The early works in Japanese literature had a large influence from the cultural contact that Japan had with China and their literature that was more often written in Classical Chinese. Indian literature also played a crucial role through spread of Buddhism throughout Japan. Japanese literature then developed into an original style that had its own right once Japanese writers soon began writing their own versions about Japan. Chinese literature remained popular throughout the Edo period. Western and even Eastern forms of literature greatly affected one another because of Japan reopening their ports to the Western traders during the 19th century and they will continue to influence each other as time moves ahead.
The Nara Period lasted from 710 to 794. The first oral traditions and traces of Japanese literature began in this period. They were first written down during the early eighth century. This was after they developed a writing system that was influenced by China. The Kojiki, Record of Ancient Matters, and the Nihon shoki, known as the Chronicle of Japan, were entirely completed in 712 and 720 through government projects. The Kojiki is a compilation of legends, stories, and myths, while the Nihon shoki is more of a chronological record of their history. The Fudoki or the Records of Wind and Earth, were constructed by provincial officials who started the work in 713 and it is used for descriptions of products, folklore, geography, history of the provinces.
One of the best and most brilliant literature products of the Nara Period was the Man’yoshu or the Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves, compiled in 759. It is an anthology of over 4,500 poems that were composed by many different people, some of whom are unknown. This is what gave way to tanka, a verse form of poetry that includes just 31 syllables. During 905, the Kokin wakashu or Kokinshu, the was sent out and published. This was the very first poetry anthology that was commissioned by the emperor of the time.
The Heian Period began in 794 and lasted until 1185. The aristocratic culture in Japan that was thriving at the start of the eleventh century. The hiragana alphabet was used during this time period. The alphabet was developed from Chinese characters and was used throughout Japan. Court ladies played a vital role in developing literature for Japan. One of the court ladies, Murasaki Shikibu was the composer of a 54 chapter long novel titled Gengi monogatari or the Tale of Genji. Another one of those court ladies, Sei Shonagon was the composer of Makura no soshi or The Pillow Book, which is an in depth collection of various jottings and essays that she created. In 1120 the Konjaku monogatari emerged (also known as the Tales of a Time That is Now Past) and added a whole new perspeUnification of writing and speaking was brought about.ctive on literature throughout Japan. This collection contains over 1,000 Buddhist tales that are derived from India, Japan, and China. It is well known for the thorough descriptions of the lives of common and nobility people during the era in Japan.
The Kamakura-Muromachi Period ran from 1185 to 1573. During the end of the twelfth century, soldiers of the Taira clan or Heike took control of all political power in the imperial court, and this made a new aristocracy for Japan. Heike mono-gatari or The Tale of the Heike is a story that shows the rise and eventual fall of the clan. They emphasize the wars with the Minamoto clan or Genji. It contains Buddhist ethics and a deep tale filled with sorrow for those that perished in the war with colorful descriptions of many different characters and heroic battle scenes. The Shin kokin wakashu or New Collection of Poems from Ancient and Modern Times was also completed around the same time, and was written by a retired Emperor named Go-Toba.
This is the period that also brought about recluses in literature, such as Kamo no Chomei’s Hojoki or An Account of My Hut. This is a story that shows the uncertainty of one’s existence. Yoshida Kenko’s Tsurezuregusa, the Essays in Idleness, is another popular piece from this period that shows the reflections on life. The Shobogenzo or the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye is one of the very first Buddhist works written entirely in Japanese (rather than Chinese) and is marked as one of the major uprisings in Zen thought. The Taiheiki or the Chronicle of the Great Peace showed two very different rivals struggling for power from 1318 to 1367.
The Edo Period ran from 1603 to 1868. The function of literature during this time was the means for social intercourse to broaden. The renga, a few linked verses told by several people to form a poem, was becoming a popular form of literature. This then moved to haikai during the sixteenth century. In the seventeenth century made way fo Matsuo Basho who came up with a condensed form of poetry known as a haiku. It consisted of only 17 syllables, 5 in one line, 7 in the middle, and 5 again in the last. It showed simplicity, elegance, and tranquility.
The Genroku era from 1688 to 1704 was dominated by literature written by city dwellers, artisans, and merchants. Two great artists came about in this time as well: Ihara Saikaku portrayed the like of the Osaka merchants in a realistic light, and Chikamatsu Monzaemon composed joruri, allowing storytelling to involve chanted lines including kabuki plays for entertainment.
The Meiji period lasted from 1868 until 1912. Futabatei Shimei’s Ukigumo or Drifting Clouds won the spotlight as a very new form of novel that unified writing and speaking. The influence of many different foreign poems being circulated led to new styles of poetry being created. The scope and broadening of literary forms continued to grow vaster. The novelists Natsume Soseki and Mori Ogai studied abroad in Britain and Germany, and the works that they came out with influenced the literature throughout those countries. Akutagawa Ryunosuke was a writer with vast knowledge of Japanese classics. He committed suicide in 1927, and this was seen by all as a symbol of Japan’s agony in experiencing the modernization that it went through so rapidly. This was to be the theme of Japanese literature throughout that time.
The “I novel” style of writing was typical throughout Japan during pre-war times, and gave way to new types and variations of Japanese literature. Kawabata Yasunari was the first writer from Japan to win the Nobel Prize in 1968. Many Japanese works were later translated into different languages for others to read and enjoy such as Tanizaki Jun’ichiro, Abe Kobo, and Mishima Yukio.
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