Ancient Japanese Literature

Kenny Bjellquist & Olivia Eberle

Jōmon Period• Prehistoric Japan: ~1450 B.C. –

300 B.C.• Named Jōmon because of

poetry discovered in late 1800s.• Stable hunters and gatherers• Closer to 900 B.C., more

interaction with Korean peninsula, shared techniques:

- Farming- Poetry

• Coexisted peacefully for roughly 1,000 years.

Yayoi Period• 300 B.C.-300 A.D.• Named after the neighborhood

of Tokyo where archaeologists first discovered artifacts and features of the era

• New pottery Styles• More complex villages and

buildings• More expansive farms (rice)

Kofun Period• ~250-538• Named after burial mounds• Development of military• Relationship between Korea

and Japan• Five Kings of Wa

Japanese Language

• Earliest written Japanese document: 252 AD• Writings composed of hiagana, katakana, and kanji• Modern Japanese uses the Latin alphabet, rōmaji• Hindu-Arabic and Sino-Japanese numbers used• http://www.japanese-name-translation.com/

Hiagana

Katakana Kanji

Japanese Music• Music in Japanese: 音楽• Traditional music based on human breathing• Three types: instrumental, theatrical, and court music

- Instrumental: Kangen, Bugaku- Theatrical: Noh, Kabuki ( http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=67-bgSFJiKc )- Court Music: Gagaku (http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_NKL-dYSco )

Japanese Art

• Painting and calligraphy- Importance of the brush

• Sculpture- Buddha Vairocana

• Lacquered, gilded, and painted wood, sometimes bronze

Japanese Architecture & Gardens

• Heavily influenced by China• Temples, Shinto shrines, castles• Gardens are influenced by Zen ideas• Based on monochromatic ink paintings

Japanese Origami

• Significant part of Japanese tradition during Heian period• Samurai warriors and noshi• Mentioned in a short poem by Ihara Saikaku• http://

commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3ACrane.ogv

Ancient Literature: Pre 794 A.D.

• No written language until 710- Man'yōgana

• Nara Period- Kojiki (712 A.D.), Nihon Shoki (720 A.D.) and

 Man'yōshū (759 A.D.)

Heian Period: 794-1185

• Classical Period• Golden era of art and literature• The Tale of Genji•  Kokin Wakashu (905), Makura no Soshi (990s), Iroha

poem• Pre Sci-Fi work: Taketori Monogatari(~1120)• Konjaku monogatarishu- “new dimension”

Kamakura-Muromachi Period: 1185-1573

• Government seized, new aristocracy- Heike mono-gatari (Pre 1219)

• Shin kokin wakashu (~1205)• Hojki (1212), Tsurezuregusa (1330)• Rival of two imperial courts for power rom 1318-1367

- Taiheiki (published during power struggle)

Edo Period: 1603-1868• Using literature for social commentary became popular• Renga- multiple people writing several verses of the same poem each• Matuso BashoGenroku era (1688-1704)• Merchants and artisans supported literature, then professionals

followed suit• Ihara Saikaku & Chikamatsu Monzaemon (http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7LWaoaLlLQ )