MASUKAGAMI

historical epic about the Kamakura period (11921333) and one of the four best-known kagami (records) of Japanese history. The document, which is attributed to Nijo Yoshimoto, was written sometime between 1333 and 1376 and narrates the historical events occurring from the birth of the emperor Go-Toba (1180) to the return of the emperor Go-Daigo from exile on the Oki Islands (1334). It includes descriptions of the Mongol invasions of Japan (1274, 1281). Quoting numerous court records and diaries of noblemen, and writing in an elegant, classical style, the author narrates with pathos the declining power of the court nobility and the rising status of the warrior class, all seen from the perspective of a court nobleman.