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Revision as of 01:38, 25 January 2013 by Tristan noir (talk | contribs) (small corrections of grammar, diction, punctuation)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Great Mirror or Ōkagami (大鏡) is a Japanese historical tale (歴史物語 rekishi monogatari) by an unknown author that covers from 850 to 1025, the golden days of the Fujiwara family's rule. It is said to be a successor to the records of Eiga Monogatari.
In the tale, the writer listens to a conversation mainly led by a 190-year-old man, Ōyake no Yotsugi (大宅世継), who recalls the past. A 180-year old man, Natsuyama no Shigeki (夏山繁樹), adds comments and a young samurai puts questions to these two elders. This narrative strategy makes the story vivid and allows for the natural addition of various opinions and criticisms.
The structure is modelled after traditional Chinese history books like the Records of the Grand Historian. It consists of Preface, Stories of Emperors, Stories of Ministers, Miscellaneous Stories and Post-fin.
This and three other tales with mirror (鏡) in their titles are collectively called four mirrors (四鏡).
See also
- Imakagami
- Mizukagami
- Masukagami
- Azuma Kagami, a much later work outside the 4 mirrors.
External links
- J－Texts (日本文学電子図書館) Online texts of the mirror booksTemplate:Ja icon
- Manuscript scans at Waseda University Library: 6 volumes (unknown date), 1891 (8 volumes, Kume Motobume)