Brief Introduction to Japanese Literature
By: Wooden Earring
Tags: Japanese Culture, Literature, Japan, Japanese Literature, Japanese

Photo by Manuel Cosentino on Unsplash

When you hear the word “Japanese”, what do you think of? Some might say sushi. Others might say Anime or Manga. Of course, these are all Japanese culture, but this image is not what Japanese culture is all about. There is more to it than this. Japanese culture has long history of literature which has been handed down from generation to generation since the 8th century (there are some people who even say that Anime and Manga inherit this tradition!). And surprisingly, the literary tradition has never been snapped.

Think about literature in other regions. There are plenty of literary traditions all over the world, but most of them have some kind of a break due to a decline in power of regions where literary works are made. For example, the oldest known piece of literature, Epic of Gilgamesh, is believed to be compiled in the 3rd millennium BC. However, the literary tradition was lost as the ancient Mesopotamian civilisation declined. Hence, it is hard to say that the tradition has been directly inherited to modern literature since then.

Indeed, there are some literary traditions longer than the Japanese tradition, such as the Chinese literary tradition. The message here is just that it would be interesting to know more about Japanese literary works, considering the long tradition. Reading Japanese literature could broaden your horizon. Reading Japanese literature could give a new insight to understand this chaotic world.

Chronology of Japanese Literature

There are many ways of periodisation of Japanese literature, but it would be convenient to follow the widely accepted periodisation which divide Japanese literary history into five periods.

① 〜 8C:

History of Japanese literature started after importing Chinese characters. While many literary works are written in classical Chinese, there are some written in Japanese own spoken language with a Japanese ancient writing system. The oldest extant literary work is Kojiki(古事記), estimated to be composed in the early 8th century.

②〜12C:

It was the age of aristocrats and the popular theme for literary works were love. While literary works written in classical Chinese held the important position, other types of literary works written in Japanese became popular. Waka(和歌), a type of Japanese poetry consisting of 31 sounds, is one of them. There appeared some famous female writers, such as Murasaki Shikibu, best known for the author of The Tale of Genji(源氏物語).

③〜16C:

As it became the age of samurai, the literary theme changed. Literary works in this period reflect the social condition which none of the dynasties had lasted forever, and show a sense of transience of the world (eg. The Tale of the Heike (平家物語), Hōjōki(方丈記)). A prototype of fairy tales which are still popular in the 21st century was made in this age (eg. Urashima Tarō(浦島太郎)).

④〜19C:

The bearers of culture in this period include townspeople. Representative literary forms in this age are Jōruri (浄瑠璃: narrative music), Kabuki(歌舞伎: dance drama), and Haiku (俳句: poetry consisting of 17sounds). One of the most famous writers for former two literary forms is Chikamatsu Monzaemon (近松門左衛門). Famous poets for Haiku include Matsuo Basho(松尾芭蕉), Yosa Buson (与謝蕪村), and Kobayashi Issa (小林一茶). Nobody knows whether it is true or not, but some say that Matsuo Basho was a ninja.

⑤〜21C:

After the Meiji Restoration, Japan imported the Western culture. Upon importation, the concept of novel was imported and Japanese writers modeled the style on Western novels. There is a wide variety of literature in this period, so it is hard to describe the characteristic of literary works in a word. (I am a cat (吾輩は猫である)by Natsume Soseki (夏目漱石) is highly recommended! It is written from a cat’s perspective with heavy irony.)

Where to start?

There is neither specific rules nor guidelines where to start reading Japanese literature. If you love reading Western novels written in the 20th century, you might get an affinity for modern Japanese literature. If you want to read a love story, The Tale of Genji(源氏物語) could be an option. You don’t know where to start? Then, choose randomly a work from a collected works of Japanese literature. In any case, you can start wherever you want.

Nowadays, many Japanese literary works are translated into several foreign languages, so you could find your own language’s translation.

Your turn now!

With this basic knowledge, you could enjoy reading Japanese literature. Please tell me if you have any recommendations and I hope you’ll enjoy reading Japanese literature.

Ciao ciao!!