DELA CRUZ, CHRISTEL JOY S.

BEED 3D

Questions:

1) Why was the Heian Period referred to as the golden era of art and
literature in Japan?

The Heian period has been referred to as the golden era of art and literature in
Japan. During this era, literature became centered on a cultural elite of nobility and
monks. The imperial court particularly patronized the poets, most of whom were
courtiers or ladies-in-waiting. Reflecting the aristocratic atmosphere, the poetry
was elegant and sophisticated and expressed emotions in a rhetorical style.

2) Why were Chinese characters adapted in the Japanese writing system?

Chinese characters were also further adapted, creating what is known as

man'yōgana, the earliest form of kana, or Japanese syllabic writing. The earliest
literary works in Japan were created in the Nara period. These include the Kojiki
(712), a historical record that also chronicles ancient Japanese mythology and folk
songs; the Nihon Shoki (720), a chronicle written in Chinese that is significantly
more detailed than the Kojiki; and the Man'yōshū (759), a poetry anthology. One
of the stories they describe is the tale of Urashima Tarō.

3) How did Indian Literature influence Japanese literature?

Indian literature also had an influence through the spread of Buddhism in

Japan. Eventually, Japanese literature developed into a separate style, although the
influence of Chinese literature and Classical Chinese remained. Following Japan's
reopening of its ports to Western trading and diplomacy in the 19th century,
Western literature has influenced the development of modern Japanese writers,
while they have in turn been more recognized outside Japan, with two Nobel Prizes
so far, as of 2020.
4) Who is Ryunosuke Akutagawa?

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (芥川 龍之介, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, 1 March 1892 – 24

July 1927), art name Chōkōdō Shujin (澄江堂主人), was a Japanese writer active
in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "father of the Japanese short
story", and Japan's premier literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after
him.

5) Who is Sei Shōnagon?

Sei Shōnagon, (born c. 966, Japan—died c. 1025, Japan), diarist, poet, and courtier
whose witty, learned Pillow Book (Makura no sōshi) exhibits a brilliant and
original Japanese prose style and is a masterpiece of classical Japanese literature.