Subscribe to our newsletter. Ask an Expert Japanese Literature Japan has a rich literary tradition which spans from the seventh century to the present. Japanese literature covers a wide breadth from the diminutive haikus of Basho to the short stories of Akutagawa Ryunosuke to the epic Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki.
Japanese literature reveals much of the history, culture, and values, of Japan.
Japanese Poetry Japanese poetry is most famous for the haiku, the tanka, and the renga. The most well known Japanese poet is Basho. The Web Kanzaki presents brief history of Japanese literature from the Nara period through the present. A comprehensive list of links to Japanese literature web sites from the Literary Homepage Horagai. An interesting article which follows the development of Japanese literature from the Nara and Yamato periods through the Heian Era.