is a Japanese ''

rekishi monogatari ''Rekishi monogatari'' (歴史物語) is a category of Japanese literature defined as extended prose narrative. Structurally, the name is composed of the Japanese words ''rekishi'' (歴史), meaning history, and ''monogatari'' (物語), meaning tale ...

''. It is believed to have been written in the early

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle betwee ...

around 1195. It is widely credited to Nakayama Tadachika but the actual writer is unknown. It is the third book of the four mirror series. It deals with the oldest time-period, starting with the legendary Emperor Jimmu and ending with Emperor Ninmyō. It is told by a fictitious old woman who is visited by a bhikkhu while staying at Hase-dera. All the facts are taken from ca. 1150 by Kōen, the teacher of

Hōnen was the religious reformer and founder of the first independent branch of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism called . He is also considered the Seventh Jōdo Shinshū Patriarch. Hōnen became a Tendai initiate at an early age, but grew disaffected and ...

. "Mizukagami" refers to the reflective pool in Japanese gardens in which can be seen such things as bridges and

cherry blossom A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus ''Prunus'' or ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generally ...

s in its reflection.

References

* Brownlee, John S. ''Political Thought in Japanese Historical Writing: from Koyjiki (712) to Tokushi Yoron (1712)''. Waterloo, ON CA. Wilfrid Laurier Press: 1991 (p. 52). {{Authority control 12th-century Japanese books Early Middle Japanese texts Kamakura-period history books

See also

References