Japanese literature of this time reflects the unsettled nature of the period, as might be expected.

The Hojoki (An Account of My Hut) describes the turmoil of the period in terms of the Buddhist concepts of impermanance and the vanity of human projects.

The Heike monogatari (Tale of the Heike) narrates the rise and fall of the Taira (also known as the Heike), replete with tales of wars and samurai deeds.

A second literary mainstream is the continuation of anthologies of poetry in the Shin kokinshu wakashu (New Collection of Ancient and Modern Times), of which twenty volumes are produced between 1201 and 1205.