JAPAN (NIPPON means “ Land Land of the rising sun”) sun ”) the red circle in their flag is called HINOMARU HINOMARU meaning meaning the circle of the sun. considered as one of the most major bodies of oriental literature (relating to their country). Both in quantity and quality, Japanese literature literature ranks ranks as one of the major literatures of the world, comparable in age, richness, and volume to other literatures literature s, though its course of development has been quite dissimilar. it comprises a number of genres, including novels novels,, poetry poetry,, and drama drama travelogues, personal diaries and collections of random thoughts and impressions. the surviving works comprise a literary tradition e!tending from the "th century #$ to the present during all this time there was never a %dark age& or devoid of literary production. japan adopted adopted its writing system system from 'hina 'hina through through the introduction introduction of KANJI (Japans first writing system), and because of that, early works were heavily influenced by cultural contact with 'hina and 'hinese literature, and was often written in 'lassical 'hinese. •
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Japanese Literature is generally divided into four main periods: Ancient !lassical "edieval and "odern.
Ancient Literature (7th-894 AD). Before, there was no writing system in Japan until the introduction of kanji of kanji from from 'hina. 'hinese characters were used in Japanese syntactical formats, and the literary language was classical 'hinese resulting in sentences that looked like 'hinese but were phonetically read as Japanese. 'hinese characters were later adapted to write Japanese speech, creating what is known as the man'yōgana, man'yōgana, the the earliest form of kana of kana,, or syllabic writing. he earliest works were created in the *ara +eriod includes +eriod includes Kojiki ("- Kojiki ("- #.$. a work recording Japanese mythology and legendary history. Nihonshoki ("/ Nihonshoki ("/ #.$. a chronicle with a slightly more solid foundation in historical records than Ko#i$i. Man'yōsh ( Man'yōsh (%e %en n %housand Leaves Leaves "01 "01 #.$.) an anthology of poetry.
Classical Literature (894 ( 894 – 1194 A.D.). 'lassical Japanese literature generally refers to literature produced during the 2eian +eriod, +eriod, considered as a golden era of art and literature. he literary produce during this period are !he !a"e of #enji (early --th century) by "urasa$i &hi$i'u ( &hi$i'u (early early eleventh •
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century), considered the pre3eminent masterpiece of 2eian fiction and an early e!ample of a work of fiction in the form of a novel. Kokin Ko kin $akas $a kash h (1/0 #.$.) a waka anthology3poetry.
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!he %i""o& ook (11/), written by &ei &honagon, an essay about the life, loves, and pastimes of nobles in the 4mperor5s court he iroha poem, now one of two standard orderings for the Japanese syllabary, was also written during the early part of this period.
e!ie"al Literature (119# - 1$%%). is marked by the strong influence of 6en Buddhism, and many writers were priests, travelers, or ascetic poets. $uring this period, Japan e!perienced many civil wars which led to the development of a warrior class, and a widespread interest in war tales, histories, and related stories. 7ork from this period is notable for its insights into life and death, simple lifestyles, and redemption through killing. 8ome works are& !he !a"e of the Heike (1'71) an epic account of the struggle between the 9inamoto and aira clans for control of Japan at the end of the twelfth century. An Account of "y Hōjōki (11) by Kamo no !h(mei s translated as “ •
*ut or %he %en +oot &,uare *ut”.
!sure(uregusa (1''1) by -oshida Ken$o. :ther notable genres in this period were renga, or linked verse, and Nh. # *oh +lay is a classic drama of Japan that always deals with journey3a real journey or spiritual journey. ;t was developed by 8eami or 6eami 9otokiyo. 4!ample of this is I*+,A by em'o "otoyaso. Both were rapidly developed in the middle of the fourteenth century, during the early 9uromachi period.
!ern Peri! (1$%% nar!s). arl/ 0!ern Literature (1$%%-18$8). he literature of this time was written during the generally peaceful okugawa +eriod (commonly referred to as the 4do +eriod). *au2i. is a classical Japanese dance3drama was formed. $ramatist are he #oruri and kabuki dramatist )hikamatsu Mon(aemon became popular at the end of the seventeenth century. Matsuo ashō wrote Oku no Hosomi*hi (-"/), a travel diary. Hokusai , Japan5s most famous woodblock print artist, also illustrated fiction as well as his famous + -ie&s of Mount .uji/ ei3i ra. he ei3i era marked the re3opening of Japan to the 7est, and a period of rapid industriali
Rea"ism was introduced by %su'ouchi &hoyo and +uta'atei &himei . )"assi*ism of /0a$i Koyo -amada 1imyo and Koda 2ohan. Romanti*ism by "ori /gai with &hima0a$i %oson. &hima0a$i shifted from =omanticism to Natura"ism/ Pst ar Literature. Japans defeat in 7orld 7ar ;; influenced Japanese literature during the -1>/s and -10/s. 9any authors wrote stories about disaffection, loss of purpose, and the coping with defeat. 7riters such as 0a(ai Osamu wrote the novel %he &etting &un tells of a soldier returning from 9anchukuo. Mishima 1ukio, well known for both his nihilistic writing and his controversial suicide by seppu$u. Kojima No2uo5s short story, ?%he American &chool? portrays a group of Japanese teachers of 4nglish who, in the immediate aftermath of the war, deal with the #merican occupation in varying ways.
an5a. he term manga is a Japanese word referring both to *omi*s and *artooning . ?9anga? as a term used outside Japan refers specifically to comics originally published in Japan. +eople of all ages read manga. he medium includes works in a broad range of genres action3adventure, business@commerce, comedy, detective, historical drama, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction and fantasy, se!uality, sports and games, and suspense, among others. #lthough this form of entertainment originated in Japan, many manga are translated into other languages, mainly 4nglish. 8ince the -10/s, manga has steadily become a major part of the Japanese publishing industry, representing a A>// billion market in Japan per year. 9anga have also gained a significant worldwide audience.
O6JC,I tu!ents ill e intr!uce! t the Jaanese literature. tu!ents ill 2n the histrical an! scial ac25run! : Jaanese Literature. tu!ents ill e :a0iliari;e! aut the !i::erent Jaanese riters an! literar/ r2s.
