Utsubo Monogatari

Utsubo Monogatari (^?, Tale of the Hollow Tree) is a late 10th century Japanese story. It is Japan's oldest full-length narrative.

The author is unknown. Minamoto no Shitagō is cited as a likely candidate; however, it may have had multiple authors spanning a number of years. The text is referenced in number of later works such as Kagerō Nikki (c. 977) and Makura no Sōshi suggesting compilation between c. 970 and 999.

The title of the story, Tale of the Hollow Tree, is taken from an incident early in the text. The protagonists Nakatada and his mother flee to the mountains and live in hollow cedar tree. The ateji 宇津保 are also used.

The story is twenty volumes in length and revolves around a mystical harp that passes through four generations. It belongs to the monogatari genre and is subclassified as a denki monogatari.

It contains the following chapters:

The story is generally divided into three major sections:

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