Japanese
Literature
Prepared by: Henriette May F. Espolon
History of Japanese Literature
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, 712) is an anthology of myths,
legends, and other stories
●Nihon shoki (Chronicle of Japan, 720) is a chronological record of
history
●The Fudoki (Records of Wind and Earth), compiled by provincial
officials beginning in 713, 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.
• 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 emperor; its
preface paid high tribute to the vast possibilities of
literature.
● Heian Period (794-1185)
• It is the golden era of art and Literature of Japan.
• Murasaki Shikibu wrote the 54-chapter novel Genji
monogatari (Tale of Genji)
• Sei Shonagon, wrote Makura no soshi (The Pillow Book), a
diverse collection of jottings and essays .
• The appearance of the Konjaku monogatari (Tales of a Time
That Is Now Past) around 1120 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.
● Kamakura-Muromachi Period (1185-1573)
• Heike mono-gatari (The Tale of the Heike), an epic tale of the war for
sovereignty of Japan between the Minamoto and Taira clan.
• 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.
• Shobogenzo (Treasury of the True Dharma Eye) [before 1237 ] , one of
the first Buddhist texts written in Japanese rather than Chinese,
marked a major development in Zen thought.
• Zen Buddhism had a great influence during this period.
● Edo Period (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.
• 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.
• Yosa Buson composed superb haiku depicting nature.
• Ueda Akinari a fiction writer produced a collection of gothic
stories called Ugetsu monogatari (Tales of Moonlight and Rain)
[1776] .
● Meiji Period to present
• In the Meiji era (1868-1912) unification of the written and spoken
language was advocated, and Futabatei Shimei 's Ukigumo (Drifting
Clouds) won acclaim as a 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.
• Naturalism as advocated by Emile Zola dominated Japan's literary world
for the first decade of the twentieth century.
● In 1968 Kawabata Yasunari became the first Japanese to win the
Nobel Prize for literature, and Oe Kenzaburo won it in 1994.
● 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.
• Haiku
• It is an ancient form of Japanese literature
• It has 17 “moras” which is similar to syllables
• Composed of 3 lines; first line (5), second line (7), third line (5)
• Usually focus on the natural world
Japanese Famous Haiku Poets
Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)
• Born Matsuo Kinsaku in Iga Province
• Known as one of the greatest haiku masters in
Japan, and is credited with popularizing the
haiku form. He wrote about nature, human life,
and everyday life in his poetry, often mixing the
spiritual and the mundane.
• Major works include:
• The Narrow Road to the Deep North - is Basho's most famous
work and is considered one of the most important works of
Japanese literature. It is a travelogue of his journey to the
northern part of Japan.
• Oku no Hosomichi - travelogue of his journey to the northern part
of Japan, focusing on his observations of nature and the people he
meets along the way.
• A Visitto Sarashina Village - is a collection of poems and prose
written during his visit to the village of Sarashina.
• The Records of a Weather-Exposed Skeleton - is a collection of
poems and essays written during his travels in the east of Japan.
“The Old Pond” by Matsuo Bashō
An old silent pond
A frog jumps into the pond—
Splash! Silence again.
Yosa Buson (1716-1783)
• Japanese Poet and Painter was one of the most celebrated
Poet of his time.
• He wrote in the haiku form and was a major part of the EDO
period of literature.
• He published several collections of haiku, and his works
focused on the beauty of nature and his use of imagery was
highly influential.
• The main historical influenced for Buson was Matsuo Basho
“Lighting One Candle” by Yosa Buson
The light of a candle
Is transferred to another candle—
Spring twilight
Issa Kobayashi (1763-1828)
• Kobayashi Nobuyuki
• Born in the village of Kashiwabara in Shinano province (now
Nagano prefecture), Japan, on June 15, 1763. On January 5,
1828, he died in Kashiwabara of complications from a stroke
• Issa, whose haiga, or penname, means "One Tea," is revered
in Japan as one of the best haiku poets.
• Basho is the most respected Japanese haiku poet, but Issa
may be the most loved.
“A World of Dew” by Kobayashi Issa
A world of dew,
And within every dewdrop
A world of struggle.
Masaoka Shiki [1867–1902]
• On September 17, 1867, Shiki was born in Matsuyama to
Tsunenao, a low-ranking samurai, and Yae, a teacher at the
feudal clan school and the daughter of Oharo Kanzan. His
childhood nickname was Noboru even though his given name
was Tsunenori.
• His pen name Shiki—the name of a bird that, in folklore, coughs
blood when it sings.
• He is best known for being one of the founders of the Modern
Haiku Movement, but he also wrote in many other forms of
poetry and prose.
The last stages of Shiki’s life in 1901 and 1902 witnessed him writing three sickbed
diaries. These are titled A Drop of Ink, Stray Notes While Lying On My Back, and A SixFoot Sickbed. During his brief life, Shiki attracted a number of followers, who were
influenced by and carried on his sketch-from-life theory of literature. Through them,
as well as in his own right, he left his mark on the history of modern Japanese
literature.
• Here are examples of haiku poems from Masaoka Shiki:
• Night; and once again,
the while I wait for you, cold wind
turns into rain.
• The summer river,
although there is a bridge, my horse
goes through the water.
• Here are examples of haiku poems from Masaoka Shiki:
• Night; and once again,
the while I wait for you, cold wind
turns into rain.
• The summer river,
although there is a bridge, my horse
goes through the water.