CHAPTER 4: LITERATURE OF JAPAN

Known as the “Land of the Rising Sun”

Japan

Japan is known as the _____

Land of the Rising Sun

Period of Japanese Literature

1) Ancient Literature

2) Classical Literature

3) Medieval Literature

4) Modernn Literature

Periods Under Modern Literature

1) Edo Period

2) Meiji Period

3) Post-War Japan

4) Contemporary Literature

Works were influenced by oral traditions and Chinese literature

Ancient Literature

Two of the Oldest Japanese Literatures

1) Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matter)

2) Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan)

Relates to the creation of the world, describes the gods and goddess of the mythological period, and contains facts about ancient Japan

Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matter)

Tell the history of Japan in poetry and shows the profound influence of Chinese

Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan)

Japanese clothing

Kimono

Two Major Religions of Japan

1) Shinto

2) Buddhism

Is as old as the Japanese culture

Shinto

Was imported from the mainland in the 6th century

Buddhism

Japanese Writing System

1) Hiragana

2) Katakana

3) Kanji

Used for native Japanese words

Hiragana

Used for foreign loanwords

Katakana

Ideographs from Chinese characters

Kanji

Referred to as the golden era of Japanese art and literature

Classical Period

Clas

Classical Literature

Heian period is also known as _____

Classical Literature

Classical Literature of Japan

1) Man’yoshu (Collection of Myriad Leaves)

2) Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji)

The oldest collection of Japanese poetry collected in the year 800

Man’yoshu (Collection of Myi

Considered the pre-eminent masterpiece of Heian fiction and the first example of a work of fiction in the form of a novel

Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji)

Genji Monogatari was written by court lady named _____

Murasaki Shikibu

It is written by court lady named Murasaki Shikibu

Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji)

Development of a warrior class, and subsequent war tales, histories, and related stories

Medieval Literature

Work from this period is notable for its insights into life and death, simple lifestyles, and Seppuku

Medieval Lite

An epic account of the struggle between two clans for control of Japan at the end of the twelfth century

Tale of the Heike

The Tokugawa Period is commonly referred to as the _____

Edo Period

Edo Period is also known as _____

Tokugawa Period

The capital of Japan moved from _____ to _____

Kyoto to Edo

The modern Tokyo

Edo

A kabuki dramatist, known as the Japan’s Shakespeare

Chikamatsu Monzaemon

Marks the re=opening of Japan to the West, and a period of rapid industrialization

Meiji Period

Expresses the essence of the Japanese mind became Japan’s first winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature

Kawabata Yasunari

The stories about disaffection, loss of purpose, and the coping with death

Post War Japan

Popular fiction, non-fiction, and children’s literature all flourished in urban Japan

Contemporary Literature

Many popular works fell between “pure literature” and pulp novels, including all sorts of historical serials, information-packed docudramas, science fiction, mysteries, detective fiction, business stories, war journals, and animal stories

Contemporary Literature

Comic books in Japan

Manga

Japanese Drama

1) Noh Play

2) Joruri Play

3) Kabuki

The national theatre of Japan, which was originally reserved for the nobility

Noh Play

A play or doll theatre wherein the dolls are beautifully made and life-like size

Joruri Play

The play for the masses

Kabuki

It is less intellectual and more realistic, even sensational

Kabuki

Japanese Poetry

1) Tanka

2) Haiku

A five line poem with 5-7-5-7-7 syllable structure

Tanka

Expresses deep emotions, love, or reflections on life

Tanka

A seventeen-syllable poem of three lines arranged in lines of five-seven-five (5-7-5)

Haiku

The supreme Japanese haiku poet, who greatly enriched the 17-syllable haiku form and made it an accepted medium of artistic expression

Matsuo Basho

His poetry often embodies the principles of wabi-sabi

Matsuo Basho

Matsuo Basho often embodies the principles of _____

Wabi-Sabi

A deep appreciation for simplicity, impermanence, and the natural world

Matsuo Basho