Throughout the period of control and influence by the Fujiwara family, culture and art were of great importance. New writing styles emerged, including a new cursive form which was used for art, while women wrote books, and men were seen as beautiful and emotional. Although culture was of great importance, there were two groups vying for and controlling the power in Japan: the Heian court aristocracy and the warrior class. These two groups had similarities, but also key differences in their values and priorities. The Tale of Heike and The Tale of Genji display the similarities and differences of the two groups. Heike is written more towards the views of the warrior class, while Genji has a viewpoint which is centered more on the Heian court aristocracy.
The Tale of Heike describes a conflict between the families of Heike and Genji, which ultimately ends with the fall of the Heike family. The story displays magnificent battles and reveals traitors, but most importantly, it shows pride in military success. Heike encompasses many of the values for the rising warrior class while revealing the built-in undertones of the overarching culture of the time.
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To the warrior class, combat skill was of great importance.
You can see this throughout the entire Tale of Heike. An instance of this is when Heike Yamaga-no-Hyotoji sets his archers in a strong formation on his fleet's boats. The Genji family, despite having three times the fleet size, had a less effective formation on their boats and suffered enough losses to embarrass Yoshimori. Another instance of the importance of combat skill can be seen when Wada-no-Kotaro Yoshimori was mocked because a Heike archer was able to return his arrow further, and still managed to hit Miura-no-Ishi. This enraged Yoshimori and he dove into battle slaying many
Heike. Meanwhile, The Tale of Genji describes the struggles and life of Genji. Throughout the story, Genji loses his mother, gains a heavy infatuation with women, and even attempts to adopt (and eventually kidnap) a young girl. He is shown to be the Emperor’s son. However, he could not become the heir and was made a commoner. Even so, he was destined for greatness. Emotions and interpersonal relationships are heavily portrayed through Genji's infatuation with women. Numerous times throughout the work, Genji sneaks away to catch a glimpse of a woman or to be with women behind closed doors. For example, Genji, once having received flowers and a note from a lady at the gate of Koremitsu’s court, grew curious and wanted to meet her. He requested that Koremitsu find out more about the lady and arrange a meeting. Secretly, Genji and the lady met and eventually he talked her into leaving with him. Education and writing were also important during this time period. It is shown that Genji’s father, the Emperor, put a lot of effort into Genji's learning. With an instructor, he learned fast and became very talented. Later on, when Genji became fond of a young girl he called Violet, he made multiple attempts to adopt her. When that did not work, he kidnapped her so she could have a better life. Once Violet was safely with him, he began teaching her how to write. He saw her skill early and contemplated how well she would do if she had a real instructor teaching her rather than himself. Similarities Although very different in story, content, and presentation, both works have key similarities which come down to the cultural basis of the Heian period. Family and honor are shown within both works. In Heike, the conflict between Hogwan and Kajiwara over who will lead the fleet ended with both families joining in. They were defending their families’ honor, as well as the ability to take charge of the fleet. In Genji, the Emperor loves Genji and tries to recover him after Genji's mother dies. Knowing that he could not become the heir and keep the respect of the people, he made Genji the leader of a new family. Another commonality between the two stories is art and beauty. In Heike, the return arrows fired back and forth are beautifully constructed and are considered a masterpiece, unlike regular arrows. In Genji, the stunning imagery of flowers, nature, pictures, and places is consistently shown throughout. Both stories describe men to be emotional and beautiful, if only for a brief second. Even though this is a lesser theme in Heike, it is still evident. At the beginning of “The Death of Atsumori,” Kumagai Jiro Naozane was forced to kill a young man. The man was Taiyu Atsumori, the youngest son of Shuri-no-taiyu Tsunemori. It is shown to be very difficult for Kumagai to kill Atsumori, and when he presented the slain boy to his compatriots they were all moved to tears. Meanwhile, in Genji, it is remarked throughout the story that Genji himself is a very beautiful man. In addition, Genji's emotions run loose when he brings the woman to his house with no guards. Differences In addition to the similarities between Heike and Genji, there are numerous differences in style and viewpoints. The ideal greatness of men is different between the warrior class and the Heian court aristocracy. In the warrior class, skills and feats in combat are sung with high praise. This is seen in Heike, where the entire story is based upon battles and deeds of valor against insurmountable odds. To the aristocracy, being a skilled fighter is not something to strive to. Rather, being young, gentle and loving is vastly more important as seen in Genji. Furthermore there are no scenes in which combat is of importance in Genji. It is worth mentioning that while there is one scene where Genji fears there is no guard (and it could be seen as “battle-like”), this scene is irrelevant when mentioned in a context regarding the Heian court. Another difference between the two stories are the anti-heroes. This further delineates the differing views of men, from a standpoint regarding either warriors or aristocracy. Deception is seen as a quality a warrior should have. In Heike, Shin-Chunagon Tomomori reveals his suspicion of doubting Awa-no-Mimbu Shigeyoshi's allegiance. Later Awa switches sides and gives vital information regarding the Heike’s plans to the Genji. This is not the only situation in which men reveal that they are not true to their word. Tanso, the Betto of Kumano, switched allegiance when he went to the Shrine of Ikumano. And again, at the end of the story, the men of Shikoku and Kyushu switched sides when the Genji started to gain the upper hand. Meanwhile in Genji, there is no form of trickery played on Genji. The trust between Genji and his friends never wavers. In addition, Genji wins the trust of various people throughout his journey. Men are not portrayed as tricksters trying to get ahead, but more of friends trying to help each other. Conclusion During the Heian rule, the rising warrior class and the Heian court aristocracy had many different values and priorities, but maintained a few fundamental ideals. In Heike, it is shown that the warrior class mostly valued combat prowess, along with strong family values and respect. In Genji, it is evident that the Heian court placed an emphasis on gentleness, love, and education. However, both groups valued art, beauty, emotions, family, and honor, in addition to their own individual views and priorities.
Just like all good stories, Sheikin chose to use imagery in many of his chapters. He does not describe in full detail every area the story takes place but gives enough to begin to picture the story. The author not only gives a visual picture but an auditory one as well. Steve chose to not tell the solely the story of Benedict Arnold, even though that is the title, but he told the story of John Andre as well. Andre became a foil character to Arnold. Andre was just joining the military to join whereas Arnold had a reason. Andre stayed true to his country until death; Arnold was a
...ut. I need a source like a diary, either from the lord or vassal's perspective. With that diary, we can see what the lord/vassal thinks of how their lives are like. We can find out what their daily routines. The Tale of the Heike, translated by Hirohi Kitigawa and Bruce Tsuchida, may have many issues with its reliability. This story is like a fairytale, describing how the relationship with the lord and vassal should be. It is said by Wikipedia that The Tale of the Heike has “differ[ent] versions[,] [which was] passed down through an oral tradition[.]”12 The original version of the story was probably written back in the day before the battle, not in 1975. As the story gets passed down, it gets changed. We won't know which version is the real one. I would need a diary from one person on each side of the battle. I would know what is happening and what they are thinking.
This literary analysis will define the historical differentiation of female gender identity roles that occurred in the Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong and the Tale of Genji. The modern gender values in the Joseon Period define a more elevated freedom for women in patriarchal Korean society that is defined in Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong. In a more progressive gender role for women, Lady Hyegyong exhibits an aggressive male trait in angrily denouncing the execution of her younger brother, which advocates a less submission depiction of women’s rights in early 19th century Korea. In contrast to this aggressive female gender role, Murasaki Shikibu writes a novel through the perspective of Emperor Hikaru Genji and his illicit love affair with his stepmother, Lady Fujitsubo. Lady Fujitsubo is a strong woman, much like the mother of Genji, but she is a concubine with little real power in the court. Historically, the patriarchal culture of 11th century Heian Period in Japan is different from the Joseon Period in that
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.
Gatten, Aileen. "Review: Criticism and the Genji." The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese 22.1 (1988): 84. JSTOR. Web. 26 Feb. 2011.
The Tale of the Heike is a collection of tales that depict the livelihood of warriors during the Heian and Kamakura period. These tales illustrate that warriors during this period spent their existence dedicated to their duty to the Buddhist Law and that the growing contention arose from each warrior’s devotion and loyalty to the Buddhist Law.
Murasaki Shikibu’s Tale of Genji, set in the Heian Period, gives a good idea of what the model Heian man and Heian woman should look like. Genji himself is like a physical embodiment of male perfection, while a large portion of the Broom Tree chapter outlines the ideal of a woman—that it is men who decide what constitutes a perfect woman, and the fact that even they cannot come to decide which traits are the best, and whether anyone can realistically possess all of those traits shows that the function of women in the eyes of men of that period was largely to cater to their husbands and households. Broken down, there are similarities and differences between the standard for Heian men and women, and the Tale of Genji provides excellent examples of characters who fit into their respective gender roles.
...rpretation of the film, the ideals of the Hagakure are not fulfilled by either side. Hanshiro bides his time for total revenge instead of striking while the iron is hot. He also lectures elders and those of superior rank on morality and also does not come out directly to state his complaint. The House Iye retainers are not honest about the loss of their topknots. The head of House Iye destroys the true history of the conflict which shows a lack of dependability. Neither side adheres to the ideals of the Hagakure, but even then, it seems conflicting to apply an idealized code to an almost Hegelian tragedy in which neither side could escape unscathed.
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. In addition to displaying the poetic prowess that the Japanese had attained by this time period, the Genji Monogatari also demonstrates how politics and gender ideals were adopted from the Chinese.
The protagonist of the book – The Tale of Genji, was a factious character named Genji who was certainly a legendary figure. His countless intimate relationships with a variety of women were truly unbelievable by modern standards. It is easy for the readers to notice the amorous character of Genji. However, behind this certain image, there were surely some other noticeable traits of him through his affairs with some of the important women in his life. For instance, he was brave and treated the women he loved with sincere and courtesy; moreover, when it came to women, he was sort of an unrealistic perfectionist. Nonetheless, sometimes he could also be selfish for his own interest without taking other’s ideas and feelings into consideration.
Written in the middle of the thirteenth century, The Tales of Heike was a warrior tale (gunki monogatari) about the tragic fall of the Taira clan. During the Genpei war(1180-1185) two families battle for control over the capital, the Taira/Heike clan and the Genji/Minamoto clan. Although the majority of the tale highlights the defeats of the Heike clan, there are numerous tales of the downfalls of various warriors in the Minamoto clan. In book nine, chapter four titled “The Death of Lord Kiso” the reader is introduced to Lord Kiso or Minamoto Yoshinaka, a member of the Minamoto clan who was attacked and killed by his own family. Lord Kiso and what was left of his army met and together took a final stand against their enemies. His remaining warriors were of the strongest and most powerful of his army, warriors with strength that could not be compared with regular men.
...too clear. Genji is supposedly the absolute perfect man of the Heian period. I do not like him, but I cannot impose my modern perspective upon that of the Heian period.
Things Fall Apart is an attention-grabbing novel full of violence, aggression, and oppression. Its main protagonist Okonkwo, on the surface appears to be a true tribesman, and a revered leader with qualities that far surpassed many among his clan. However, the physical and psychological qualities of Oknokwos’ character mirrored an individual who was nothing short of a “king like” ruler and conquer. Okonkwo traits of being a self-seeking, abusive, and cold-hearted individual made him a man that preys on the weak and young, and people in general who falls outside of his definition of a man. Okonkwo character lacks many characteristics that represent real strength, disciple, and bravery as his life came to a disappointing demise reflective of the weakness he spent his whole life avoiding. Okonkwo character in all fairness fails to stage some real virtues of a true leader, but rather that of a ruler.
The film follows the journey of a Prince, Ashitaka, who was cursed by an animal god turned demon, whom he had slayed. The curse had made him inhumanly strong which would eventually consume and destroy him. This forces him to travel to the land of the demon’s origin to search for answers and for a possible cure. During his journey he discovers the Irontown, the ironworks Lady Eboshi runs and the wolf-girl, San, who carries a hatred for humans because of their destructive behavior.
Okonkwo takes his life as he sees himself a lone warrior in a society of weaklings. This isolation is truly imposed by his decision of how to handle the conflicts which he encounters. His unitary channeling of emotions, cultural inflexibility, and tendency to seek physical confrontation are compiled into a single notion. The idealized vision of a warrior by which Okonkwo lives is the instrument that leads to the climax of Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart: Okonkwo's demise.