This work is the first complete description of the language of the golden Heian period (794-1185) to be published in English. It presents an innovative morphological analysis arranged so as to facilitate reference usage and at long last provides a comprehensive reference work for learners and advanced students of classical Japanese. Each linguistic aspect and function, from particles to verb forms, is described in full and illustrated with copious examples. Free of linguistic jargon, the book is accessible not only to students of the language, but also to specialists in literature, history and culture. It features introductory sections on the historical and literary background, and on writing and phonology, a cross-referenced appendix of classical Japanese verb forms, and a detailed index.

""The echo of the stone/ where I carved the [Buddha's] honorable footprints/ reaches the Heaven, [...]". This book presents the transcription, translation, and analysis of Chinese (753 AD) and Japanese inscriptions (end of the 8th century AD) found on two stones now in the possession of the Yakushiji temple in Nara. All these inscriptions praise the footprints of Buddha, and more exactly their carvings in the stone. The language of the Japanese inscription, which consists of twenty-one poems, reflects the contemporary dialect of Nara. Its writing system shows a quite unique trait, being practically monophonic. The book is richly illustrated by photos of the temple and of the inscriptions"--