Japan_Between_the_Eras_and_Nature_in_Japanese_Literature

Japan between the eras and nature in Japanese literature When we talk about Japan we talk about more than 2000 years of literature. Chinese literature was the main influence of the early Japanese works, and so was the Indian through the diffusion of Buddhism. Japan didn’t get rid of these influences until the end of the Edo era. Despite the beauty and charm of the Japanese literature, it was not very known in the west, and that is due to its complicated language, only a handful of foreigners took the risk of approaching it. There were some good translations like those of Arthur Waley who won some good admirers, but many western readers remain unwilling and hesitant to extend their interests in the direction of Japanese literature, and that’s because it is thought that it is just a copie from Chinese literature. Japan is very indebted to china for the enormous role they played in the development of Japanese civilization. The method of writing , the philosophy, much of the religion, and certain literary genres had their origin in china, and Japanese have all times given the greatest admiration for the older culture, frequently paying it the supreme compliment of imitation. Japan’s history was marked with many eras, like the nara era (710-794) when the Japanese literature was only transmitted orally until the introduction of a writing system from china. 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. Between 794 and 1185 was the Heian Era, when the use of hiragana alphabet that was derived from china has become widespread. Court ladies were the ones who played the big role in literature development. One of them, Murasaki Shikibu wrote the 54-chapter novel Genji monogatari (Tale of Genji), while another, Sei Shonagon, wrote Makura no soshi (The Pillow Book), a diverse collection of jottings and essays [around 996]. The rest of the eras are Kamakura-Muromashi era (1185-1573), Edo era (1603-1868), and the last is the Meiji era. All those eras have made great change on japan and on its literature. In japan it was tought that written words were one of the most beautiful form of communication. They say that written words can extract one of the best emotions of the human spirit. You can find some of the most luminous and bright stories that have marked the history of the world in Japanese literature. there are some writers that use the earth that is close to them in order to narrate their stories. Japanese story tellers were the first to use nature in order to tell there stories, and it turned to be very efficient as they have invented another form of storytelling. Kunikida Doppo has written a story called the Bonfire, where nature has played a big role. The first part was about the beginning of winter, the narrator starts by describing the scene around him. Dead reeds shine on the river bank, rustling in the salt wind. The ice that formed unseen at the base of their stalks with the full night tide, shattered by the morning, remainsunmelted through the day. A feeling of unhappiness fills the heart of the reader. It sets a morose mood, one filled with unmentioned sadness. There are a group of boys who are the most livliest beings on the beach. They are off to find some items to build a fire with, they look to the sea. They attempt to set a fire but at first think they have failed. Once they have all but given up, the fire catches and the boys content with their accomplishment go on home. This is when the story begins to open up. An old man approaches the fire and all of the sudden the mood changes. It is almost like a homecoming for the old man, and he is greatful for that. Ah, this wonderful fire. I wish I could thank the person who built it, he said. This fire was a blessing for this lonely wanderer. It was as if this was the only happiness he had felt in years. This fire cast some happiness on the gloom of the night and the old man was greatful to be here to see it. In that moment he forgot the sorrow of his endless wandering. The old mans heart returned once more to the days when he was a boy. The boys that had built the fire had left their spirit and it had transcended into that of the old man giving him life once again. In this storie, the use of nature as a way of setting the mood is so subtle yet so strong. It takes some interpretation to figure out just exactly what the author is trying to tell you. It is like putting together pieces of a puzzle and once you are done the picture is glorious. Sources : Japanese Literature By Donald Keene. The Bonfire By Kunikida Doppo. WikiPedia. Google.