This article deals with kanazoshi prose, which had a great influence on the creative work of many literary figures of the last quarter of the 17thcentury, as well as its place in the development of early modern Japanese literature. The aim of the work is to analyze the genre features, the development trends of kanazoshi prose, and the task is to identify its narrative and plotless genres, reveal the factors that influence the formation of each genre and establish their poetic features through the analysis. Cultural and historical, comparative historical methods of analysis are used to achieve the goals and accomplish the tasks mentioned above. At first, the characteristic features of the plotless genres of kanazoshi” - religious and moral treatises, war chronicles are revealed drawing on the analysis of the selected examples such as “Kiyomizu monogatari”, “Gion monogatari”, “Ukigumo monogatari”. Then, narrative genres of Japanese prose of the 17th century are characterized by the examples of the works of Suzuki Shosan, who promoted the ideas of Buddhist teachings through his novels such as “Ninin bikuni”, “Sichinin bikuni”, and also Asai Ryoi, who became famous for his fantastic stories “Otogi boko”, “Jigokuo mite yomigaeri”, “Inuhariko” which were created under the influence of Chinese literature. In particular, new principles of comprehension the reality is revealed through analyzing such works as “Tsuyudono monogatari”, “Zeraku monogatari” relating to the traditional genre of love stories of medieval Japanese literature reveal. The idea of the practical importance of kanazoshi genres such as “hyobanki” va “meishoki” which were arose from the historical conditions and poetic needs of the period of Japanese lifeis being promoted in the article. Based on the example of “Chikusai monogatari” and “Naniwa monogatari” poetic features of the above-mentioned genres are described. Also, the article provides reflections on the conditions for the formation of the genre of Japanese literature of the 17th century “rakugo” - short funny stories, as well as parodies of classical works that became popular in that period.

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