The Tales of Ise
It is believed Narihira was one of the men who inspired Murasaki Shikibu when she created Hikaru Genji, the protagonist of "The Tale of Genji". "Genji" makes allusion to "The Tales of Ise" and draws parallels between their respective protagonists. Though not directly stated in the text, later commentators have interpreted "The Tales of Ise" as implying that Narihira's illicit union with the empress Fujiwara no Takaiko made him the true father of Emperor Yōzei; whether Murasaki interpreted the work this way is uncertain, but "The Tale of Genji" describes a very similar incident in which the protagonist, a former imperial prince made a commoner, has an affair with an empress and sires a son who ultimately becomes emperor as his true parentage is kept secret. Narihira appears in tales such as 35 and 36 of Book 24 of the late Heian-period "Konjaku Monogatarishū".