Ariwara no Narihira (825-880), a Japanese Don Juan, a Casanova of the Heian Period (794-1185), a poet, one of the prime authors of "Ise Monogatari," is the hero of these 125 interconnected tales written in verse with prose links.

A seminal text in the Japanese classical literature canon, "Ise Monogatori" influenced "The Tale of Genji" and became a source for Noh drama and works of art during the Edo Period (1603-1868) and beyond.

Joshua S. Mostow and Royall Tyler's exemplary edition provides an analysis of the textual versions, a commentary on the various editions, an interpretation of their meaning, and an explanation of their inspiration and influence.