"The Tale of the Grand Minister of Uji"

Japanese: 《宇治大納言物語》 - うじだいなごんものがたり

…It was written in the early Kamakura period, and the most popular theory is that it was written around 1220 (Jokyu 2). There are various theories about the origin of the title, but it seems to be named after the fact that it has traditionally been compiled by Uji Dainagon Takakuni (Minamoto Takakuni), or that some parts of it have been added, and in the Middle Ages it was also called Uji Dainagon Monogatari. It is a typical collection of stories written in a Japanese style that mainly uses hiragana, and includes 197 long and short stories. …

From [Ancient Tales]

…It contains tales that are in detail identical to those in the Tales of Uji and the Tales of Yotsugi, and also tales that are in agreement with those in the Tales of Konjaku. This can be explained by assuming that these books were compiled directly or indirectly from Minamoto no Takakuni's Tale of Uji Dainagon. It is also an important source for clarifying the true nature of the Tale of Uji Dainagon, which has now been lost. …

From the Konjaku Monogatarishu

...The collection contains 1,059 stories, including 19 stories that only retain the title, and stories that retain the title and part of the main text.
[Editor and Establishment]
The preface of "Uji Shui Monogatari" states that "Uji Dainagon Monogatari" is a record of old tales of people who came and went when Uji Dainagon Minamoto Takakuni stayed in Nansenbo at Byodo-in Temple in Uji to cool off, and the record was expanded and published. Traditionally, this "Uji Dainagon Monogatari" was considered to be the same as this book, and this book was compiled by Takakuni, but it was pointed out that the stories included in the book include those from after Takakuni's death, and that the book contains errors that are difficult to explain as being compiled by Takakuni, and so the theory that it was compiled by Takakuni is no longer accepted as it is.

From "Zehaibou Ekotoba"

…An illustrated scroll from the end of the Kamakura period. There are currently more than a dozen known copies, but the oldest, a two-volume version (possibly copied in 1354) housed at Manshuin in Kyoto, says in its colophon that the original was created in the winter of 1308 (Engei 1) at Isonaga-ji Temple (possibly a temple in Isonaga-mura, Minamikawachi-gun, Osaka Prefecture) based on the Uji Dainagon Monogatari for the purpose of educating young children. However, the Uji Dainagon Monogatari has been lost and is unclear, but the closest story is the one in volume 20 of the Konjaku Monogatarishu, "The Tale of the Tengu Chira Eiju of China, Crossed Over to This Day." …

From [Narrative Literature]

…Pioneer works include Zenkehiki (The Secret Record of the Zenke Family) by Kiyotsura Miyoshi in the early 10th century and Kikekaijitsuroku (The Record of the Strange Occurrences of the Ki Family) by Haseo Kino, both of which are collections of Japanese tales of strange happenings written in classical Chinese, inspired by similar books from the Six Dynasties and Tang Dynasties. A groundbreaking work written in kana that is connected to this lineage is Ujidainagon Monogatari (The Tale of the Grand Minister of Uji) by Takakuni Minamoto, which was created in the late 11th century. It is a collection of a wide range of stories, mainly secular stories from the Japanese court, and is said to have had a great influence on later works, but it no longer exists. …

From [Minamoto Takakuni]

…Takatoshi and his disciples also achieved success, but Toba Sojo Kakuyu was particularly famous. In the preface to Uji Shui Monogatari, he is said to be the author of Uji Dainagon Monogatari (original text unknown). He is also said to have compiled Konjaku Monogatarishu, but his identity is unknown. …

*Some of the terminology used in "The Tale of the Dainagon of Uji" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…鎌倉時代初期の成立で，1220年(承久2)前後と見る説が有力。書名の由来は諸説あって一定しないが，古来宇治大納言隆国(源隆国)編，またはそれに取捨を加えたものとされてきたことからの称らしく，中世には《宇治大納言物語》と異称されたこともあった。197話の長短編説話を集録し，ひらがな本位の和文体で記した典型的な読物的説話集。…

【古本説話集】より

…《宇治拾遺物語》《世継（よつぎ）物語》所収説話と細部まで一致をみせる説話を含み，また，《今昔物語集》所収説話と一致をみせる説話をも含んでいる。これは，これらの書物が直接，間接に源隆国《宇治大納言物語》を編纂資料としていると考えることによって説明される。現在ではすでに散逸してしまった《宇治大納言物語》の実体を明らかにするうえでも，重要な資料である。…

【今昔物語集】より

…標題のみを残す19話，標題と本文の一部を残す説話を含めて，1059話を収録。
［編者と成立］
　《宇治拾遺物語》の序に，宇治大納言源隆国（みなもとのたかくに）が納涼のために宇治平等院の南泉房（なんせんぼう）に籠り，往来の諸人の昔物語を記録したものが《宇治大納言物語》であり，増補されて世に行われている，とある。従来は，この《宇治大納言物語》が本書と同一視され，本書は隆国の編とされていたが，収録説話に隆国没後の記事を含むこと，隆国の編としては説明の困難な誤りを含むことなどが指摘され，隆国編纂説はそのままでは受け入れられなくなった。…

【是害房絵詞】より

…鎌倉末期の絵巻物。現在までに十数本が知られているが，最古の京都曼殊院蔵上下2巻本(1354書写か)の奥書によると，原本は1308年(延慶1)冬，磯長寺(大阪府南河内郡磯長村にあった寺か)において，《宇治大納言物語》に取材し，童幼教化のために作成されたものという。ただし《宇治大納言物語》は散逸して明確ではないが，近似の説話は《今昔物語集》巻二十の〈震旦ノ天狗智羅永寿，此朝ニ渡レル語〉である。…

【説話文学】より

…10世紀初頭の三善清行（きよつら）撰の《善家秘記（ぜんけひき）》，紀長谷雄（きのはせお）撰の《紀家怪異実録（きけかいいじつろく）》などが先駆的作品で，いずれも六朝･唐代の類書に触発された漢文表記の本朝怪異説話集である。この系譜につながる仮名文表記の画期的作品が，11世紀後半に成立した源隆国（たかくに）撰の《宇治大納言物語》である。本朝世俗説話を主体に広範な説話を集録し，後代作品にも大きな影響を与えたものらしいが，現存しない。…