Nippon, the land of the rising sun

Made up of red circle, symbolizing the sun, against a white background

“HINOMARU” – circle of the sun

Because Japan lies at the far west of the
Pacific Ocean, the sun rise over the sea to
the East is a spectacular sight

According to Ancient and Heraldic Traditions,

much symbolism is associated with colors. The
colors of the Japanese flag represents the
following:

WHITE – Peace and Honesty

RED – Hardiness, Bravery, Strength and Valor
Japan as a country has a past with its style in
its own tradition.
• Kanji, ideographs from Chinese
characters
• Kana, a pair of syllabaries, consisting of
• Hiragana, used for native Japanese
words and
• Katakana, used for foreign
loanwords and sometimes to
replace kanji or hiragana for
emphasis.
Japan’s two major religions:
• Shinto is as old as the Japanese
Culture
• Buddhism was imported from the
mainland in the 6th century

Since then, the two religions have been co-existing relatively harmoniously and have
even complemented each other to certain degree. Most Japanese consider themselves
Buddhist, Shintoist or both.

Religion does not apply big role in the everyday life of most Japanese people
today. The average person typically follows the religious rituals at ceremonies like birth,
weddings and funerals, may visit a shrine or temple on New Year and participates at
local festivals (matsuri), most of which have religious background
Japanese costume is unique, differing
greatly even from those of other Asian
cultures

Yukata, for men

Kimono, for women
Zori, Sandals
contributions
• Sado, the tea ceremony
• Kodo, the way of Incense
• Ikebana, flower arranging
• Ukiyoe, woodblock prints
• Bonsai, miniature tree
• Origami paper folding
• Classical Literature
• Modern Literature
sado
kodo
Japanese literature is one of the major literatures
of the world comparable to English literature in
age and variety.

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
Poems and Odes to God were composed in the
early Japanese Language before the art of writing
was known in Japan. Only the fragments of this
Literature have survived, but these are thought to
have been extensive. During the first centuries of
writing in Japan, the spoken language and written
language were identical.
• Ancient Literature
• Classical Literature
• Medieval Literature
• Modern Literature
• Edo Period
• Meiji Period
• Post-War Period
• Contemporary Literature
ancient
Two of the oldest Japanese Literature:
• Kojiki (Records of the Ancient Matter)
Relates to the creation of the world,
describes the gods and goddess of the
mythological period and contains facts
about ancient Japan.

• Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan)

Tells the story of Japan in poetry and
shows profound influence of Chinese
classical period
Heian Period, referred to as the golden era of Japanese art and literature.

• Man’yoshu (Collection of Myriad leaves)

The oldest collection of Japanese poetry collected in the year
800
• Genji Monotagori (The Tale of Genji)
Written by court lady named Murasaki Shikibu is
considered the pre-eminent masterpiece of Heian fiction and
first example of a form of fiction in a novel.
Japan experienced many civil wars which led to the
development of a warrior class, and subsequent war
tales, histories, and relates stories.

Work from this period is notable for its insights into life
and death, simple lifestyles, and Sepukku

• The Tale of Heike, an epic account of the struggle

between two clans for control of Japan at the
end of the twelfth century.
modern
period.
edo
Also known as Tokugawa Period
The capital of Japan moved from Kyoto to
Edo (modern Tokyo)

Scholarly work continued to be published

in Chinese, which was the language of the
learned much as Latin was in Europe

CHIKAMATSU MONZAEMON, kabuki

dramatist, known as Japan’s Shakespeare.

Many genres of literature made their

debut during the Edo Period, helped by a
rising literacy rate among the growing
population of the townspeople, as well as
the development of lending libraries
edo
The importation of Chinese vernacular
fiction that proved the greatest outside
influence on the development of Early
Modern Japanese Fiction

Genres include horror, crime stories,

morality stories, comedy, and
pornography.
• Marks the reopening of Japan to the
West, and a period of rapid
industrialization.
• The introduction of European literature
brought free verse into the poetic
repertoire. It become widely used for
longer works embodying new
intellectual themes.
• Young Japanese prose writers and
dramatists struggled with a whole
galaxy of new ideas and artistic schools,
but novelists were the first to
assimilate some of theses concepts
successfully .
• War-time Japan saw the debut of
several authors best known for the
beauty of their language and their tales
of love and sensuality.
• Kawata Yasunari, for his narrative
mastery, which with great sensibility
expresses the essence of the Japanese
mind” became Japan’s first winner of
the Nobel Prize for literature.
• World War II, and Japan’s defeat, deeply
influenced Japanese literature. Many
authors wrote stories of disaffection, loss of
purpose , and coping the defeat.
• Prominent writers of the 1970s and 1980s Plot Development and
were identified with intellectual and moral Action have often been the
issues in their attempts to raise social and secondary interest to
political consciousness emotional issues.
• Modern Japanese writers covered a wide
variety of subjects, one particularly
Japanese approach stressed their subjects’
inner lives, widening the earlier novel's
preoccupation with narrator’s
consciousness.
Noh . Joruri . Kabuki
The national theater of Japan, which was originally
reserved for the nobility. Legend says that the Noh
dance was invented by the gods
 jorur
A puppet play or doll theater wherein the
dolls are beautifully made and life-like in
size
kabuki
The play for the masses. It is less
intellectual and more realistic,
even sensational
 japanese
poetry
Tanka (5-7-5-7-7) Haiku (5-7-5)

A cool wind blows in First day of spring –

With a blanket of silence. I keep thinking about
Straining to listen the end of autumn.
For those few drops of rain,
The storm begins to earnest.
 Other important elements:

• Simple, direct, non-

Haiku is one of the most important form of metaphorical language.
traditional Japanese poetry. Don't use abstract words.
• Captures a transitory insight
Haiku is both a type of poetic pattern and a or moment in time (called
way of experiencing the world. "satori" or the "aha
moment" )
A well-executed haiku is rooted in the physical • Contains a kigo, an image of
world of our senses, yet suggests something nature that evokes a
deeper, often evoking the mysterious, particular seasons (usually
transitory nature of all existence. occurs in the 1st or 3rd line)
• Usually contains a cutting or
Haiku is, today, a 17-syllable verse form pivot word that turns the
consisting of three metrical units of 5, 7, and 5 movement of the poem in
syllables. some way
• Basho Matsuo is known as the first great poet in the history of haikai (and
haiku).
• He too, wrote poems using jokes and plays upon words in his early stages,
as they were in fashion, but began to attach importance to the role of
thought in haikai (especially in hokku) from around 1680.
• The thought of Tchouang-tseu, philosopher in the 4th century B.C.,
influenced greatly Basho, and he often quoted the texts of "The Book of
master Tchouang" in his hokkus. The thinker Tchouang-tseu denied the
artificiality and the utilitarianism, seeing value of intellect low.
• He asserted that things seemingly useless had the real value, and that it
was the right way of life not to go against the natural law.
Basho Matsuo
• He was considered the father of haiku had
studied Taoism and classical Chinese poetry
in his youth.
• At first he wrote derivative verse, but
eventually broke free from the conventions
of Japanese poetry, which at the time, had
an elegant, refined style full of allusions to
the court.
• He began to wander the countryside and
write travel journals as well as tanka.
• During the last part of his life he attempted
to live with "karumi" or "lightness."
• Or as he said in one of his poems "like
looking at a shallow river with a sandy bed.“
• To a leg of a heron Adding a long shank of a
pheasant.
They're wisdom words from ancient times, short popular
saying of unknown authorship, expressing some general
truth, superstition or wisdom. Some of them make you
ponder and think, some of them make you laugh, and
some put you straight on path of enlightenment.

A Japanese proverb may take the form of: a

short saying, an idiomatic phrase, or a four-
character idiom.
 猿も木から落ちる
Saru mo ki kara ochiru.
Even monkeys fall from trees
Even experts make mistakes.

早起きは三文の徳
Haya oki wa sanmon no toku.
Early rising benefits you three pence.
The early bird gets the worm

しずむせあればうかぶせあり
shizumu se areba ukabu se ari
If the current sinks, it will rise (again)
Life has its ups and downs