi escapes. Following several palace plots, the Middle Counselor and Nakanokimi reconcile their past problems and have a son.
4. [No longer extant. Inferred from other sources.] A relationship develops between Masako and one of the emperor's daughters. The emperor punishes him for this. Nakanokimi dies and is reborn. She arranges for Masako's forgiveness and all is well for a time. She then leaves and passes away.

Manuscripts

The text remains in seven extant manuscripts. Of them, the three-volume Maeda manuscript is judged the best.

There is also a later revised edition as well as an illustrated edition, both of which serve to supplement the missing content.