Nara Period

710-794
Japanese literature traces its beginnings to oral traditions that were first recorded in
written form in the early eighth century after a writing system was introduced from
China. The Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and Nihon shoki (Chronicle of Japan)
were completed in 712 and 720, respectively, as government projects. The former is an
anthology of myths, legends, and other stories, while the latter is a chronological record
of history. The Fudoki (Records of Wind and Earth), compiled by provincial officials
beginning in 713, describe the history, geography, products, and folklore of the various
provinces.
The most brilliant literary product of this period was the Man'yoshu (Collection of Ten
Thousand Leaves), an anthology of 4,500 poems composed by people ranging from
unknown commoners to emperors and compiled around 759. Already emerging was a
verse form comprising 31 syllables (5-7-5-7-7) known as tanka. In 905 the Kokin
wakashu or Kokinshu (Collection of Poems from Ancient and Modern Times) was
published as the first poetry anthology commissioned by an emperor; its preface paid
high tribute to the vast possibilities of literature.
Man'yoshu Best 100
Manyoshu -- Japanese Text Initiative
Kokin wakashu (260K; binhexed text)
Kokin wakashu -- Japanese Text Initiative
Heian Period
794-1185
In the resplendent aristocratic culture that thrived early in the eleventh century, a time
when the use of the hiragana alphabet derived from Chinese characters had become
widespread, court ladies played the central role in developing literature. One of them,
Murasaki Shikibu wrote the 54-chapter novel Genji monogatari (Tale of Genji) [in ealy
11 century, ca 1008 ?], while another, Sei Shonagon, wrote Makura no soshi (The Pillow
Book), a diverse collection of jottings and essays [around 996 ]. Others also wrote diaries
and stories, and their psychological portrayals remain fresh and vivid to present-day
readers. The appearance of the Konjaku monogatari (Tales of a Time That Is Now Past)
around 1120 added a new dimension to literature. This collection of more than 1,000
Buddhist and secular tales from India, China, and Japan is particularly notable for its rich
descriptions of the lives of the nobility and common people in Japan at that time.
Genji Monogatari -- Japanese Text Initiative
The Tale of Genji Homepage - full text both in Japanese and English
The Tale of Genji

Kamakura-Muromachi Period
1185-1573
In the latter half of the twelfth century warriors of the Taira clan (Heike) seized political
power at the imperial court, virtually forming a new aristocracy. Heike mono-gatari (The
Tale of the Heike),which depicts the rise and fall of the Taira with the spotlight on their
wars with the Minamoto clan (Genji), was completed in the first half of the thirteenth
century [before 1219 ]. It is a grand epic deeply rooted in Buddhist ethics and filled with
sorrow for those who perished, colorful descriptions of its varied characters, and stirring
battle scenes. In former times the tale was narrated to the accompaniment of a Japanese
lute. The Shin kokin wakashu (New Collection of Poems from Ancient and Modern
Times), an anthology of poetry commissioned by retired Emperor Go-Toba, was also
completed around this time [ca 1205 ?] ; it is dedicated to the pursuit of a subtle,
profound beauty far removed from the mundane reality of civil strife.
First book (Spring I) from Shin kokin wakashu (Copyright 1994 by Paul S. Atkins)
Ogura Hyakunin Isshu - 100 Poems by 100 Poets
This period also produced literature by recluses, typified by Kamo no Chomei 's Hojoki
(An Account of My Hut) [1212] , which reflects on the uncertainty of existence, and
Yoshida Kenko 's Tsurezuregusa (Essays in Idleness) [ca 1330 ] , a work marked by
penetrating reflections on life. Both works raise the question of spiritual salvation.
Meanwhile, the profound thoughts and incisive logic of the Shobogenzo (Treasury of the
True Dharma Eye) [before 1237 ] , one of the first Buddhist texts written in Japanese
rather than Chinese, marked a major development in Zen thought. The Taiheiki
(Chronicle of the Great Peace), depicting the 50 years from 1318 to 1367 when two rival
imperial courts struggled for power, is a valuable historical record, while the noh plays
perfected by Kan'ami and his son Zeami are of great literary value. Zeami 's Fushi kaden
(The Transmission of the Flower of Acting Style) [1400] is a brilliant essay on dramatic
art.
Japanese traditional art in this homepege for informatino of Noh
Edo Period
1603-1868
Around this time the function of literature as a means of social intercourse broadened.
Composing renga (successive linked verses by several people forming a long poem)
became a favorite pastime, and this gave birth to haikai (a sort of jocular renga) in the
sixteenth century. It was the renowned seventeenth century poet Matsuo Basho who
perfected a new condensed poetic form of 17 syllables (5-7-5) known as haiku, an
embodiment of elegant simplicity and tranquility.
Dhugal J. Lindsay's Haiku Universe

In the Genroku era (1688-1704) city-dwelling artisans and merchants became the main
supporters of literature, and professional artists began to appear. Two giants emerged in
the field of prose: Ihara Saikaku, who realistically portrayed the life of Osaka merchants,
and Chikamatsu Monzaemon, who wrote joruri, a form of storytelling involving chanted
lines, and kabuki plays. These writers brought about a great flowering of literature. Later
Yosa Buson composed superb haiku depicting nature, while fiction writer Ueda Akinari
produced a collection of gothic stories called Ugetsu monogatari (Tales of Moonlight and
Rain) [1776] .
See Japanese traditional art in this homepege for informatino of Kabuki
Kanadehon Chuushingura is a joruri text first performed in 1748 (Japanese)
Meiji Period to present
In the Meiji era (1868-1912) unification of the written and spoken language was
advocated, and Futabatei Shimei 's Ukigumo (Drifting Clouds) [1887] won acclaim as a
new form of novel. In poetry circles the influence of translated foreign poems led to a
"new style" poetry movement, and the scope of literary forms continued to widen.
Novelists Mori Ogai and Natsume Soseki studied in Germany and Britain, respectively,
and their works reflect the influence of the literature of those countries. Soseki nurtured
many talented literary figures. One of them, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, wrote many superb
novelettes based on his detailed knowledge of the Japanese classics. His suicide in 1927
was seen as a symbol of the agony Japan was experiencing in the process of rapid
modernization, a major theme of modern Japanese literature.
Naturalism as advocated by Emile Zola dominated Japan's literary world for the first
decade of the twentieth century. This school of literature, as represented by Shimazaki
Toson, is noted for the "I novel," a style of novel typical of Japan. A number of pre-World
War II literary currents, such as proletarian literature and neo-sensualism, petered out
during the war but later regained strength, generating a diverse range of works.
In 1968 Kawabata Yasunari became the first Japanese to win the Nobel Prize for
literature, and Oe Kenzaburo won it in 1994. They and other contemporary writers, such
as Tanizaki Jun'ichiro, Mishima Yukio, Abe Kobo, and Inoue Yasushi, have been
translated into other languages. In the last few years works by the remarkably active
postwar-generation writers Murakami Ryu (who won the Akutagawa Prize), Murakami
Haruki, Yoshimoto Banana, and others have also been translated into many languages and
have gained tremendous popularity.