Japanese Literature - part of Oriental Literature

- less voluminous than Chinese literature

- covers period from fifth century to present
- wants feelings concerns of everyday life are in native words
Poems and odes to the gods - were composed in Japanese
language
- only fragments of this literature survived
- spoken and written language are identical
Study of Chinese Literature:
1. literary work were composed in Chinese
2. Addition of Chinese words into Japanese language
3. Chinese characters occupy most important places
Written Japanese language
- characters are borrowed from Chinese (represents idea)
- to learn and write, must learn several thousand seperate
characters
- Katakana = alphabet of 47 characters
Learning in Japan:
1. before 1200 - confine to court circles
2. from 1400 to 1500 - military came to power, education was
denied except for priests
3. 1600 modern period of general culture
- reading became popular past time
- circulating libraries carried from house 2 house on backs of men

*large portions of literary works was by women = literary language

Kojiki (records of ancient matter) - earliest Japanese literary work
- creation of world, describes gods and goddesses of mythological
period
- facts about earliest history of japan
Nihongi (chronicles of japan) - early history of japan in poetry
- shows profound influence of Chinese
*both are oldest in language
Japanese are proud of their history & take great care in keeping &
preserving records:
- town & village has historical records
- professional story tellers who earn by narrating legendary &
historical tales
- memorial stones honor noted scholar, ruler or hero
Japanese drama:
Drama - fave form of entertainment
Popular plays - about history and tradition of lives & adventures of
gods & heroes
Setting - in japan
Plays - very long
Performance - begins in morning & lasts all day
Spectators - bring food w them
3 types of Japanese dramas:
1. Noh play - national theater of japan

-reserved for nobility

- audience dressed in ceremonial robes (kimono)
-has its origin in dance invented by gods
- story: in the book
2. Puppet play (doll theater) - puppets are lifelike in size and
beautifully made
- strings are expertly manipulated
-dialogue is realistically interpreted
3. Kabuki (play for the masses) - less intellectual, more realistic &
sensational
Japanese Poetry:
Poetry - fave of Japanese
Manyoshu (collection of myriad leaves) - oldest collection of poetry
- compiled in 800 AD
One hundred persons - was compiled later
Writing of poetry - required ability
- skill in it led to promotion
- also necessary for courtship; suitors letter for loved one has to be
written in poetry
Japanese poem - "your heart must complete the poem"
Subject of poems: falling blossoms, reddening of leaves in autumn,
glory of imperial family, death of a wife or child, pleasures of drink
Haiku - shortest form of Japanese poetry
- has 17 syllables (5,7,5)

- Haiku Day