JAPANESE

LITERATURE

Prepared by:
Dela Cruz, Sherlyn B.
Mariano, Reyzel C.
Reyes, Phil Spain D.
OBJECTIVES:
By the end of this lesson,
students should:
Familiarized Japanese
Literature.
Appreciate Japanese Literature.
Emphasized major themes of
some literary works of
Japanese Literature.
TOPICS FOR TODAY:
Brief History of Japan
Major Literary Pieces
Well-known Authors
Literary Piece Analysis
Matching Type:
1. Hello a. Heiwa wa anata to tomoni
2. Goodbye b. Kireina
3. Thank you! c. Kon'nichiwa
4. How are you? d. Anata ga koishī
5. I miss you e. Arigatōgozaimashita
6. Cheers! f. Sayōnara
7. Beautiful g. Subarashī
8. I love you h. Aishitemasu
9. Peace be with you! i. Genkidesu ka
10.Amazing j. Kanpai
 HISTORY

Writing was introduced to Japan from China

in the 5th century via the Korean peninsula.
The oldest surviving works are two historical
records, the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, which
were completed in the early 8th century. In
the 11th century, during the peak of the
Heian Period, the world's first novel, The
Tale of Genji, was written in Japan. During
the Meiji Period (1868-1912), an influx of
foreign texts spurred the development of
modern Japanese literature. Influential
authors of the time include Higuchi Ichiyo,
whose image is on the 5000 yen bill;
Natsume Soseki, who is best known for his
Matsuyama-based novel "Botchan"; and
Miyazawa Kenji, a poet and children's
literature author from Iwate best known for
his work "Night on the Galactic Railroad".
THE FOLLOWING ARE A FEW POPULAR
POETRY-RELATED SITES WHICH
TRAVELERS CAN VISIT ACROSS JAPAN:
Iga Ueno
Iga Ueno is the birthplace of the celebrated
poet Matsuo Basho (1644-1694). Basho
traveled to many parts of Japan, leaving
behind a legacy of great literary works,
especially in the form of haiku. The Basho
Memorial Museum in Iga Ueno exhibits
scrolls of his poems and maps showing the
routes he took on his travels. Tourists to the
city can also visit the poet's birth house and
one of his former retreats.

Matsuyama
Matsuyama has been home to well known poet
Masaoka Shiki and several other important
literary figures. Statues and museums are
dedicated to them around the city, including
the Shiki Memorial Museum and the Shikido, a
replica of the poet's former home.
 Asuka
The Complex of Manyo Culture (Manyo Bunkakan) in Asuka is a
large museum dedicated to the famous Manyoshu poem
anthology. There are two main exhibition halls displaying a
selection of modern paintings that take Manyoshu as their
theme, and an interactive area with period models of people and
buildings, a theater, and displays depicting life as described in
the Manyoshu poems.

Japanese Poetry includes various styles, such as haiku ( 俳句 ) and tanka ( 短歌 ), and is one
of the most widely known forms of Japanese literature. The first compilation of Japanese
poems, the Manyoshu, dates back to the Nara Period in the 8th century. It contains about
4500 poems written by royalty and commoners alike.

Poetry remained a popular activity over the centuries, such as during the Heian Period (9th
to 12th centuries), when composing and reciting poetry at garden parties was a pastime
with scholars and the nobility. In the Edo Period, the celebrated poet Matsuo Basho
popularized haiku. Later, the Meiji Period poet Masaoka Shiki introduced modern forms of
haiku and tanka.
BELOW ARE A FEW PLACES IN JAPAN WHERE THE
COUNTRY'S LITERARY HERITAGE CAN BE APPRECIATED:

Matsuyama
Matsuyama is home to three famous Japanese writers:
Natsume Soseki and Shiba Ryotaro, who both set their
novels in Matsuyama; and poet Masaoka Shiki. Each
author has museums, monuments and statues dedicated
to them around the city.

Uji
The Tale of Genji is an 11th-century work of fiction
written by a Japanese noblewoman describing the
intrigues of court life during the Heian Period. The town
of Uji is frequently mentioned in the novel, and several
locations around the town are marked by statues and
plaques. Visitors can also visit the Tale of Genji Museum
to learn more about this novel that has stood the test
of time.
Tono
Tono is well known for its collection of folklore involving legends of
spirits, animals and supernatural creatures. This rich oral tradition was
eventually transcribed and collated into a book in 1910 - the "Legends
of Tono". The legends continue to be told today and visitors can attend
these story telling performances (in Japanese) at the folk villages,
museums and at some of the hotels around town.
 Kibi Plain
The Kibi Plain was the center of the
Kibi Kingdom. The area is known for
the legend of Prince Kibitsuhiko,
which serves as the foundation of the
famous folktale "Momotaro". The
folktale chronicles the journey of a
boy, who was born of a peach (momo)
and defeated a band of ogres who
were terrorizing the land. Visitors
can follow a cycling route that loosely
follows the legend of Prince
Kibitsuhiko, passing several important
shrines, temples and burial mounds
along the way

Kawazu Nanadaru
The Kawazu Seven Waterfalls (Kawazu Nanadaru) are seven waterfalls in
the mountains above Kawazu Town in the southeast of the Izu Peninsula.
This area was also the setting of Nobel laureate Kawabata Yasunari's
short story "Izu no Odoriko" (The Izu Dancer). Visitors can follow a
walking trail with several life-sized statues of the odoriko (dancing girls)
depicted in the story.
GUESS THE PLACES!
Matsuyama
Kibi Plain
Asuka
Tono
Iga Ueno
JAPANESE AUTHORS AND THEIR
RESPECTIVE WORKS
Japanese Literature has a long and illustrious history with its most
famous classic, The Tale of Genji, dating back to the 11th century.
Often dark but full of humor, Japanese literature showcases the
idiosyncrasies of such a culturally driven nation.
 Murasaki Shikibu
• Japanese writer who was the author
of the Genji Monogatari (The Tale of
Genji), generally considered the
greatest work of Japanese literature
and thought to be the world’s oldest
full novel.
• She was born into an influential and
cultured family, her father was a
provincial governor and her male
relatives held positions in the imperial
government.

• She is also remembered for her diary,

which in addition to its literary
qualities source of her life.
 The Tale of Genji
• “The Tale of Genji” is an absorbing
introduction to the culture of the
aristocracy in early Heian Japan—its
forms of entertainment, its manner of
dress, its daily life, and its moral code.
• Most of the story concerns the loves
of Genji, and each of the women in his
life is vividly delineated. The work
shows supreme sensitivity to human
emotions and the beauties of nature,
but as it proceeds its darkening tone
reflects the Buddhist conviction of
this world's transience.
• The moral lesson we can get from the
story is that love isn't about the
desire of having sex for many women
or about the struggle to conquer all
pretty women. But love must be kept
with a woman we love forever.
 Mitsuyo Kakuta
• She was born in Yokohama in 1967. A
representative of the modern
Japanese literary scene, she has
written over a dozen novels. Along
with other well-known female writers,
such as Natsuo Kirino, Kakuta
critiques a cold, egomaniacal,
Western-influenced Japanese society.
A society fixated on money, easy
fixes, and lack of kindness.

• Mitsuyo Kakuta is currently

working on translating the Tale of
Genji into modern Japanese.
 Woman on the Other Shore
• is a compelling novel about everyday life.
The winner of the Naoki prize, the novel
follows Sayoko, a 35-year-old
housekeeper. Sayoko, the typical
Japanese housewife and mother, starts
working for Aoi—a free, independent
woman in passionate pursuit of her
career. Sayoko finds herself captivated
by Aoi’s lifestyle, and through their
friendship she reevaluates the meaning
behind her choices in life.
• The book touches on a broad range
of issues of concern to women
today, from marriage and
childrearing to being single and
working for oneself. It is a universal
story about both the fear and the
joy of opening up to others.
 Teru Miyamoto
• He was born in 1947, is among
Japan’s most widely read fiction
writers and essayists. His novel
“Maboroshi no Hikari” was made
into a film in 1995, and his early
works were winners of some
prestigious Japanese literary
awards: “Doro no kawa” (Muddy
River) of the Dazai Osamu Prize,
and “Hotarugawa” (River of
Fireflies) of the Akutagawa Prize.

• He graduated from the faculty

of letters at Otemon Gakuin
University after which he
became a copywriter. In 1970,
he began to write his first novel
and quit his job.
 Kinshu: Autumn Brocade
• was his first work to be
published in translation. Aki
and Yasuaki, a divorced pair
of more than 10 years, meet
again by chance at a mountain
resort. What seems at first
to be a precarious move by
Aki to reconnect with
Yasuaki, quickly turns into a
story of understanding and
personal healing.
• Miyamoto Teru prose is steeped
in rich beautiful colors. He so
gracefully writes of two
courageous people caught in
unfortunate circumstances.
Through an emotional epistolary
exchange, he convincingly
demonstrates the resoluteness
of the human character.
Amy Yamada
• She was born in Tokyo in
1959 as Futaba Yamada, is
a popular contemporary
writer, known for her
controversial topics. She
dances through issues not
typically discussed in
Japanese society: sex,
interracial relationships,
racism, and xenophobia.
• She made her literary
debut with a short
story," Bedtime Eyes,"
which won the Bungen
Prize in 1985.
 Bedtime Eyes
• is a novel reminiscent of the works
of Douglas Coupland. While
representing the Gen X concept, the
novel explores the relationship
between a Japanese woman and a
black American man who tango
between love, sex, and the variances
between their culturally differing
viewpoints.
• The book consists of three stories. The
first two vividly describe a sexual
relationship of a Japanese woman and an
African-American man. The women are
usually sexy, beautiful and cold and always
have men crawling at their feet. They fool
around and eventually fall in love, The last
couple of pages were a bit weird though.
Left us wondering what might happen in a
few years in the future between the
heroine and the boy given the nature of
the author's story writing.
 Kenzo Kitakata
• He was born in 1947, is a
Japanese mystery and
historical fiction writer
with a serious cult following.
He is often compared to
James M. Cain, and enjoys
fame equivalent to that of
the current Jo Nesbo
craze. He served as the
president of the Mystery
Writers of Japan from
1997 to 2001, and is also
the writer of two 13-volume
series—each epic retellings
of the Chinese classics
“Romance of the Three
Kingdoms” and “The Water
Margin”.
 The Cage
• “The Cage” is considered
Kitakata’s signature novel. A
story about a gangster
forsaking his days of crime to
be a supermarket manager, The
Cage is about a man feeling
trapped in an unfulfilling life. He
soon realizes he needs to marry
his previous outlaw life to the
merits of his now easygoing
lifestyle: a yakuza with a
personal code of honor.
• “The Cage” is at once a searing
portrayal of the violence of the
Japanese underworld and a
tender mediation of the ties of
love and friend that can save men
from madness-or plunge them
deeper into it.
 Kenzaburo Oe
• He was a prominent figure of
modern Japanese literature. Born
in 1935 in a quiet village in the
forests of Shikoku, he began
writing seriously at the age of 23
and won the Nobel Prize for
literature almost 40 years later,
in 1994.
• According to the Yomiuri Shinbun,
Oe created “an imagined world,
where life and myth condense to
form a disconcerting picture of the
human predicament today.” Indeed,
strongly influenced by French and
American literature, Oe writes
about the dignity of human beings.
He deals with sociopolitical issues,
exploring non-conformism and
existentialism.
 The Changeling
• It is his newest novel in
translation, and it explores the
relationship between two
friends after one commits
suicide.

• “The Changeling strongly

evokes the author’s 1967
novel, “The Silent Cry,” which
also began with a suicide and
then combined themes of
Japanese nationalism, postwar
occupation, city versus
country and a left-behind
friend’s quest for answers.
 Banana Yoshimoto
• She was born in 1964 in Tokyo by the
name of Mahoko Yoshimoto Banana,
who writes her name in hiragana,
chose her pen name in college after
her love of banana flowers, and
because the name was “rather cute
and androgynous.” She is the
daughter of Takaaki Yoshimoto, the
well-known poet, critic, and
philosopher.

• Banana is a Japanese woman trapped in the

urban jungle that is modern Tokyo. She is
preoccupied with problems concerning the
youth, urban existentialism, and the
boundaries between imagination and reality.
Her books are targeted not only towards the
young generation, whose problems are most
definitely related to her recurring themes,
but to the young at heart as well.
 Kitchen
• Banana’s debut novel was written
in 1988. It includes two stories,
“Kitchen” and “Moonlight
Shadow,” told from the point of
view of two young Japanese
women living in modern Japan. It
deals with themes such as
mother-daughter relationships,
love in a loveless world, trans
sexuality, and tragedy.
• According to the author
herself, the main themes in
her work are “the
exhaustion of young
Japanese in contemporary
Japan” and “the way in
which terrible experiences
shape a person’s life”
 Haruki Murakami
• He was born in 1949, in the
baby boom following World
War II. He is an
internationally celebrated
author, with books being
translated into more than 50
languages. His novel, “Colorless
Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years
of Pilgrimage” sold one million
copies within one month of its
Japanese release.
• His most popular themes focus on
experimentation with the
boundaries between reality and
imagination. He is a surrealist with
melancholic and fatalistic
narratives; an explorer of
alienation and loneliness.
 1Q84
• “1Q84” is a 1000 pages
extravaganza which Murakami
spent four years writing after
coming up with the opening
sequence and title. A clear
reference to George Orwell’s
1984, it follows the story of a
young woman named Aomame
who enters a parallel
existence, which she calls
1Q84. It is at the same time a
love story, a mystery, a
fantasy, a novel of self-
discovery. With its bizarre
imagery, it might seem
refreshingly heavier than any
YA light reading you might
have done in recent years.
 Ryu Murakami
• Ryū Murakami was born in
Nagasaki in 1952. A
controversial figure in
Japanese literature, he wrote
his first novel while still in
college. From 1976 until today,
he’s written countless novels,
short stories, and essays,
mainly dealing with dark themes
in an even darker Japan: drug
use, murder, disillusionment,
• and war.
He is not related to Haruki
Murakami or Takashi Murakami.
Murakami's first work, the short
novel “Almost Transparent Blue”,
written while he was still a
student, deals with promiscuity
and drug use among disaffected
Japanese youth.
 In the Miso Soup
• A twenty-year-old boy named Kenji
works as a Japanese “nightlife”
guide for foreigners. What he does
is take tourists around the sex clubs
and hostess bars of Tokyo. The
novel follows what happens after
Kenji receives a call from an
American named Frank. Frank
requests Kenji’s exclusive services
for three nights in a row.

• It was published in 1997 in

Japanese, and in 2003 in English.
The novel won the Yomiuri Prize for
Fiction in 1997.
 Natsuo Kirino
• Natsuo Kirino is the leading
figure with her breakout
novel, “Out” (1997), becoming
a best-seller in less than a
month. Born in Kanazawa in
1951 with her pen name,
Mariko Hashioka.

• She started out as a romantic fiction

writer but soon switched to detective
fiction; a genre she continues to
pursue. Because her heroines
(unexpectedly) prove to be capable of
some pretty dark things, her fiction
has often been labelled “feminist
noir,” according to J. Madison Davis
of World Literature Today. Her
realistic prose has turned her into a
fan favorite among the female
reading population of Japan.
 OUT
• Four women share a close
friendship while working for
a bento factory; a series of
events finds them engaged in
a murder for which they
must suffer the
consequences.

• This popularity has begun to

extend into the English-
speaking world, where the
2003 translation of Out was
nominated by the Mystery
Writers of America for its
Edgar Allan Poe Award for
best book of the year.
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

She is currently
working on translating
the Tale of Genji into
modern Japanese.
Mitsuyo Kakuta
He graduated from the
faculty of letters at Otemon
Gakuin University after
which he became a
copywriter. In 1970, he
began to write his first
novel and quit his job.
Teru Miyamoto
The book touches on a
broad range of issues of
concern to women today,
from marriage and
childrearing to being
single and working for
oneself.
Woman on the Other Shore
Four women share a close
friendship while working
for a bento factory; a
series of events finds
them engaged in a murder
for which they must
suffer the consequences.
OUT
She is also remembered for
her diary, which in addition
to its literary qualities
source of her life.
Murasaki Shikibu
The moral lesson we can get
from the story is that love
isn't about the desire of
having sex for many women
or about the struggle to
conquer all pretty women.
But love must be kept with
a woman we love forever.
The Tale of Genji
He began writing
seriously at the age
of 23 and won the
Nobel Prize for
literature almost 40
years later in 1994.
Kenzaburo Oe
The story is about, A
twenty-year-old boy named
Kenji works as a Japanese
“nightlife” guide for
foreigners. What he does is
take tourists around the sex
clubs and hostess bars of
Tokyo.
In the Miso Soup
Ichiyō Higuchi
Ichiyō Higuchi ( 樋口一葉 , Higuchi
Ichiyō, 2 May 1872 – 23 November
1896), real name Natsuko
Higuchi ( 樋口夏子 , Higuchi
Natsuko) or Natsu Higuchi ( 樋口奈
津 , Higuchi Natsu), was a Japanese
writer from the Meiji Period. She
was Japan's first professional
female writer of modern literature,
specialising in short stories and
poetry, and also an extensive
diarist.
Higuchi on the 5,000 yen bill, established on November 1, 2004 .
 The stories of her mature period (1894–1896) were
not only marked by her experience living near the red-
light district and greater concern over the plight of
women, but also by the influence of Ihara Saikaku, a
17th-century writer, whose stories she had recently
discovered. His distinctiveness lay in great part in his
acceptance of low-life characters as worthwhile
literary subjects. What Higuchi added was a special
awareness of suffering and sensitivity. To this period
belong Ōtsugomori (On the Last Day of the Year), 
Nigorie (Troubled Waters), Jūsan'ya (The Thirteenth
Night), Takekurabe and Wakaremichi (Separate
Ways).
 With these last stories, her fame spread throughout the Tokyo
literary establishment. She was commended for her traditional
style, and was called "the last woman of the old Meiji" in
reflection of her evocation of the past.  In her modest home, she
was visited by other writers, students of poetry, admirers, the
curious, critics, and editors requesting her collaboration. Due to
constant interruptions and frequent headaches, Higuchi stopped
writing. As her father and her oldest brother had before her, she
contracted tuberculosis. She died on 23 November 1896 at the
age of 24.  She was buried in Tsukiji Hongan-ji Wadabori
Cemetery in Suginami, Tokyo.
At the time of her death, Higuchi left behind 21 short stories,
nearly 4,000 poems (which are regarded being of lesser quality
than her prose), numerous essays and a multivolume diary.  The
year refers to the date of first publication.
Monument of Ichiyō Higuchi in her hometown at the
Jiunji or Jiun-ji Temple of Koshu
SHORT STORIES
 1892: Yamizakura ( 闇桜 , Flowers at Dusk)
 1892: Wakarejimo ( 別れ霜 )
 1892: Tamadasuki ( 玉襷 )
 1892: Samidare ( 五月雨 )
 1892: Kyōdzukue ( 経づくえ )
 1892: Umoregi ( うもれ木 )
 1893: Akatsukidzukuyo ( 暁月夜 )
 1893: Yuki no hi ( 雪の日 , A Snowy Day)
 1893: Koto no ne ( 琴の音 , The Sound of the
Koto)
 1894: Hanagomori ( 花ごもり )
 1894: Yamiyo ( やみ夜 , Encounters on a Dark
Night)
•1894: Ōtsugomori ( 大つごもり , On the Last
Day of the Year or The Last Day of the Year)
•1895: Takekurabe ( たけくらべ , Child's
Play, Growing Up, They Compare
Heights or Teenagers Vying for Tops)
•1895: Noki moru tsuki ( 軒もる月 )
•1895: Yuku kumo ( ゆく雲 )
•1895: Utsusemi ( うつせみ )
•1895: Nigorie ( にごりえ , Troubled
Waters, Muddy Water or In the Gutter)
•1895: Jūsan'ya ( 十三夜 , The Thirteenth
Night)
•1896: Kono ko ( この子 )
•1896: Wakaremichi ( わかれ道 , Separate
Ways or The Parting of the Ways)
•1896: Ware kara ( われから )
“Nigorie” - “Troubled Waters” –
Nigorie was written by Higuchi in June–July
1895 and originally delivered to Ōhashi
Otowa, the editor of Bungei
kurabu magazine, with the final chapter
missing.
It portrays a dramatic and passionate  life of
a geisha, full of torment and
disappointments within the Red District. The
reader does not know where exactly the plot
is going on – the place is unspecified,
however it centers the most popular geisha –
Oriki . It concludes with talk of the brutal
deaths of a prostitute and her long-time
customer, who is called in the elegant
diction of the quarter a najimi kyaku, or
“familiar guest,” a deliberate blurring of
the distinction between patron and lover.
Higuchi sketched six different endings for the
story, including one in which Tomonosuke
takes Oriki away from the Kikunoi, before
she chose the now existing ending, which she
  
ANALYSIS
The mood, its dark and impenetrable nature builds the
story, tension, describes human nature. The novel is
metaphorical, madness/ insanity is a theme of the novel
which describes characters by sets of words creating
images – so-called metaphorical imaginative description.
“Nigorie” is full of metaphorical images, the bridge, for
instance, is a symbol, imaginative and real, reflects moods,
a desire to meet someone one loves, it stands for sadness,
loneliness and desolation. ”.  The characters of Higuchi
Ichiyō  are stuck, motionless, “wax figures” of Meji era, a
total opposite of upcoming dynamic enlightenment they
will all have to face with. 
What did you remember
about the short story
“Nigorie” written by Ichiyō
Higuchi?