[1] It is an uta monogatari (a work combining narrative fiction with waka poetry) from the 10th-century Japan.
The appearance of many historical figures and the absence of a single main character are characteristics of this text.
The poems in Yamato Monogatari were written in a time when Japanese literature and art was flourishing, after having stopped communications with China.
Deciding that the declining Tang dynasty was no longer worth communicating with, Japan became increasingly more conscious of its own culture through literary and artistic works such as poetry.
Waka poetry did not begin to rise in popularity until 850 – 890, where it was revived by a group of six poets who would be later known as the Six Poetic Geniuses.
From Yamato Monogatari, we are able to see what kind of life the Fujiwara court nobles and officials lived.
Enjoying luxury and wielding influence, the lifestyle of the Fujiwara nobility was one informed by the aesthetics of courtliness (miyabi) and taste (fuuryuu).