Japanese Literature
Japanese literature is one of the major literatures of the world comparable to English literature
in age and variety. It is one of the major bodies of Oriental Literature. It is less voluminous
than Chinese Literature but comparable to Arabic, Persian and Indian Literature. It covers the
period from the fifth century A.D. to the present.
The written literature of Japan forms one of the richest of Oriental traditions. It has received
foreign influences since its beginning in the 8th century. Before the middle of the 19th century,
the source of influence was the culture of China. After the middle of the 19th century, the
impact of modern Western culture became predominant.
Historical Periods of Japanese Literature
I. Classical Literature: Heian Period (794-1185)
The foundation of the city of Heian-kyō (later known as Kyōto) as the capital of Japan marked
the beginning of a period of great literary brilliance. The earliest writings of the period,
however, were almost all in Chinese because of the continued desire to emulate the culture of
the continent.
Works:
The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu
II. Medieval Literature (1192-1600)
It covers Kamakura period (1192-1333), Muromachi period (1338-1573), and Zuchi-Momoyama
periods (1574-1600)
Japan's medieval period was a transitional period for the nation's literature. Kyoto ceased being
the sole literary centre as important writers and readerships appeared throughout the country,
and a wider variety of genres and literary forms developed accordingly, such as the gunki
monogatari and otogi-zōshi prose narratives, and renga linked verse, as well as various
theatrical forms such as noh.
III. Tokugawa Period (1603-1867)
The restoration of peace and the unification of Japan were achieved in the early 17th century,
and for approximately 250 years the Japanese enjoyed almost uninterrupted peace. From the
mid-1630s to the early 1850s Japan was closed, by government decree, to contact with the
outside world. Initially, this isolation encouraged the development of indigenous forms of
literature, but, eventually, in the virtual absence of fertilizing influence from abroad, it resulted
in provincial writing.
The adoption of printing in the early 17th century made a popular literature possible.
Works:
The haiku of Matsuo Basho
IV. Modern Literature
Even after the arrival of Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s U.S. Navy fleet in 1853 and the gradual
opening of the country to the West and its influence, there was at first little noticeable effect
on Japanese literature.
• Introduction of Western literature and translations of Western works
• The modern novels of Ryunosuke Akutagawa and Yasunari Kawabata
• Post-war novels: Shusako Endo (Silence), Kenzaburo Oe (A Personal Matter), and Haruki
Murakami (Norwegian Wood)
• Modern drama
• Movies of Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki, etc.
• Popular fiction, cell phone novels, and manga
Japanese Literary Forms and Genres
Haiku
- unrhymed poetic form consisting of 17 syllables arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables
respectively.
An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.
--Matsuo Basho
I kill an ant
and realize my three children
have been watching.
--Shuson Kato
Six feet of soil in
the frost of earth becomes room
enough for the dead.
--Shuson Kato
Tanka
- a five-line, 31-syllable poem that has historically been the basic form of Japanese poetry
Ishikawa Takuboku
Kabuki
-traditional Japanese popular drama with singing and dancing performed in a highly stylized
manner. A rich blend of music, dance, mime, and spectacular staging and costuming, it has
been a major theatrical form in Japan for four centuries.
Noh
-also spelled No, is a traditional Japanese theatrical form and one of the oldest extant theatrical
forms in the world.
Anime
- a particular style of animation that originated in Japan. It is characterized by high contrast,
bright colors, and thematic elements of science fiction and fantasy.
Manga
- a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels. Like anime, it is characterized by
exaggerated facial features and bright colors.
Japanese Writers
Yasunari Kawabata
Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose works won
him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His
works have enjoyed broad international appeal and are still widely read.
Works:
Snow Country
Beauty and Sadness
The Dancing Girl of Izu
Kenzaburo Oe
- a Japanese writer and a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His novels, short
stories and essays, strongly influenced by French and American literature and literary theory,
deal with political, social and philosophical issues, including nuclear weapons, nuclear
power, social non-conformism, and existentialism. Ōe was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Literature in 1994 for creating "an imagined world, where life and myth condense to form a
disconcerting picture of the human predicament today".
Works:
A Personal Matter
Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids
A Quiet Life
Haruki Murakami
- books and stories have been bestsellers in Japan as well as internationally, with his work being
translated into 50 languages and selling millions of copies outside his native country. His work
has received numerous awards, including the World Fantasy Award, the Frank O'Connor
International Short Story Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, and the Jerusalem Prize.
Works:
Norwegian Wood
A Wild Sheep Chase
Kafka on the Shore
What I Talk about When I Talk About Running
IQ84
Banana Yoshimoto
-Japanese author who achieved worldwide popularity writing stories and novels with slight
action and unusual characters. Her real name is Yoshimoto Mahoko.
Works:
Kitchen
Asleep
The Lake
