Japanese literature Japanese literature is noteworthy for the rapidity with which it began to flourish after the development

of a writing system, for its rich variety of literary forms, and for its continuing vitality and complex development under the influence of Western literature. The major work of classical Japanese literature is the early- th-century novel T!"# $% &#'J( )#ng. trans., *+,---., considered by many critics to be the first true novel of psychological depth and complexity written anywhere in the world. The style of '$ /0!1!, or 'oh drama--restrained dance drama with lyrical, poetic texts and masked actors--has excited considerable interest in the modern West, exerting influence on #2ra 3ound and W. 4. 5eats. The 6-syllable poetic form, the 7!(89, has become well known outside Japan through its influence on symbolist poets, and the works of many modern Japanese novelists have found a wide Western audience through translation. The 7eian period )6*:- ;,., which takes its name from the establishment of the capital at 7eian-kyo, was the high point of purely indigenous prose fiction. 3oetry in the classical - -syllable waka form flourished between the <th and :th centuries, in part because of imperially commissioned anthologies. The most famous of these were the 8okinshu of *<, )#ng. trans., *++. and the =hinkokinshu of +<,. The great dramatic works of 'o date from the :th and ,th centuries, while the 6th and ;th centuries were the peak period for the 49'0!89 and 8!498( theaters. 4eginnings The origins of Japanese literature lie in oral poetry and mythology, and the earliest surviving work in Japanese, the 8ojiki )0ecord of !ncient 1atters., transforms such myths into written form, explaining the cosmology of the Japanese and justifying the legitimacy of the ruling house as descendants of the sun goddess. The mid-;th-century 1an>yoshu )?ollection of Ten Thousand "eaves. is a compendium of some :,,<< poems in several forms, including both waka and longer poems. The idea of compiling such early works was un@uestionably inspired by ?hinese models, but these two works mark the beginning of native Japanese literature and are written in a cumbersome writing system based on ?hinese in which the characters are used sometimes for their meanings and sometimes for sound alone. 4y the *th century the development of kana, a syllabic writing system better suited to Japanese, helped foster advances in prose forms. The early- <th-century work Tales of (se )#ng. trans., *A;. is a collection of poems with long prose contexts. The Tosa /iary )*-AB #ng. trans., * +. is a prose travel diary by the courtier-poet 8i no Tsurayuki, who maintained the ruse of being a woman writerB in fact, the greatest prose works of the period were produced by women. 1ost famous are The Tale of &enji by 190!=!8( =7(8(49 and The 3illow 4ook )c. <<<B #ng. trans., *A6., a miscellany of various short comments by =ei =honagon )b. c.*AA.. ! 3eriod of (nstability The &empei wars of ;<-;, brought an end to the comfortable, aesthetic life of courtier-poets and court ladies writing in the capital. These battles, in turn, were the subject of Japan>s major epic, the Tale of the 7eike )#ng. trans., *6,., a work of complex mixed oral and written origins that reached its current form in -6 . ?ollections of short tales, some religious, some secular in nature, enjoyed continuing popularity. ! few significant :th-century works also continued the classical literary style. 1ost notable of these are The ?onfessions of "ady 'ijo ) -<AB #ng. trans., *6-., by the imperial consort, "ady 'ijo, and #ssays in (dleness )c. -:<B #ng. trans., *A6., by the 4uddhist monk 5oshida 8enko. 9nder government

patronage, and largely through the writings of C#!1( 1$T$8(5$, 'o drama was transformed from rural folk entertainment into a highly literary, dramatic art that is still fre@uently performed today. The Tokugawa 3eriod =ome of the most notable works of the Tokugawa period )named after the shogun, or military governor, Tokugawa (yeyasu and his successors of A<<- ;A6. include the haiku and poetic travel accounts of 4!=7$B the plays of ?7(8!1!T=9 1$'C!#1$', author of 4unraku puppet texts of lasting literary valueB and the witty fiction of (7!0! =!(8!89, with its dominant themes of lust and greed. "ater Tokugawa fiction is best represented by the writings of 9#/! !8('!0( and Taki2awa 4akin ) 6A6;:;., whose work shows some influence from the flourishing 8abuki theater. The 1odern 3eriod Japanese literature of the modern period ) ;A; to the present. has absorbed the influence of 0ussian, Western #uropean, and !merican literature while retaining a characteristically Japanese flavor. T=94$9?7( =7$5$ published a critical monograph, =hosetsu =hin2ui )The #ssence of the 'ovel, ;;A., which introduced many ideas from Dictorian literary criticism as standards for creating a modern style of literature for Japan. !mong well-known modern authors, 1$0( $&!( wrote novels that were often heavily romantic in mood, some based on his experiences in &ermany, others dealing with events in Japanese history. The naturalist =7(1!C!8( T$=$' is best known for The 4roken ?ommandment ) *<AB #ng. trans., *6:., which deals with problems of discrimination in society. '!T=91# =$=#8(>s introspective, philosophical novels have assured his enduring public esteem. !4# 8$4$ has produced surrealistic fiction and drama greatly influenced by Western avant-garde literature. 4oth T!'(C!8( J9'(?7(0$ and the 'obel-3ri2e-winning 8!W!4!T! 5!=9'!0(, prolific writers whose careers spanned the years of the =econd World War, have been extensively translated into #nglish. The works of 1(=7(1! 598($--whose life of right-wing political activity, and eventual public suicide, electrified the nation-have also found an enthusiastic foreign audience. ?ontemporary Japanese writing in translation has found a wide audience in the West, in part because much new fiction uses !merican literary approaches--fast, wild action, low-down language, irreverent attitudes toward social institutions--to make works that are still distinctively Japanese. (n Japan the most famous of the young authors who write in this style are 7aruki 1urakami )! Wild =heep ?hase, #ng. trans., *;*. and 0yu 1urakami )?oin "ocker 4abies, #ng. trans., ** .. %eminism has also found a literary voice in Japan, through the work of a generation of women writers whose leading voice is probably that of =awako !riyoshi )The /octor>s Wife, #ng. trans., *6;B The Twilight 5ears, #ng. trans., *;;.. =usan 1atisoff 4ibliographyE 7ibbett, 7oward, ! 7istory of Japanese "iterature ) ** .B 8ato, =huichi, ! 7istory of Japanese "iterature, - vols. ) *;,.B 8eene, /onald, World within WallsE Japanese "iterature of the 3re1odern #ra, A<<- ;A6 ) *6A., /awn to the WestE Japanese "iterature in the 1odern #ra, + vols. ) *;:., and The 3leasures of Japanese "iterature ) *;;.B 1iner, #arl, 3rinciples of ?lassical Japanese "iterature ) *;,.B 1itsios, 7elen, ed., 'ew Japanese DoicesE The 4est ?ontemporary %iction from Japan ) ** .B 1iyoshi, 1asao, !ccomplices of =ilenceE The 1odern Japanese 'ovel ) *6:.B 1orris, (van, ed., /ictionary of =elected %orms in ?lassical Japanese "iterature ) *AA.B 1orioka, 7ein2, and =asaki, 1iyoko, 0akugoE The 3opular 'arrative !rt of Japan ) *;*.B 3ut2ar, #dward, Japanese "iteratureE !n 7istorical $utline ) *6-.B 0imer, J. Thomas, 0eader>s &uide to Japanese "iterature ) *;;..