sinanote Introduction history of Japan's Literature KANZAKI Japan, Music, Intemet & Computer ?Help yStatus info History of Japan's Literature This page is based on Japan: A Pocket Guide, 1996 Edition (Foreign Press Center) [ Performing art } [ Fine art ] [ Literature ] Click to generate Timeline of literature from this document Timeline is made available by SIMILE enetp:/steste.se.e4u/> project Timeline API library Nara Period 710-794 Japanese literature traces its beginnings to oral traditions that were first recorded in written form in the early eighth century after a writing system was introduced from China, The Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and Nihon shoki (Chronicle of Japan) were completed in 712 and 720, respectively, as government projects. The former is an anthology of myths, legends, and other stories, while the latter is a chronological record of history. The Fudoki (Records of Wind and Earth), compiled by provincial officials beginning in 7/3, describe the history, geography, products, and folklore of the various provinces. The most brilliant literary product of this period was the Man'yoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves), an anthology of 4,500 poems. composed by people ranging from unknown commoners to emperors and compiled around 759. Already emerging was a verse form comprising 31 syllables (S-7-S-7-7) known as tanka. In 905 the Kokin wakashu or Kokinshu (Collection of Poems from Ancient and Modern Times) was published as the first poetry anthology commissioned by an emper 's preface paid high tribute to the vast possibilities of literature. itpikwaw karzak.comfinfo trate rn 1ssinanote Introduction history of Japan's Literature Man'yoshu Best 100 Manyoshu -- Japanese Text Initiative Kokin wakashu Heian Period 794-1185 In the resplendent aristocratic culture that thrived carly in the eleventh century, a time when the use of the hiragana alphabet derived from Chinese characters had become widespread, court ladies played the central role in developing literature. One of them, Murasaki Shikibu wrote the 54-chapter novel Genji monogatari (Tale of Genji) [in ealy 11 century, ca 1008 7], while another, Sei Shonagon, wrote Makura no soshi (The Pillow Book), a diverse collection of jottings and essays [around 9%6 ]. Others also wrote diaries and stories, and their psychological portrayals remain fresh and vivid to present-day readers. The appearance of the Konjaku monogatari (Tales of a Time That Is Now Past) around //20 added a new dimension to literature. This collection of more than 1,000 Buddhist and secular tales from India, China, and Japan is particularly notable for its rich descriptions of the lives of the nobility and common people in Japan at that time. ‘© Genji Monogatari -- Japanese Text Initiative + The Tale of Genji Homepage ~ full text both in Japanese and English * The Tale of Genji Kamakura-Muromachi Period 185-1573 itpikwaw karzak.cominfo trate rn 2sinanote Irircduction to history of Japar's Literature In the latter half of the twelfth century warriors of the Taira clan (Heike) seized political power at the imperial court, virtually forming a new aristocracy. Heike mono-gatari (The Tale of the Heike), which depicts the rise and fall of the Taira with the spotlight on their wars with the Minamoto clan (Genji), was completed in the first half of the thirteenth century [before /2/9 . It is a grand epic deeply rooted in Buddhist ethics and filled with sorrow for those who perished, colorful descriptions of its varied characters, and stirring battle scenes. In former times the tale was narrated to the accompaniment of a Japanese lute. The Shin kokin wakashu (New Collection of Poems from Ancient and Modern Times), an anthology of poetry commissioned by retired Emperor Go-Toba, was also completed around this time [ca 1205] ; it is dedicated to the pursuit of a subtle, profound beauty far removed from the mundane reality of civil strife. + First book (Spring I) from Shin kokin wakashu entsp://sm-leland.stanford.edu/~patkins/skks.nao (Copyright 1994 by Paul S. Atkins) * Ogura Hyakunin Isshu ~ 100 Poems by 100 Poets This period also produced literature by recluses, typified by Kamo no Chomei's Hojoki (An Account of My Hut) [/2/2) , which reflects on the uncertainty of existence, and Yoshida Kenko 's Tsurezuregusa (Essays in Idleness) [ca /330] , a work marked by penetrating reflections on life. Both works raise the question of spiritual salvation. Meanwhile, the profound thoughts and incisive logic of the Shobogenzo (Treasury of the True Dharma Eye) [before /237] , one of the first Buddhist texts written in Japanese rather than Chinese, marked a major development in Zen thought. The Taiheiki (Chronicle of the Great Peace), depicting the 50 years from /3/8 to 1367 when two rival imperial courts struggled for power, is a valuable historical record, while the noh plays perfected by Kan'ami and his son Zeami are of great literary value. Zeami's Fushi kaden (The Transmission of the Flower of Acting Style) [400] is a brilliant essay on dramatic art + Japanese traditional art in this homepege for informatino of Noh Edo Period itpikwaw karzak.cominfo trate rnsinanote Introduction history of Japan's Literature 1603-1868 Around this time the function of literature as a means of social intercourse broadened. Composing renga (successive linked verses by several people forming a long poem) became a favorite pastime, and this gave birth to haikai (a sort of jocular renga) in the sixteenth century. It was the renowned seventeenth century poet Matsuo Basho who perfected a new condensed poetic form of 17 syllables (5-7-5) known as haiku, an embodiment of elegant simplicity and tranquility. © Dhugal J. Lindsay's Haiku Universe In the Genroku era (1688-1704) city-dwelling artisans and merchants became the main supporters of literature, and professional artists began to appear, Two giants emerged in the field of prose: Ihara Saikaku, who realistically portrayed the life of Osaka merchants, and Chikamatsu Monzaemon, who wrote joruri, a form of storytelling involving chanted lines, and kabuki plays. These writers brought about a great flowering of literature. Later Yosa Buson composed superb haiku depicting nature, while fiction writer Ueda Akinari produced a collection of gothic stories called Ugetsu monogatari (Tales of Moonlight and Rain) [1776] . + See Japanese traditional art in this homepege for informatino of Kabuki t performed in 1748 (Japanese) + Kanadehon Chuushingura is a joruri text fi Meiji Period to present In the Meiji era (1868-1912) unification of the written and spoken language was advocated, and Futabatei Shimei’s Ukigumo (Drifiing Clouds) [/887] won acclaim as @ new form of novel. In poetry circles the influence of translated foreign poems led to a "new style" poetry ‘movement, and the scope of literary forms continued to widen, Novelists Mori Ogai and Natsume Soseki studied in Germany and Britain, respectively, and their works reflect the influence of the literature of those countries. Soscki nurtured many talented literary figures. One of itpikwaw karzak.cominfo trate rnsane Irrodstontohistry of apart Lierahira them, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, wrote many superb novelettes based on his detailed knowledge of the Japanese classics. His suicide in 1927 was seen as a symbol of the agony Japan was experiencing in the process of rapid modernization, a major theme of modern Japanese literature. Naturalism as advocated by Emile Zola dominated Japan's literary world for the first decade of the twentieth century. This school of literature, as represented by Shimazaki Toson, is noted for the "I novel," a style of novel typical of Japan, A number of pre-World War II literary currents, such as proletarian literature and neo-sensualism, petered out during the war but later regained strength, generating a diverse range of works. In 1968 Kawabata Yasunati became the first Japanese to win the Nobel Prize for literature, and Oe Kenzaburo won it in 1994, They and other contemporary writers, such as Tanizaki Jun'ichito, Mishima Yukio, Abe Kobo, and Inoue Yasushi, have been translated into other languages. In the last few years works by the remarkably active postwar-generation writers Murakami Ryu (who won the Akutagawa Prize), Murakami Haruki, Yoshimoto Banana, and others have also been translated into many languages and have gained tremendous popularity (note: all the Japanese names here follow the Japanese practice of placeing the surname first) Reference:Research Institute for Publication, Shuppan shihyo nenpo (Annual Publishing Index), 1996. By KANZAKI, Masahide (see FOAF or home), ©1998-. Status: Published on 1996-07-02, links etc. updated 2004-03-24; Timeline added 2006-07-23. Text from "Japan: A Pocket Guide, 1996 Edition" Original URI is Attp:/vww.kanzaki.com/info/jliterature. htm! itpikwaw karzak.cominfo trate rn