Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Japanese Literature
Presented by : Griffin F. Bingil
• Japanese literature can be difficult to read
and understand
• Statements are often ambiguous, omitting
as unnecessary the particles of speech
which would normally identify words as
the subject or object of a sentence, or
using colloquial verb forms from a specific
region or social class.
• In many cases the significance of a simple
sentence can only be understood by
someone who is familiar with the cultural
or historical background of the work.
• The nature of the Japanese language influenced
the development of poetic forms.
• All Japanese words end in one of five simple
vowels, making it difficult to construct effective
rhymes.
• Japanese words also lack a stress accent, so that
poetry was distinguished from prose mainly by
being divided into lines of specific numbers of
syllables rather than by cadence and rhythm.
• These characteristics made longer poetic forms
difficult, and most Japanese poems are short,
their poetic quality coming from rich allusions
and multiple meanings evoked by each word
used in the composition.
Main Periods of
Japanese Literature
• Before the introduction of kanji from China,
there was no writing system in Japan.
• Chinese characters were used in Japanese
Ancient syntactical formats, and the literary language
was classical Chinese; resulting in sentences
Literature that looked like Chinese but were
(until 894) phonetically read as Japanese.
• Chinese characters were used, not for their
meanings, but because they had a phonetic
sound which resembled a Japanese word.
• Chinese characters were later adapted to write Japanese speech,
creating what is known as the man'yōgana, the earliest form of kana,
or syllabic writing.
• The earliest works were created in the Nara Period.
• Kojiki (712: a work recording Japanese mythology and legendary history)
• Nihonshoki (720; a chronicle with a slightly more solid foundation in historical
records than Kojiki)
• Man'yōshū (Ten Thousand Leaves, 759); an anthology of poetry.
Classical Literature (894-
1194; The Heian Period)
• consider a golden era of art and literature.
• The Tale of Genji (early eleventh century)
by Murasaki Shikibu
• Kokin Wakashū (905, waka poetry anthology)
• The Pillow Book (990s), an essay about the life,
loves, and pastimes of nobles in the Emperor's
court written by Murasaki Shikibu's
contemporary and rival, Sei Shonagon
• During this time, the imperial court patronized
poets, many of whom were courtiers or ladies-in-
waiting. Editing anthologies of poetry was a
national pastime.
is marked by the strong influence of Zen
Buddhism, and many writers were priests,
travelers, or ascetic poets
Medieval
Japan experienced many civil wars which
Literature led to the development of a warrior class,
and a widespread interest in war tales,
(1195 - histories, and related stories
1600) The Tale of the Heike (1371), an epic
account of the struggle between
the Minamoto and Taira clans for control of
Japan at the end of the twelfth century.
The literature of this time was written during the
generally peaceful Tokugawa Period (commonly
referred to as the Edo Period).
Early-
Modern forms of popular drama developed which would
later evolve
Literature into kabuki(traditional Japanese theater).
(1600-
Many genres of literature made their début during
1868) the Edo Period, inspired by a rising literacy rate
among the growing population of townspeople, as
well as the development of lending libraries.
Meiji, Taisho, and Early Showa literature
(1868-1945)
The Meiji era marked the re-opening of Japan to the West, and a
period of rapid industrialization.