Medieval world reflected in Japanese literature

The process of Japanese society shifting into a more medieval state can be seen by looking at various pieces of Japanese literature, such as poetry and prose, that were written around the time that this shift is said to have started to happen, specifically in the Heian (794-1185) and Kamakura (1185-1333) periods. Things like war tales, Gunki monogatari, emerged reflecting the tumultuous state of Japan during these times, with the Heike monogatari being one of the most famous pieces; further development of zuihitsu also occurred. This shift into a more medieval state can also be witnessed more clearly when comparing how and why pieces were written during the Heian period of Japan as opposed to how and why they were written during the Kamakura period which followed right after. This can be seen specifically when examining the practices of the composition of things like the imperial anthologies, or chokusenshu, during the Heian and Kamakura periods, that often reflect the social and political realignments that were taking place at the time. Robert N. Huey states two specific things that point to a medievalization process taking place:

(1) Cracks in the homogenous edifice of waka; that is, evidence that differences among poetic groups are so strong that people are willing to “go public” with their disagreements. In other words, waka moves from social expression, about which people in a hierarchical environment are likely to agree, to art, about which people in a more factionalized medieval setting are apt to disagree.

(2) Concomitantly, a move towards privatization and exclusivity. Not only are there poetic schools, but these schools become such discrete entities that normal social bonds (i.e., effected by empero...

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...ri in his Tsurezuregusa.

The process of medievalization, as we can see, was a gradual one in Japan. In many instances, it can be said that Japan sort of evolved into a medieval state and it did not just happen suddenly. Either way, it was a period that brought forth many interesting pieces of poetry and prose which have helped glean further insight into the olden days of Japanese history.

Works Cited

Huey, Robert N. "The Medievalization of Poetic Process." Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 50.2 (1990): 651-68.

Kitagawa, Hiroshi, and Bruce T. Tsuchida. The Tale of the Heike. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, 1975.

Yoshida, Kenko, and Donald Keene. Essays in Idleness: the Tsurezuregusa of Kenko. New York: Columbia Press, 1998.

Keene, Donald. Anthology of Japanese Literature, from the Earliest Era to the Mid-nineteenth Century. New York: Grove, 1955.