For centuries the waka, or Japanese poem, was by far the predominant form of literary art in medieval Japan. Collections of poetry such as the Manyoshu and Kokinshu contain poems written in the 5th century. (Man’yoshu, Encyclopedia of Japan) The development of waka in its various forms such as the haiku, tanka, and choka reached a point of high sophistication in the Heian period in an exquisitely refined culture. (Heian Period, Encyclopedia of Japan) The older collections of works contained in Manyoshu and Kokinshu provided examples and writing manuals for Heian court poets, thereby establishing poetic guidelines and vocabulary to be used in writing traditional Japanese waka. Writing poetry was a social necessity in Heian period Japan. Even those outside of the prestigious and highly literary Heian court needed a cursory understanding of how to interpret and compose poetry in order to be socially successful. (Tale of Genji Introduction, Royall Tyler)
During the Heian period Japanese literature expanded to include works other than the traditional forms of poetry exemplified in the manyoshu and kokinshu. In the court of Heian Japan, two additional forms of literature were developed and produced: the nikki and monogatari. Nikki can be translated as dairy or journal and indeed some examples of nikki are rather methodical daily records of feelings and events. (Nikki Bungaku, Encyclopedia of Japan) Monogatari on the other hand can be translated as talk of things, and is by far the more narrative of the two literary genres. (Monogatari, Encyclopedia of Japan) Well known examples of nikki are Tosa Nikki by Ki no Tsurayuki and Izumi Shikibu Nikki by Izumi Shikibu while the most famous example of monogatari both during Heian ...
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Heian Period, Encyclopedia of Japan, Kodansha, available through Japan Knowledge
Royall Tyler, The Tale of Genji Abridged Introduction, Penguin Books, 2006.
Nikki Bungaku, Encyclopedia of Japan, Kodansha, available through Japan Knowledge
Monogatari, Encyclopedia of Japan, Kodansha, available through Japan Knowledge
Ise Monogatari, Encyclopedia of Japan, Kodansha, available through Japan Knowledge
Man’yougana, Encyclopedia of Japan, Kodansha, available through Japan Knowledge
Taketori Monogatari, Encyclopedia of Japan, Kodansha, available through Japan Knowledge
Donald Keene, Anthology of Japanese Literature from the earliest era to the mid-nineteenth century, Grove Press, 1955.
Izumi Shikibu, Encyclopedia of Japan, Kodansha, available through Japan Knowledge
Genji Monogatari, Encyclopedia of Japan, Kodansha, available throug
Throughout history artists have used art as a means to reflect the on goings of the society surrounding them. Many times, novels serve as primary sources in the future for students to reflect on past history. Students can successfully use novels as a source of understanding past events. Different sentiments and points of views within novels serve as the information one may use to reflect on these events. Natsume Soseki’s novel Kokoro successfully encapsulates much of what has been discussed in class, parallels with the events in Japan at the time the novel takes place, and serves as a social commentary to describe these events in Japan at the time of the Mejeii Restoration and beyond. Therefore, Kokoro successfully serves as a primary source students may use to enable them to understand institutions like conflicting views Whites by the Japanese, the role of women, and the population’s analysis of the Emperor.
Riichi, Yokomitsu. Shanghai. Michigan: The Center for Japanese Studies, The University of Michigan , 2001.
The Tale of Heike." Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600. Ed. Haruo Shirane. New York: Columbia UP, 2007. 736-39. Print.
Suzuki, Tomi. Narrating the Self: Fictions of Japanese Modernity. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 1996.
Matthew Gerber. “The Importance of Poetry in Japanese Heian-era Romantic Relationships”. 2007 May. 2011 June 3.
In the same way Japanese poetry often alludes to or derives from the canon of poetry that precedes it, noh plays are often based off of classical Japanese literary sources that form the framework for the play’s themes and moral message. Many of these plays reference poems from revered anthologies, such as the Shinkokinshū, within the play’s dialogue, but it is the monogatari or tales that provide the foundation for certain noh plotlines because of their vast array of character references and plotlines. These tales are the primary sources of information for two plays in particular written by the famous Japanese playwright Zeami: Atsumori and Matsukaze. The warrior-play Atsumori draws from the famous war epic The Tale of Heike to further an anti-war message grounded in the original text, as well as to further explore Buddhist themes of attachment and karmic ties. Matsukaze draws its origins and background from Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji and Ariwara no Narihira’s The Tales of Ise for location, tone, and themes of longing in order to juxtapose the Buddhist duality of attachment and detachment from this world.
Shirane Haruo. et al. Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology 1600-1900. New York: Colombia University Press, 2002. Print.
In monogatari, we see poetry used in a lot of the stories as well as the themes of love and unhappiness. Monogatari translates into “talk of things” which basically describes the storytelling of the ladies of the court during the Heian period. Some examples of poetry in monogatari can be found in Uta monogatari Tsukuri monogatari, g...
"Taketori monogatari." Modern Japanese Fiction and Its Traditions. Comp. Thomas Rimer. Trans. Donald Keene. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1978.
Poetry is used to convey one’s feelings in an abstract writing of profound perception. When writing poetry, one’s perception must have inspiration in order to breathe life and produce picturesque imagery upon paper. During late 19th century Japan, a linked-verse form of poetry called haiku, formerly known as hokku, was created. It was utilized to signify an autonomous poetic form originating from medieval comic linked verse. Haikus often describes the occurrences of nature or seasons. A poet by the name of Matsuo Bashō mastered the form of haiku. He wrote a travel narrative called, “Narrow Road of the Interior”, by which haikus were inserted to convey his feelings towards the natural settings. Bashō provokes inspiration for his haikus from the historical foundation of the various landmarks engulfed in its natural setting. By doing this, he enhances the antiquity of the historical sites, while at the same time, appreciating the natural tranquility and beauty.
From what I have found out, Yamamoto explains to us that the Haikus are metaphorical for the practices found in the spiritual and expressive nature of the Eastern World. This is also where Tome discovers her individuality along with an insight to the meaning of life. Let us not forget that she also brings up on Tome’s pen name importance and how it signifies the growing and ‘spring-like’ tr...
Love poems were commonly exchanged between men and women during the Heian period. At that time, love poems are considered to be one of the most common ways of courting beautiful women and handsome men. Authors would tend to prove themselves worthy of their “targets”. Getting impressed by poems written by the author would almost equal to falling in love with the author. Various literary devices are cleverly applied such as visual imagery and pivot words in love poems, namely poems 645, 646, 747, and 784 in the Kokinwashu and poems found in section 1 in the Tales of Ise. This essay will highlight common features of Heian love poetry, based on a comparative analysis of poems from the Kokinwakashu and the Tales of Ise.
The Heian period(794-1185), the so-called golden age of Japanese culture, produced some of the finest works of Japanese literature.1 The most well known work from this period, the Genji Monogatari, is considered to be the “oldest novel still recognized today as a major masterpiece. ”2 It can also be said that the Genji Monogatari is proof of the ingenuity of the Japanese in assimilating Chinese culture and politics. As a monogatari, a style of narrative with poems interspersed within it, the characters and settings frequently allude to Chinese poems and stories.
Yasunari Kawabata, one of Japan’s most famous authors (Muhleman 1706), was “born in Oasaka, [Japan] on June 11, 1899” (Bourgion 463). “As a [young] boy, [Kawabata] acquired the name ‘master of funerals’” (Muhleman 1706) as a result of “losing many near relatives” (Muhleman 1706) including his mother and father (Smith 1052). After graduating from the Tokyo Imperial University (Smith 1052) he “founded a literary magazine” (Bourgion 463) which led to the beginning “of a new school of writers [known as] the Neoperceptionists” (Bourgion 463). Then “in 1968 he became the first Japanese author to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature” (Davis 2485). “Many Japanese readers reacted with confusion” (Smith 1054) “when Kawabata was awarded the … prize” (Smith 1054). This was because of his “experiments with western-based literary techniques” (Smith 1055) which the Japanese “found … difficult to understand” (Smith 1055). Although Yasunari Kawabata used a western style of literature (Smith 1055) he captures the essence of the ever changing cultures and traditions in Japan during his time (Davis 2486).
Keene, Donald. Anthology of Japanese Literature, from the Earliest Era to the Mid-nineteenth Century. New York: Grove, 1955. Print.