AMINE AND MANGA

Monogatari (物語) is a literary form in traditional Japanese literature, an extended prose narrative tale comparable to the epic. It is closely tied to aspect of the oral tradition, and almost always relates a fictional or fictionalized story, even when retelling a historical event. Many of the great works of Japanese fiction, such as the Genji monogatari and the Heike monogatari are in this monogatari form.
The form was prominent around the 9th to 15th centuries, reaching a peak between the 10th and 11th centuries. According to the Fūyō Wakashū (1271), there were at least 198 monogatari in existence by the 13th century. Of these, around forty are still extant.