Heian literature
Overview of Japanese literature of the Heian period
Heian literature (平安文学 , Heian-bungaku ) or Chūko literature (中古文学 , chūko-bungaku , "mid-ancient literature") refers to Japanese literature of the Heian period , running from 794 to 1185.[ 1] This article summarizes its history and development.
Overview
Kanshi (poetry written in Chinese) and kanbun (prose in Chinese)[ 2] had remained popular since the Nara period , and the influence of the Tang poet Bai Juyi (Haku Kyoi in Japanese) on Japanese kanshi in this period was great. Even in the Tale of Genji , a pure Japanese work composed entirely in kana , particularly in the chapter "Kiritsubo", the influence of his Song of Everlasting Regret has been widely recognized. Sugawara no Michizane , who taught at the Daigaku-ryō before becoming Minister of the Right , was known not only as a politician but as a leading kanshi poet.[ 3]
In 905, with the imperial order to compile the Kokinshū ,[ 4] the first imperial anthology , waka poetry acquired a status comparable to kanshi . Waka were composed at uta-awase and other official events, and the private collections of well-known poets such as Ki no Tsurayuki (the Tsurayuki-shū ) and Lady Ise (the Ise-shū ) became well-known.
During this period, since the language of most official documents was Chinese, most men of the nobility used Chinese characters to write poetry and prose in Chinese,[ 5] but among women the kana syllabary continued to grow in popularity, and more and more men adopted this simpler style of writing as well. Most of the works of literature from the Heian period that are still well-regarded today were written predominantly in kana . Diaries had been written by men in Chinese for some time, but in the early tenth century Ki no Tsurayuki chose to write his Tosa Nikki [ 6] from the standpoint of a woman, in kana . Partly due to the Tosa Nikki' s influence, diaries written in Japanese became increasingly common.
Timeline of notable works
797 – Shoku Nihongi by Fujiwara no Tsuginawa , Sugano no Mamichi et al. (history)
807 - Kogo Shūi by Inbe no Hironari (Inbe clan history)
814 – Ryōunshū , compiled by Ono no Minemori , Sugawara no Kiyotomo et al. (kanshi anthology)[ 7]
815 – Shinsen Shōjiroku by Prince Manda (万多親王 , Manda-shinnō ) , et al. (genealogy)
818 – Bunka Shūreishū , compiled by Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu , Sugawara no Kiyotomo et al. (kanshi anthology) [ 8]
824 – Nihon Ryōiki [ 9] by Kyōkai (景戒 , also pronounced Keikai ) (setsuwa anthology)
827 – Keikokushū , compiled by Yoshimine no Yasuyo , Sugawara no Kiyotomo et al. (kanshi anthology)[ 10]
833 - Ryō no gige a commentary of the Yoro code and the source of information that modern scholars use to reconstruct law from the Heian period and Nara period
835 – Shōryōshū by Kūkai (kanshi /kanbun anthology)[ 11]
841 – Nihon Kōki by Fujiwara no Otsugu et al. (history)
847 - Ennin's Diary [ 12]
868 - Ryo no Shuge a private commentary on the yoro codes had no legal effect like Ryō no Gige. It was written by Naomoto Koremun, a lawyer. Though 50 volumesoriginally, it is now 35.
869 – Shoku Nihon Kōki
879 – Toshi Bunshū by Miyako no Yoshika . a personal poetry collection but it also includes important imperial documents from his time at court and historical information about Sugawara no Michizane
879 - Hatashi Honkeicho the history of the hata set of shrines there formation submitted to the imperial court.
879 - Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku (history)
891 - Nihonkoku Genzaisho Mokuroku a book catalog of Chinese books written by Fujiwara no Sukeyo after a fire had destroyed these books. Some of these Chinese books no longer exist today. see List of National Treasures of Japan (writings: Classical Chinese books) for more information on imported books
892 - Ruijū Kokushi (history)
900 – Kanke Bunsō by Sugawara no Michizane (kanshi /kanbun anthology)[ 13]
901 - Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku (history)
903 - Kanke Kōshū by Sugawara no Michizane (kanshi/kanbun anthology) written before his death while in exile and was shown to Ki no Haseo after being sent
905 – Kokin Wakashū - compiled by Ki no Tsurayuki , Ki no Tomonori , Ōshikōchi no Mitsune and Mibu no Tadamine on the orders of Emperor Daigo (chokusen wakashū ) [ 14]
Before 910 – Taketori Monogatari [ 15] (author unknown; monogatari )
913 - Shinsen Manyoshu
927 - Engishiki [ 16]
935 – Tosa Nikki [ 17] by Ki no Tsurayuki (diary )
939 - Teishinkoki [ 18]
(date unknown) - Ise Monogatari [ 19] (uta monogatari )
951 - Gosen Wakashū
951 - Yamato monogatari [ 20]
952 - Heichu Monogatari [ 21]
962 - Tonomine Shosho Monogatari [ 22]
972 - Toyokage Monogatari [ 23]
973 - Shinsen Kisoki the first text of Japanese turtle shell divination completed in 973 but was compiled through 830.
974 - Kagerō Nikki [ 24]
975 - Ochikubo Monogatari [ 25]
Before 977 – Utsubo Monogatari by Unknown
977 - Honin no Jiju Shu[ 26]
980 - Sumiyoshi Monogatari it was a highly influential book read by Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shōnagon [ 27]
982 - Chiteiki [ 28]
984 - Sanpo-e [ 29]
984 - Zokusajosho the history of the Daijo-kan inherited by Otsuki. It compiles years 984 until the 7th year of the Genroku period of the Edo period. It has some 270 documents.
991 - Fujiwara no Sari hitsu shojō a letter by Fujiwara no sari
999 - Sanekata Shu Fujiwara no sanekata's personal poetry collection. [ 30]
1002 – The Pillow Book [ 31] by Sei Shōnagon (zuihitsu )
1004 - Izumi Shikibu Nikki [ 32] by Izumi Shikibu a poetic diary
1005 - Shūi Wakashū
1008 – The Tale of Genji [ 33] by Murasaki Shikibu (tsukuri-monogatari )
1008 - Political affairs summary a book detailing political affairs, it was completed in 1002 when Emperor Ichijo was ruling and updated until 1008. It was written by Tadasuke Koremune at the request of Fujiwara no Sanesuke out of 130 volumes 26 remain.
1010 - Murasaki Shikibu Nikki [ 34]
1011 - Ruiju - Sandaikaku a collection of laws, a compilation of the lost Engi Kyaku. The author is unknown but Engi Kyaku is said to have been written by Tokihira Fujiwara as the head of editing.
1012 - Shinsen Zuinō[ 35] by Fujiwara no kinto
1012 - Waka Kuhon[ 36] by Fujiwara no kinto
1013 - Wakan rōeishū [ 37]
1017 - Gonki [ 38] [ 39] [ 40] a diary by Fujiwara no Yukinari
1020 – Sarashina Nikki [ 41] by Takasue's daughter
1021 - Midō Kanpakuki the diary of Fujiwara no Michinaga
1030 - Gengenshu by Nōin
1031 - Hosshin Wakashu [ 42]
1032 - shoyuki by Fujiwara no Sanesuke
1043 - Hokke Genki [ 43]
1047 - Enoshima engi [ 44]
1050 - Sakuteiki (the first garden manual)[ 45]
1050 - Nōin Utamakura by Nōin
1055 - tsutsumi chunagon monogatari a book of short stories [ 46]
1059 - Yoru no Nezame
1060 - Hamamatsu Chunagon Monogatari [ 47]
1061 - Sagami-shū by sagami
1065 - Shinsarugakuki a book presumed to been written by Fujiwara no Akihira. It is a book full of customs and possibly a biographical account but is often regarded as a work of fiction. It lists general references to each trade of Japan from performers of sarugaku to farmers.
1065 - Meigo Orai a book of model letters by Fujiwara no Akihira.
1076 - Sagoromo Monogatari[ 48]
1081 - Suisaki a diary by Minamoto no Toshifusa
1086 - Goshūi Wakashū
1094 - Ruijufusensho a collection of laws. Tsuneyori Minamoto is said to have written it.
1099 - Go-Nijō Donoki ( Moromichi Diary) a diary by Fujiwara no Moromichi
1100 - Rōei gōchū a commentary on the Wakan rōeishū by Ōe no Masafusa
1105 - Konjaku Monogatarish
1107 - Eiga Monogatari [ 49]
1109 - Honchō shinsenden by Ōe no Masafusa [ 50]
1109 - Sanuki no suke Nikki the diary of Sanuki no suke [ 51]
1110 - Nezame monogatari emaki
1113 - Nishi Honganji Sanju-rokunin Kashu
1113 - ise Nikki [ 52]
1113 - Saigū no Nyōgo Shū
1113 - Okikaze-shū
1120 – Ōkagami [ 53] (author unknown; rekishi monogatari )
1120 – Konjaku Monogatarishū [ 54] (compiler unknown; setsuwa anthology)
1127 – Kin'yō Wakashū , compiled by Minamoto no Toshiyori (chokusen wakashū )
1131 - Kohon Setsuwashu a recently discovered setsuwa (that was lost )
1133 - Hosouruirin a book of laws written by shinsai 4 volumes remain out of 230
1140 - Genji Monogatari Emaki
1142 - Kikki a diary by Tsunefusa yoshida (started in 1142 finished in 1200)
1144 - rin'yō wakashū a personal collection by Shun'e
1146 - Myobokanyosho a law book compiled and edited from old law books supposedly written by a monk named megumi
1150 - Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga
1150 - Kibi Daijin Nittō Emaki [ 55] [ 56] [ 57] [ 58]
1150 - Gaki-zoshi at the Kyoto National Museum
1150 - Jigokuzōji Hell scroll at the Nara National Museum
1150 - Hekija-E (Extermination of Evil )
1150 - Jigoku-zoshi Hell Scroll at the Tokyo National Museum
1151 – Shika Wakashū , compiled by Fujiwara no Akisuke (chokusen wakashū )
1151 - Sankaiki a diary by Nakayama Tadachika (started 1151 ended 1194)
1156 - Hogen monogatari [ 59]
1157 - Shigisan Engi Emaki
1158 - Nenju gyōji emaki
1159 - Honcho Seiki (history)
1160 - heiji monogatari [ 60]
1161 - Kirei Mondō a manual for writing letters by Nakayama Tadachika
1164 - Gyokuyo a diary by Kanezane kujo (started in 1164 finished in 1200)
1164 - Fujiwara no Tadamichi hitsushojōan a set of 25 letters by Fujiwara no Tadamichi said to be a manual for writing letters.
1165 - Kara monogatari a collection of tales from China [ 61]
1169 - Fusō Ryakuki
1170 –Imakagami by Fujiwara no Tametsune (rekishi monogatari )
1170 - Torikaebaya Monogatari [ 62]
1178 - Takakura tennō shinkan goshōsoku a letter by emperor takakura
1178 - Seigan-ji urabon engi a history of the ghost festival scroll
1180 - Takakura-in Itsukushima Gokōki a travel diary by Minamoto no Michichika
1180 - Saigyo Poems of a Mountain Home [ 63]
1180 - Ryōjin Hishō [ 64]
1181 - Kojijū-shū
1181 - Takakura-in Shōkaki a diary by Minamoto no michichika mourning the death of emperor takakura
1182 - Nijōin no Sanuki Shū
1183 - Kokawa-dera Engi Emaki
1184 - Ban Dainagon Ekotoba
1184 - Nijō Taikō Taigōgū no Daini shu
1185 - heike monogatari [ 65]
1185 - takamura monogatari [ 66]
1188 – Senzai Wakashū , compiled by Fujiwara no Shunzei on the command of Emperor Go-Shirakawa in 1183 it started to be compiled (chokusen-wakashū )
Notes
^ "Heian period" . Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved 2007-04-24.
^ Rabinovitch, Judith N.; Rabinovitch, Judith R.; Bradstock, Timothy Roland (2005). Dance of the Butterflies: Chinese Poetry from the Japanese Court Tradition . East Asia Program, Cornell University. ISBN 978-1-885445-35-3 .
^ Borgen, Robert (1994-01-01). Sugawara No Michizane and the Early Heian Court . University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1590-5 .
^ McCullough, Helen Craig (1985). Kokin Wakashū: The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry : with Tosa Nikki and Shinsen Waka . Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-1258-3 .
^ Shonagon, Sei (2006-11-30). The Pillow Book . Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-14-044806-1 .
^ Tsurayuki, Ki No (2011-12-20). Tosa Diary . Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4629-0336-8 .
^ Rabinovitch, Judith N.; Rabinovitch, Judith R.; Bradstock, Timothy Roland (2005). Dance of the Butterflies: Chinese Poetry from the Japanese Court Tradition . East Asia Program, Cornell University. ISBN 978-1-885445-35-3 .
^ Rabinovitch, Judith N.; Rabinovitch, Judith R.; Bradstock, Timothy Roland (2005). Dance of the Butterflies: Chinese Poetry from the Japanese Court Tradition . East Asia Program, Cornell University. ISBN 978-1-885445-35-3 .
^ Record of Miraculous Events in Japan: The Nihon ryoiki . Columbia University Press. 2013-07-23. ISBN 978-0-231-53516-8 .
^ Rabinovitch, Judith N.; Rabinovitch, Judith R.; Bradstock, Timothy Roland (2005). Dance of the Butterflies: Chinese Poetry from the Japanese Court Tradition . East Asia Program, Cornell University. ISBN 978-1-885445-35-3 .
^ Rabinovitch, Judith N.; Rabinovitch, Judith R.; Bradstock, Timothy Roland (2005). Dance of the Butterflies: Chinese Poetry from the Japanese Court Tradition . East Asia Program, Cornell University. ISBN 978-1-885445-35-3 .
^ Ennin (2020-10-25). Ennin's Diary: The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law . Angelico Press. ISBN 978-1-62138-651-3 .
^ Rabinovitch, Judith N.; Rabinovitch, Judith R.; Bradstock, Timothy Roland (2005). Dance of the Butterflies: Chinese Poetry from the Japanese Court Tradition . East Asia Program, Cornell University. ISBN 978-1-885445-35-3 .
^ McCullough, Helen Craig (1985). Kokin Wakashū: The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry : with Tosa Nikki and Shinsen Waka . Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-1258-3 .
^ Dickins, Frederick Victor (2016-09-30). The Old Bamboo-Hewer's Story (Taketori Monogatari): The Earliest of the Japanese Romances, Written in the Tenth Century (Classic Reprint) . 1kg Limited. ISBN 978-1-333-79969-4 .
^ The Holy Kojiki -- Including, the Yengishiki . Cosimo, Inc. 2007-07-01. ISBN 978-1-59605-997-9 .
^ Tsurayuki, Ki No (2011-12-20). Tosa Diary . Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4629-0336-8 .
^ Fujiwara, Tadahira (2008). 貞信御記: The Year 939 in the Journal of Regent Fujiwara No Tadahira . East Asia Program, Cornell University. ISBN 978-1-933947-10-5 .
^ The Tales of Ise . Penguin UK. 2016-09-01. ISBN 978-0-14-139258-5 .
^ Tahara, Mildred M. (1980). Tales of Yamato: A Tenth Century Poem-tale . University Press of Hawaii. ISBN 978-0-8248-0617-0 .
^ Videen, Susan Downing (1989). Tales of Heichū . Harvard Univ Asia Center. ISBN 978-0-674-38715-7 .
^ Mostow, Joshua S. (2004-07-31). At the House of Gathered Leaves: Shorter Biographical and Autobiographical Narratives from Japanese Court Literature . University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2778-6 .
^ Mostow, Joshua S. (2004-07-31). At the House of Gathered Leaves: Shorter Biographical and Autobiographical Narratives from Japanese Court Literature . University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2778-6 .
^ The Gossamer Years: The Diary of a Noblewoman of Heian Japan . Tuttle Publishing. 1989-12-15. ISBN 978-0-8048-1123-1 .
^ Whitehouse (2013-10-28). Tale Of Lady Ochikubo . Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-22035-7 .
^ Mostow, Joshua S. (2004-07-31). At the House of Gathered Leaves: Shorter Biographical and Autobiographical Narratives from Japanese Court Literature . University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2778-6 .
^ Japan, Asiatic Society of (2015-09-26). Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, Volumes 28-30 . Creative Media Partners, LLC. ISBN 978-1-343-54692-9 .
^ Stavros, Matthew Gerald (2022-01-22). In Praise of Solitude: Two Japanese Classics on Reclusion. Chiteiki by Yoshishige No Yasutane, and Hojoki by Kamo No Chomei . Vicus Lusorum. ISBN 978-0-6453932-2-4 .
^ Kamens, Edward; Minamoto, Tamenori (1988). The Three Jewels: A Study and Translation of Minamoto Tamenori's Sanbōe . Center for Japanese Studies, University of Michigan. ISBN 978-0-939512-34-8 .
^ McAuley, T. E. (2021-06-07). Sanekata-shū: The Personal Poetry Collection of Fujiwara No Sanekata . Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US. ISBN 978-0-9956948-4-2 .
^ Shonagon, Sei (2006-11-30). The Pillow Book . Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-14-044806-1 .
^ Various (2021-01-19). Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan . Prabhat Prakashan.
^ Shikibu, Murasaki (2015-07-27). The Tale of Genji . W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-24807-4 .
^ Shikibu, Murasaki (1996-03-07). The Diary of Lady Murasaki . Penguin UK. ISBN 978-0-14-190765-9 .
^ Teele, Nicholas J. (1976). "Rules for Poetic Elegance. Fujiwara no Kintō's "Shinsen Zuinō" & "Waka Kuhon" " . Monumenta Nipponica . 31 (2): 145–164. doi :10.2307/2384458 . ISSN 0027-0741 . JSTOR 2384458 .
^ Teele, Nicholas J. (1976). "Rules for Poetic Elegance. Fujiwara no Kintō's "Shinsen Zuinō" & "Waka Kuhon" " . Monumenta Nipponica . 31 (2): 145–164. doi :10.2307/2384458 . ISSN 0027-0741 . JSTOR 2384458 .
^ Rimer, J. Thomas; Chaves, Jonathan; Konishi, Jin'ichi (1997). Japanese and Chinese Poems to Sing: The Wakan Rōei Shū . Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-10702-0 .
^ 藤原行成; 倉本一宏 (December 2011). 藤原行成「権記」: 全現代語訳 (in Japanese). 講談社. ISBN 978-4-06-292084-1 .
^ 倉本一宏 (2012). 藤原行成「権記」中: 全現代語訳 (in Japanese). 講談社. ISBN 978-4-06-292085-8 .
^ 倉本一宏 (February 2012). 藤原行成「権記」下: 全現代語訳 (in Japanese). 講談社. ISBN 978-4-06-292086-5 .
^ Various (2021-01-19). Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan . Prabhat Prakashan.
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^ A Tale of Eleventh-Century Japan: Hamamatsu Chunagon Monogatari . Princeton University Press. 2014-07-14. ISBN 978-1-4008-5668-8 .
^ Celebrating Sorrow: Medieval Tributes to "The Tale of Sagoromo" . Cornell University Press. 2022-08-15. ISBN 978-1-5017-6479-0 .
^ McCullough, William H.; McCullough, Helen Craig (1980). A Tale of Flowering Fortunes: Annals of Japanese Aristocratic Life in the Heian Period . Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-1039-8 .
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^ "Minister Kibi's Adventures in China (Kibi daijin nittô emaki), scroll 2" . collections.mfa.org . Retrieved 2022-03-23 .
^ "Minister Kibi's Adventures in China (Kibi daijin nittô emaki), scroll 3" . collections.mfa.org . Retrieved 2022-03-23 .
^ "Minister Kibi's Adventures in China (Kibi daijin nittô emaki), scroll 4" . collections.mfa.org . Retrieved 2022-03-23 .
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