The Tales of Ise
Narihira is also known by the nicknames , and . "Zai" is the Sino-Japanese reading of the first character of his surname "Ariwara", and "Go", meaning "five", refers to him and his four brothers Yukihira, Nakahira, Morihira, and Ōe no Otondo. "Chūjō" ("Middle Captain") is a reference to the post he held near the end of his life, Provisional Middle Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards. After the recurring use of the phrase in "The Tales of Ise", he is also known as .