近代日本語
Modern Day Japanese
1868 - Present
Historical Overview
The Meiji Restoration 明治維新
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Satsuma and Chōshū form alliance against
shogunate; support Emperor Kōmei
Kōmei dies; Meiji (Matsuhito) ascends to throne
at 14, 元老（げんろう）had real power
First 15 years of reform (Charter Oath, land
taxes, emphasis on textiles, conscript army)
Feudal class system officially abolished in 1972
Imported political, social, economic, literary
ideas from western powers in order to
modernize, sent students abroad
New sense of nationalism
Compulsory Education
 1872
Primary education became
mandatory
 1885 Ministry of Education established
 Spelling reforms for education purposes
(hentaigana, simpler spelling for SinoJapanese words)
 Pro-state education led to new sense of
nationalism
Later Meiji Period
 1889
Meiji Constitution (parliament
responsible to the emperor, emperor in
charge of all of all acts of war/peace)
 1894-95 First Sino-Japanese Waｒ
 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War
 1910 Annexation of Korea
Literature During Meiji
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Influenced by influx of translated Western literature
Realism
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硯友社 Writing society containing尾崎 紅葉（おざきこうよ
う）1890
Naturalism influenced by French naturalism
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坪内 逍遥 （つぼうちしょうよう）”Essence of the Novel” 小説真髄
1885
二葉亭四迷（ふたばていしめい）Floating Clouds 浮雲 1887
島崎 藤村（しまざきとそん）The Broken Commandment はかい
1906
夏目漱石（なつめそうせき）I am a Cat わがはねこである
1905
森 鴎外（もりおおがい）literary criticism, tanka
Taisho Period ( 大正時代) and WWI
(第一次世界大戦)
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Responded to British request for aid against
Germany in 1914
Opportunity to increase power in China, take
over German-controlled islands in south pacific
Treaty with Russia consolidated power in
Manchuria and Mongolia
Wartime industry (supplied materials for Allies,
increased exports, inflation)
Request for racial equality denied at Paris Peace
Conference/Treaty of Versailles
Economy after the War
 Wartime
economy collapsed; Japan went
back to debtor nation
 Depression in West affected export
industry
 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake
 1924 Japanese Exclusion Act
 Mindset turned to extreme nationalism and
militarism
Taisho Literature
 芥川
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龍之介（あくたがわりゅうのすけ）
Father of Japanese short story
Disciple of Sōseki
Showa Period (昭和時代) and
WWII/Pacific War (太平洋戦争)
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1931 Manchurian Incident
1937 Second Sino-Japanese War began (Marco Polo
bridge incident
1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor
Expansion to Southeast Asia
1942 Naval battles at Coral Point and Midway shift the
tide
1944-45 US advances in Philippines, Britain in Burma,
firebombing raids
Aug. 6, 1945 Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Aug 9
on Nagasaki
Announcement of surrender on Aug. 14, Japanese
Instrument of Surrender on Sep. 2
Pre-War and WWII Literature
 1920s
proletarian literature, “I novel” (私小
説わたくししょうせつ、ししょうせつ)
 1930s てんこう “conversion novels”
 Patriotic literature during wartime
Post-War Period
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1945-1952 US Occupation led by General MacArthur
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Article 9 amended
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Constitution in 1947, drawn up by General Whitney
Land reforms to help stabilize failing economy
ざいばつ disbanded
initial encouragement of Communist idealism, reverse course
(Cold War)
Manufacture of arms and war supplies for US troops during
Korean War
Establishment of JSDF in 1954 (for peacekeeping and disaster
relief)
Economic turn-around, growth through the 80s
1964 Olympics held in Tokyo
Liberal Democratic Party dominant through 80s
Language Reforms during PostWar Period
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1946 当用漢字 list established with 1850 kanji
(simplified, decreased number of kanji and
readings)
1946 現代かな図解established, spelling based
on pronunciation rather than Heian phonemes
various additions and amendments for names,
public desire for kanji increase in 70s and 80s
1978 Invention of word processor, allowed
easier use of typed kanji
1981 常用漢字 (1945 kanji)
Post-War Literature
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New sense of self prevalent in literature
太宰 治（だざいおさむ）The Setting Sun (斜陽) 1947dealt with
soldiers returning from Manchuguo
-三島 由紀夫（みしまゆきお）Confessions of a Mask (仮面の告白)
conflicts of sexuality
-川端 康成（かわばたやすなり）wrote throughout Showa period
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focus on psychological fiction
Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968
Others: 大江 健三郎（おおえけんざぶろ）, 谷崎 潤一郎（たにざきじゅん
いちろう）, 遠藤 周作（えんどうしゅさく）
安部公房（あべこうぼう）avant-garde novelist – Woman in the Dunes
(砂の女) 1962
70s and 80s: writing to raise social consciousness
Heisei Period 平成
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1989 Show Emperor dies
Liberal Democratic Party overthrown briefly,
returned to power in 1996
“Bubble Economy” collapses by 1991, followed
by period of recession
1991 Gulf War raised questions of participation
in war
1995 Kobe Earthquake and Subway Sarin
Incident
2003/2004 Japan sent troops to assist US with
war on Iraq, largest number since WWII
Heisei Literature
 1994
Ōe Kenzaburō won Nobel Prize for
Literature
 村上春樹（むらかみはるき）
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-The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle ねじまき鳥クロニ
クル
Underground アンダーグラウンド
Japanese Writing
Meiji Period
 Considered
to be the beginning of modern
literature
 Large changes in Japanese political
system
 Increased literacy and education among
general populace
 Heavy Western influences
 Demise of Classical Japanese writing style
(古文)
Introduction of New Punctuation
 Traditional
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。、『』・
々ヽヾゝゞ
 Borrowed
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punctuation
?!:;()
punctuation
Tategaki (縦書き) vs
Yokogaki (横書き)
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Tategaki
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Yokogaki
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Written vertically, right to left
Traditional structure of Japanese writing
Commonly used today in novels, newspapers and comics
Written horizontally, left to right
Introduced via Western influence, when Japanese would print
Western language dictionaries
Migi-Yokogaki – Writing horizontally right to left; short lived
Commonly used today in academic texts, scientific texts, texts
mixing words from other horizontally written languages
Not uncommon for both forms to be used simultaneously
depending on the need
Shinjitai (新字体)
 Simplifying
and limitations put on kanji
characters due to the post-WWII reforms
 Types of simplifications:
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Adopting “cursive form” of a kanji
• Ex: 圖 → 図, 觀 → 観
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Standardizing a single kanji for a meaning
• Ex: 島, 嶋, 嶌 → 島
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Removing complex portions
• 藝 → 芸, 蟲 → 虫
Other Examples of Shinjitai
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與→与 (YO, ataeru; bestow, impart)
學→学 (GAKU, manabu; learn)
體→体 (TAI, karada; body)
臺→台 (TAI; [n.] stand)
國→国 (KOKU, kuni; country)
關→関 (KAN, seki; involve, concerning)
寫→写 (SHA, utsusu; to write or compose)
廣→広 (KŌ, hiroi; expansive, wide)
圓→円 (EN; marui; round, circular)
Japanese Writing Reforms
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Late 19th century saw the rise of colloquial Japanese
used in serious Japanese writing
Generally attributed to Futabata Shimei’s “Ukigumo” (浮
雲)
Reform of 1900
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Standardization of hiragana, elimination of other varying
hentaigana scripts
Restriction of kanji taught in general education to 1,200
Conforming of irregular kana to match with the pronunciation (現
代仮名遣)
The reform is only partially successful, namely due to the
criticism of conforming irregular kana, along with a rise in
Japanese nationalism
Japanese Writing Reforms Cont.
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Post-WWII Reforms
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Reform of kana usage with modern pronunciations (1946)
Implimentation of tōyō kanji (当用漢字), restricting kanji used in
academic materials to a standard of 1,850 kanji (including
simplified kanji) (1946)
Approval of additional jinmeiyō kanji (人名用漢字) to be used
along with tōyō kanji for proper names (1951)
In 1981, the tōyō kanji are replaced with the 1,945 jōyō
kanji (常用漢字); no longer a restriction but a
recommendation
In 2004, the number of jinmeiyō kanji is increased
Literature Selections
Selection 1
Yukichi (福澤 諭吉)
 “Gakumon no Susume” (学問のすゝめ) –
“A Recommendation of Learning”
 17 volumes from 1872-1876
 Written entirely in classical style Japanese
 Fukuzawa
Selection 2
Shimei (二葉亭 四迷)
 “Ukigumo” (浮雲) – “Floating Clouds”
 Written in 1887
 Never completed
 One of the first published works written in
colloquial style Japanese, Western
puncutation
 Futabatei
Selection 3
 Akutagawa
Ryūnosuke (芥川 龍之介)
 “Yabu no Naka” (藪の中) – “In a Grove”
 Published in 1922
 Monologue style prose
 Again, more colloquial style Japanese with
Western influence
Selection 4
 “Nihonkoku
Kempō” (日本国憲法) – The
Constitution of Japan
 Adopted in 1946, replacing the Meiji
Constitution of 1889
 Verbose, “stuffy” writing style, still uses
some rekishiteki kanazukai
Selection 5
 Segawa
Biki (勢川びき)
 “Saigo no Ichinichi” (最後の一日) – “The
Last Day”
 Written in April 1995, short story contest
winner
 Modern Japanese
End of This Lesson