Yoru no Nezame
is a c. 11th century Japanese story. It is one of the major representative Heian period texts. It is a courtly romance and belongs to the tsukuri monogatari 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 identifies the author as the daughter of Sugawara no Takasue (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, Shūi Hyakuban Utaawase, Fūyō Wakashū, Yoru no Nezame Monogatari, and Nezame Monogatari Emaki. The text is a successor to Genji Monogatari, 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