LITERATURE IN HEIAN PERIOD

SUBMITTED TO: Dr. Dinamani

SUBMITTED BY: Pallavi Tiwari

Student of BA1

CJS, SLL&CS

REGISTRATION NO: 210810033094

DATE OF SUBMISSION:11thAugust2022
 LITERATURE IN HEIAN PERIOD

INTRODUCTION
The establishment of the city of Heian Kyo, later known as Kyoto, as the capital of Japan was the
one which marked the beginning of a period of great literary brilliance. However, most of the
earliest writings were in Chinese. Literature was the most valued form of expression in Japan
during the Heian period. Early Heian writers composed artful poems in Chinese. As time passed,
distinguished Japanese ways of writing developed, both in daily life and in the creation of works
of literature. Poetry was part of daily life in Heian kyo. People were expected to compose poetry
in public. Earlier, Japanese literature was heavily influenced by the T’ang culture. Students and
monks were sent to China to study, and Japan sought to emulate T’ang art, poetry, customs,
patterns of behavior and institutions. Toward the end of the 9th century, however, the
long-standing practice of sending cultural missions to China was discontinued because of the
internal difficulties confronting the T’ang government just prior to its downfall. A notable effort
was made to free Japan from its dependence upon T’ang China especially in literature, where the
most significant evolutionary changes had happened. Although great emphasis was placed on the
art of composing Chinese poetry during the early part of Heian era, the composition of waka, a
Japanese-style poem of thirty-one syllables, also gained in popularity at the Heian court. The
development and evolution of native Japanese literature was facilitated by the origination of two
phonetic Japanese writing systems derived from the Chinese ideographs. These two were in use
by the end of the ninth century. Kukai, a Buddhist priest, is credited as the founder of these two
syllabic systems.
Hiragana- The phonetic system which is more cursive in form than the later, also, which became
the vehicle for literary expressions for Heian court ladies.
Katakana- The more severe and rectilinear form.
Also, Manyogana is an ancient writing system that is said to be the first writing system used to
represent the Japanese language. In standard Japanese, all the three, i.e. Hiragana, Katakana and
Kanji, all three systems are used together.
KANSHI
Kanshi refers to Chinese poetry in general, as well as poetry written in Chinese by Japanese
poets. In the Heian Period, the Kanshi was one of the most popular forms of poetry at the time.
Its most pattern was composed of five to seven syllables divided into four or eight lines. The
rhyming scheme of the poem was intended to balance the four Mandarin tones. In 751,
“Kaifuso”, which is regarded as a very early collection of Kanshi in Japan, was compiled. The
signature poets in the Heian period are Kukai, Shimada no Tadaomi and Sugawara no Michizane
amongst others.

KANBUN
Kanbun was a form of Classical Chinese, and was the principal writing style used for official or
intellectual works.

MONOGATARI
Monogatari literally translates to “talk of things”. Monogatari developed from the storytelling of
women at court. During the Heian period, men wrote in Chinese, and it was women who
developed this form of Japanese prose. There are various types of Monogatari. Following are the
types:

1. TSUKURI MONOGATARI / THE PURE FICTION

Tsukuri monogatari is the genre of monogatari that deals with aristocratic court stories or
romances. This genre is exemplified by Murasaki Shikibu’s marvelous masterpiece known as
“Genji Monogatari” or “ Tale of Genji”, written in 1010. One of the finest work in all of
Japanese literature and the first important novel in the world, it tells about the prince Genji, who
was known not for his martial or political talents, but for his amorous ones. This story is related
in terms of the successive women Genji loves.

2. UTA MONOGATARI / THE POETRY FICTION

Uta monogatari or the poem tales emerged as a literary genre later in the 10th century. It is
characterized by an emphasis on waka poetry, with prose sections interspersed. One of the most
influential and early examples of uta monogatari is the Tales of Ise An anonymous work
sometimes attributed to Ariwara no Narihira, it is a series of 125 largely unconnected prose
narratives about "a man", many of said narratives beginning with the short sentence Mukashi
otoko arikeri. The name uta monogatari was first applied to the subgenre during the Meiji period.

3. SETSUWA MONOGATARI / THE DISCOURSE NARRATIVE

Setsuwa monogatari consists of myths, legends, folktales, and anecdotes. Setsuwa means
“spoken story”. It is believed to have been passed down or presented in the form of narrations.
They are frequently Buddhist. Important collections are Nihon Ryoiki written by a Buddhist
monk, Kyokai, Konjaku Monogatari and Uji Shui Monogatari.

4. REKISHI MONOGATARI / THE HISTORICAL TALES

Rekishi monogatari is a category of Japanese literature defined as extended prose narrative.
Structurally, the name is composed of the Japanese words rekishi meaning history, and
monogatari meaning tale. Because of this it is commonly translated as ‘ historical tale’. It first
emerged in the late Heian period. It is believed to have originated from the oral tradition of the
court ladies at the time. This is supported through the language used in examples of monogatari,
which was typically either Kanbun, a hybrid form of Chinese, or Kana, Japanese.

5. GUNKI MONOGATARI / THE WAR FICTION

Gunki monogatari or war tales is another type of stories written at that time. The most famous,
Heike monogatari or “ The Tale of the Heike” was apparently first written at the court about
1220, probably by a noblemen who drew his materials from the accounts recited by priests of the
warfare between Taira (Heike) and the Minamoto (Genji) families in the preceding centuries.
The celebrated opening lines of the work, a declaration of the impermanence of all things, also
states the main subject, the rise and fall of the Taira family. The text, apparently at first in 3
books, was expanded to 12 in the course of time, as the result of being recited with
improvisations by priest-entertainers. Heike monogatari was by no means the earliest literary
work describing warfare, and other writings, mainly historical in content.
ZUIHITSU
Zuihitsu is a genre of Japanese literature consisting of loosely connected personal essays and
fragmented ideas that typically respond to the author's surroundings. The name is derived from
two Kanji meaning "at will" and "pen”. In other words, Zuihitsu are essays written by scholars in
their free time. Also known as miscellaneous writings, it became famous at the end of the Heian
period.

TYPES OF ZUIHITSU
1. MAKURA NO SOSHI
Makura no Soshi, also known as The Pillow Book is a book of observations and musings
recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Empress Consort Teishi during the
990s and early 1000s in Heian-period Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002. This
literary work is a collection of essays, poems and descriptive passages that have little
connection to one another except for the fact that they are ideas and whims of Shōnagon's
spurred by moments in her daily life.

2. TSUREZUREGUSA
Tsurezuregusa or Essays in idleness, written by Yoshida Kenko in 1330 is a collection of essays.
The work is considered as a gem of medieval Japanese literature and one of the three
representative works of the Zuihitsu genre, including The Pillow Book and the Hojoki.
Tsurezuregusa comprises a preface and 243 passages, having different lengths from a single line
to a few pages. Yoshida Kenko writes about Buddhism and topics such as impermanence and
death. Although it also had passages devoted to the beauty of nature as well as some humorous
incidents.

3. HOJOKI
Also called the Notes of Recluse, Hojoki is an important literary work by Kamo no Chomei in
1212. The work explains the Buddhist concept of impermanence through the descriptions of
various disasters such as earthquake, famine etc that befall the people of the capital city Kyoto.
Chomei became a Buddhist monk in his fifties and moved farther into the mountains, eventually
living in a hut. This literary piece has been classified both as belonging to the Zuihitsu genre and
as Buddhist literature. Today, Hojoki is considered as a Japanese literary classic and is a part of
Japanese school curriculum.

NIKKI BUNGAKU
Nikki Bungaku, also known as ‘Poetic Diary’, is an art of diary writing, also a genre in Japanese
literature. Traditionally, composed of a series of poems held together by prose sections, the
poetic diary has often taken the form of a pillow book or a travel journal. Most of these diaries
were records kept on daily matters of state. Here are some of the prominent literary works:

1. TOSA NIKKI
The Tosa Diary is a poetic diary written anonymously by Ki no Tsurayuki. The text tells about a
55-day journey in 935 returning from Tosa Province to Kyoto, where Tsurayuki had been the
provincial governor. The composition of the diary is as if it was written by a woman, i.e. it is
written in kana script. And so Ki no Tsurayuki throughout the diary refers to himself in the third
person using titles such as ‘yuku hito’ (the traveler), ‘fun agimi’ (the passenger) and aru hito (a
certain person). Tosa Nikki is said to be the first notable example of the Japanese diary as
literature.

2. KAGERO NIKKI
Also known as “The Gossamer years”, the Kagero Nikki is a literary piece of diary literature
written in 974. The author of Kagero Nikki was a woman, who used a combination of waka
poems and prose to convey the life of a noblewoman during the Heian period. The title
“Gossamer years” to this literary work was given in the first English translation by Edward
Seidensticker.

3. IZUMI SHIKIBU NIKKI

The Diary of Izumi Shikibu was written at the beginning of Izumi’s relationship with Prince
Atsumichi around 1007. This diary is written with a third person narrative and contains waka
poetry.
 4. MURASAKI SHIKIBU NIKKI
The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu, written in 1010 records the daily life of the Heian era
lady-in-waiting and writer, Murasaki Shikibu, author of The Tale of Genji. The largest portion of
the diary describes the birth of Empress Shōshi's children and interactions between imperial
ladies-in-waiting and with court writers. Unlike western diaries or journals, Heian diaries do not
follow a strictly chronological order, instead emphasizing important events while leaving out
more mundane events entirely. The work was written in kana, then a newly developed writing
system that brought vernacular Japanese from a spoken language to a written language.

5. SARASHINA NIKKI
The Sarashina Diary written in 1060, is a portrait of the writer as reader and an exploration of the
power of reading to shape one’s expectations and aspirations. As a person and author, this writer
presages the medieval era in Japan with her deep concern for Buddhist belief and practice.

POETRY IN HEIAN PERIOD

During the Heian period, waka (Japanese poetry) was very prominent in society especially
among women of the court. Most were written in kana (language used by women). Waka during
this period often used the tanka style which is 5-7-5-7-7 syllables per line totaling 31 syllables
for the whole poem. The tanka form was popular for people of every social class but it was
especially popular among aristocrats and people of the court.

KOKINSHU
The Kokinshu or Kokin Wakashu, “Collection of Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern
Times” is an early anthology of the waka form of Japanese poetry of the Heian period. It was
conceived by Emperor Uda and published by order of his son Emperor Daigo in about 905, and
was compiled by Ki no Tsurayuki. It consists of 1,111 poems and is divided into 20 books.
CHOKA
Choka or long poem is a form of Japanese poetry which consists of 5-7 on phrases repeated at
least twice, and conclude with a 5-7-7 ending.

TANKA
Tanka or short poem is a genre of classical Japanese poetry consisting of five lines, the first and
third composed of five syllables and the other seven.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Mikiso Hane
2. Encyclopedia Britannica www.britannica.com
3. Flores World History https://sites.google.com/site/floresworldhistory7/
4. World History Encyclopedia www.worldhistory.org
5. Wikipedia www.wikipedia.org
6. Japanese wiki corpus www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org