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AnonymousJapanese classical literature presented by professor Miyake was very helpful. The session reflects more colorfully different period of Japan than two previous lectures. When I prepare a lesson plan, I can incorporate art and 31 syllables poem as a hook to deepen this rich ancient Japanese history.
edited by jkim on 12/6/2012
edited by jkim on 12/6/2012
edited by jkim on 12/6/2012
AnonymousPart 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYwJaO88mm4
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZwY7FsKU_I
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoUBNCbT-TA
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCKvV4BvLWs
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9RArp5seBw
Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPzBt9UD1nE
Part 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxgfcpnM8Bg
Part 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXBAEDq-Dqs
Part 9: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOp2CkBmiAY
Part 10: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kThiip-F9M
Part 11: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmw6hvyOz5U
AnonymousI think Sumi e painting is beautiful so I took the liberty of finding a list of artist to share
As per wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Japanese_artists
Josetsu 1405–1423 Suiboku painter, likely a teacher of Tenshō Shūbun
Tenshō Shūbun 1414–1463 Sumi-e painter
Sesshū Tōyō 1420–1506 Associated with Sumi-e [2] Shingei 1431–1485 Also known as Geiami, yamato-e ink painter Soami d. 1525 Painter and landscape artist; one of the first nanga painters
Yosa Buson 1716–1784 Painter who perfected the nanga style, also a renowned poet
Ike no Taiga 1723–1776 Painter who perfected the nanga style
AnonymousWow! This lesson was amazing, I got very interested on the tale of Genji and the impact it has had on Japanese literature because it can be seen in so many formats and mediums. Also it was interesting to note the fact that Japanese poetry is nature-oriented even to explain otherwise not so nature-like topics. Cheers!
edited by chernandez on 12/5/2012
AnonymousThe tale of Genji somehow reminds me of a Korean actor, Bae Young Joon. One of the most well known entertainers who started a Korean waves was by this man from a drama called "Winter Sonata."
Actor Bae Yong-joon waves upon his arrival as Japanese fans gather at Tokyo International Airport in Narita on Nov. 25, 2004. Bae, a main actor of the mega-hit Korean soap opera "Winter Sonata", was on a promotion tour of Japan. / Korea Times file
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bae_Yong-joon
AnonymousI was pleased to learn from Dr. Miyaki that within their culture, Japanese women had a lot more power than they made obvious, unlike the image the West created through stories and cultural displays of "chinese". I was reminded of this today when I learned Madam Butterfly was once again coming to L.A. When this work was written, I don't think Americans were interested in seeing Asia as it was, but preferred to see Asia through the filter of mysterious, man-made Asia.[font='Times New Roman'] [/font]
In 1834, for instance, a “Chinese Lady” named Afong Moy was put on display for public viewing at the American Museum in New York City. This actual person “performed” her Chineseness along with magicians, glassblowers, “Canadian dwarfs,” and other spectacles for the next three years at several locations. As James Moy notes, her “simple foreignness” was “deemed sufficient novelty to warrant her display.”
Female Asian performers have been in existence since the earliest arrivals of immigrants. However, the majority of substantial roles were denied to them and they were forced to live with the stereotypes that were created by male Caucasians and perpetuated by female Caucasian performers in yellowface. Asian women were seen two-dimensionally: either as a submissive ‘lotus blossoms’ or fearsome ‘dragon ladies.’ These images began to receive increasing visibility and popularity with the emergence of Orientalist romantic melodramas at the turn of the century, like Madame Butterfly.
Although there have been a few groundbreaking Asian American women roles on television and film, stereotypes still permeate Hollywood productions even a century later. Margaret Cho and the supporting actors in the sitcom All American Girl were directed to portray a stero-typical model minority, or exotically foreign (and therefore funny) characters despite their -- and the Korean American community's -- resistance.
However, there have been some Asian American actresses who have been given opportunities to play roles that were not rife with racial stero-types. Joy Luck Club was one of the first of its kind in that it gave a glimpse of the humanness of Asian American women facing the same dilemmas and quandaries as women of other races about marriage, children and career, but also introduced the unique complexity of the cultural identity of Asian American women with Chinese roots.
edited by mwatt on 12/20/2012
AnonymousThat youtube link is great!
AnonymousThe following are my notes from the session.
Lynne Miyake from Pomona college (need blind admission!)
Japanese Literature
5 periods of Japanese Classical Literature
Nara 8th cen aristocratic, Buddhist clergy
Heian 8 - 12th cen artistocratic, peaceful.
Kamakura 12th - 14th warrior culture, Mongol failure in 1274, 1281 kamikaze. Kamakura
Muromachi 14th - 16th two courts, civil wars (1467-1568) period of samurai movies, expansion of literary, cultural players
Tokugawa 17th - 19th seclusion.
Increase in education levels over time. Literacy
Tale of Genji - Genji does not have enough maternal support to become emperor. He is modeled upon the Fujiwara.
Tokugawa version parody of Tale of Genji called Tales of an Amorous Gentleman.
Japan was able to modernize quickly because it had infrastructure build to support Tokugawa movement of aristocrats.
Tokugawa period literacy rises, merchants buy samurai status with growth in wealth.
Heian
Kamakura
Muromachi
She works on comic versions of the Tale of Genji.
Chinese and Japanese are different in structure. Chinese has word order as in English. Japanese puts verbs at the end similar to German.
Creation of Japanese Culture in 894 when envoys from China cease. This is the Golden Age of Japanese literature. Time that they broke ties with China is normal idea.
Benedict Anderson _Imagined Communities_ argument about how Japan became a modern nation. In the 20th century Japan as part of its national identity they selected the Tale of Genji which is incomprehensible.
Heian women wear 40 lbs of silk. Walking around on their knees. 12 layers of clothing.
Okashi - interesting, innovative had many meanings depending upon context. The Heian grammar was tricky. There were verbs only used for the imperial family. There was much in group language in the Tale of Genji.
The total producers, consumers, and subject matter were about 300 to 1000 people. The write about themselves, read about themselves and are the center of their text. Low class people are not described as real people. Clergy were described but often aristocratic.
Buddhism did not spread to the people - Pure land Buddhism spread to the low class people in Kamakura. Shingongsu included penance and such during Heian so it cost money.
Marriage politics were complicated. For every man there were perhaps ten people he could marry. First cousins could not marry. Men were in power. Women were dependent upon male relatives but could inherit land.
Men wrote in classical Chinese - the language of government. The women did not learn Chinese normally except Murasaki did learn Chinese. There is a story of Murasaki learning Chinese better than her brother. Genji was written in vernacular Japanese. Women become pawns in a marriage scheme. You rule be getting your daughter to marry into the imperial family. The Fujiwara family ruled as regents.
(This was attempted in China too)
What made a good wife? Women sew and dye cloth. Responsible for the clothes that male relatives wore and given as rewards. All robes - were embossed brocade and what you could wear represented your rank. Made incense to create good smell. Bathing not common during this time.
You would not want to leave the capital no matter what?
Women wrote poetry. The literary arts were paramount during this period. Poetry was used in everything. You needed to be able to exchange poems. Write poems for entertainment. The Right to Rule was cultural knowledge. All letters that time had poems.
Japanese conjugates verbs thus you need the Japanese syllables to make Chinese work. Thus mixed.
Hiragana - Japanese syllables
Katakana - Use for foreign words, originally used to translate Chinese texts in Japanese word order but present day used for foreign words.
Kanji - Chinese Characters
Genki textbook for Japanese syllable.
Poetry used for courtship. You had to be able to write poetry. If you can't write a poem you had a lady in waiting do it. Handwriting was a reflection of one's character. Individualized writing styles were different. Calligraphic schools of different sorts.
A good wife would have kids, play music, incense.
To be a wife, women were trained in all of these arts - just about everything except Chinese (used for government).
Murasaki became some of the first female literary people in the world.
Heian women were writing.
Later period in warrior culture women had lower status even though they did know how to use naginata.
Heian women also had very long hair. Men wore similar clothes.
You did not see people face to face. You knew who you wanted to talk to via reputation. Women were always behind a curtain and exchanged poems.
For images google: ono komachi
During the 1000th anniversary of Tale of Genji people dressed in Heian clothes.
Poetry is not a lost art.
Gagaku music art is still found in Japan (Japan does not throw out anything)
Poem style - 31 syllable poems (tanka) no politics in this style (previous styles were longer and did)
Prose which includes poetry - Tales, Diaries, misc writing- journal anaecdotes
Kanbun nikki - diaries in classical Chinese written by men records different rituals.
Poetry is the top literary genre during this time.
Kokinwakashu - collection of ancient and modern poems in 905 1111 poems. Japanese do not like even numbers. They like odd numbers.
(Like Chinese)
Poem - when the first day of spring came in the old year. First day of spring was usually defined as the beginning of the new year. Personal idea was new life.
spring is here before
year's end when New Years Day has
not yet come around
what should we call it is it
still last year or is it this
Mono no aware - aethetic ideal of the period. Sadness of the passing of human affairs.
In other poem - why did the cherry blossoms bloom black (because his friend died)
When anything tragic happens it needs to be aetheticized (made beautiful).
WW2 some have Morokami Takashi says the Japanese don't want to grow up. They want live in 2D - anime and comic books.
"If the internment had interned Koreans they would not have gone as peacefully" The Japanese have a fatalistic idea of that's how life it and deal with it.
Do not talk directly but indirectly. If you really know each other than speaking is superfluous.
Tokugawa literature rebels against aristocratic literature without trashing the old styles.
Tokugawa period was very structured so when the Meiji period began the people immediately did what they were told.
The seasons are the prominent books on poetry with with spring and fall as the favorite times. Love poems are anticipation and leaving. Consumation of the relationship is not celebrated.
The Pillow Book of Sie Shonagon 997
- Women had personal names but were not recorded. A woman revealing a personal name in public it meant she was asking for intimacy. 320 section and includes simple lists. "In the Spring It Is the Dawn" 5-7-7 cadence.
Elegant things
A white coat worn over a violet waistcoat
Duck eggs
Adorable things
Hateful things
Normally you had one principle wife.
Many women had different lovers.
In English there is I, they.
In Japanese is I, everyone.
Tale Genji 54 chapters - 1200 pages long. All considered vignettes.
What ties it all together is Genji, his son an grandson. No overarching plot.
Genji has many lovers. Even after he stopped having relationships with the women he continues to take care of the women. Princess red nose and old fashioned princess. Genji is an empty center - he only exists to interact with the other characters - women. You cannot do a character sketch without understanding how they meet other people. Genji gets a woman killed by the vengeful spirit of an ex lover. This shows his selfishness. Genji is a good man because he take care of the women, yet he has many flaws. For Genji to get the women is a conquest but all of the women really want a relationship with him. Genji is very sensitive - he is extremely charming.
Many of the heroes are hard heroes like samurai and soft heroes like Genji.
Tale of Genji captured the imagination for centuries. One writer translated Genji three times.
Genji has been re-written and re-created in new literary forms. Part of the reason is that the right to rule is from the connection to national literature.
Genji scrolls from the 12th century. This was done with ten or twenty painters.
Liza Dalby Website
http://www.lizadalby.com/LD/home.html
All about Heian life and culture. Liza Dalby was a Geisha.
http://www.international.ucla.edu/eas/japan/ Units based upon some of the units.
Japan close up.
Highlighting Japan online magazine
JETRO online
Japan Focus- consulate General of Japan.
Comic versions of Tale of Genji
Kissing does not come to Japan until Tokugawa period.
Educational and girls comics.
Hosei based on Tokugawa style artwork.
Gist of Tale of Genji "I Chestnut" replicated 12th scrolls. Whole chapter in 8 panels.
Unprecidented role of the arts and the role of women in the arts.
Kamakura - semi unified
Muromachi period - many wars.
Kamakura has two warrior families Taira/ Heiki and Minamoto/ Genji -
Japan become transformed to a warrior period. Minamoto wife's family began to rule. Then the Hojo regency takes over - the wife's family takes control.
Kamakura warriors
Same poetry forms but the aesthetics have changed. Shift of classical concerns of beauty and confusion to concepts of Sabi - loneliness and Yugen - mysteriousness. Pure Land and Zen Buddhism begin to take root during this time. Belief in the end of law because there was so much fighting.
Tale of the Heike - story of the warriors. Commentary on the Heike that prideful will fall. The Heike thought they were great but fell at the end of the Heian period.
Monks who go into seclusion and produce works. An Account of My Hut 1212 all about the dismantling of the world.
The current of the flowing river does not cease
and yet the water is not the same water as before
The foam that floats on stagnant pools
Now vanishing, now forming, never stays the same for long.
Sot too it is with the people and dwellings of the world
(Will Durant river of history)
The Heike was done by itinerant monks.
Movie: Kwaidan - about a monk.
Muromachi peirod - expansion of people participating in literature. Military government but there is a big warring state period. This is the time of samurai films. This includes Ashikaga shogunate and the warring state period.
Literary work of war torn period.
historical chronicles
renga - linked verse, Tosa style. - many poets link poems together.
Zen inspired stone garden.
sumi-e painting black ink on white - concept is that the empty space is as important as the black lines.
tea ceremony
Chinese poetry
Castles
Rimpa/ Kano
Theater [what like?]
Warrior interest and ideas of absence and lack
Issunbuchi - Little One Inch
Renga linked verse 17 syllable.
Ensemble or collaborative production in literary works emerge.
Painters paint together.
Renga links up to 100 poems which are formal but not semantic.
Practitioners are sophisticated commoners.
Tosa School - the Genji paintings of 12th century.
Gold paint and fine brush lines.
Genji and servant receiving poem written on fan.
The Zen Austere
Za-zen meditation
When Honda first came out the plate was off center. Japanese don't like things in the middle.
The way of the tea.
Zen gardens was during Kamakura.
Rock gardens
Paintings: Hasegawa Tohaku
Noh plays paired with comic interludes.
AnonymousIn all of the textbooks I have had, the Tale of Genji has been accentuated. Prof. Miyake made and interesting about it being chosen as the icon of national literature when Japan was asserting it identity in the early 20th century. In this discussion she referenced _Imagined Communities_ by Benedict Anderson which deals with defining national identities.
AnonymousProfessor Miyake’s lesson was helpful in providing more insight on the role of women in “Warrior Japan.” I really loved the artwork of the Heian males and females and immediately thought of how I wanted to incorporate the next day into my APWH lecture. On Professor Miyake’s advice, I looked up the Japanese poet Ono No Komachi (see http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/89680). I found that her beauty was such, that Komachi is now synonymous with beauty. I showed my class images of the Heian women and we discussed the problems associated with so much fabric. They were able to make comparisons to the foot-binding that began during the Song Dynasty. In addition, since I was armed with more background of Tale of Genji, I had my students complete a Point of View exercise using the excerpt. They examined characteristics of things like love, gender, social status, and recreation and compared it to themselves. For example, one student wrote that he was amazed “Unlike today with video games, Facebook, and YouTube, they read poetry, danced, smelled flowers, and talked.”
Anonymous[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]What a great lecture! I especially enjoyed the reference to tanka poetry, and the important role it has played through the thread of Japanese history. I've been teaching 7th grade world history for 6 years now, and every year, I have my students write their own tanka poems. Here are some of the really good ones over the last several years:[/font]
My Cousin
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]His name is Frankie[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]He wore an ankle bracelet[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]He went to prison[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Another ankle bracelet[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Finally free from the cops.[/font]
Izzy
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Love is the greatest[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]I love Izzy forever[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]I love her so much[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]I wish we were together[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Forever and forever.[/font]
Love
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Love is so painful,[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]It makes tears run down my cheeks,[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Love is so unfair,[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]I loved him more than life,[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]So now my life is useless.[/font]
Layla
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Layla loves to scream,[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Layla is my everything,[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]She is such a brat![/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Layla loves to laugh and sing,[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Layla Giselle Garcia.[/font]
Loneliness
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Feel empty inside,[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Nobody feels like you,[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Have something to say,[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Have nobody to talk to,[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Yet there are people around.[/font]
Pain
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Pain is so simple[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]You can feel it burning through[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Tearing everything[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Remembering happy times[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]And yet forgetting them too.[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Celebration [/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]People so happy [/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Music on the radio[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]The children laughing[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Balloons flying in the air[/font]
[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]All to celebrate her life.[/font]
AnonymousThe Hein period was from 794 - 1185. It was a highly Aristocratic time when literature was unique to royalty and aristocrats. It was also a time when there was a great flowering of literature. They wore twelve layers of clothing and was gendered based hierarchy with men only. The women did embroidering, dyed clothes, made incense, and wrote poetry. Their main poetry was Tanka mainly with a 31 syllable, 5- line poem which was the predominant poetic form in the Hein period.The Aristocratic Fujiwara family dominated court life during the second half of the Hein period. This family married their sisters and daughters into an imperial family and placed their young imperial off-springs on the throne, ruling as regents. Most of the family's power was under Michinaga (966-1027), whose sister and later daughter become empresses.
AnonymousI enjoyed Professor Miyake's lecture. The visuals were very interesting. Many of my students would be very interested in the anime books that she brought for us to browse. 6th grade students are very much interested in comic books and anime stories/movies. Some of the older students would enjoy learning about the Tale of Genji. The infusion of literature into ancient civilizations is very important and students study many aspects of literature from these various ancient civilizations. It's good to be able to connect the past with the present and students can identify with this aspect of ancient civilized societies in many ways.
edited by nfreeman on 12/19/2012
edited by nfreeman on 12/19/2012
AnonymousI cannot but marvel at the writing system that the Chinese created, and to my western form of thought, it makes sense to me how this system was adopted and adapted by the Japanese in order to suit their needs. I cannot help but wonder what their perspective is on the Roman lettering/writing system that has been adopted in the west.
The Tale of Genji is one that I would love to read when I get the chance. Having read and even taken a course on El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha when I was focusing on my undergrad work, I recall the importance of that book, as it was explained to us then, from the perspective of character development, and how this simple element (by today’s standards) influenced all literature that came out thereafter. I had no idea that there was a precursor to Don Quixote in matters of importance, as the Tale of Genji was the first written novel, which is quite important. I would like to know what influence it had (if there is any that could be conveniently pointed to) in subsequent works of literature, either in the same culture or on a world-wide scale.
Another thing I would like to understand more is the structure of poetry as was introduced to us; having also taken a creative writing course in Spanish as part of my undergrad work, I was introduced to, and wrote in, many different styles of poetry, but none which dealt with learning about how to write in forms that come from East Asia in general and Japan in particular. I am very anxious to implement some of these in my classroom!
AnonymousIt is remarkable that the book that some people consider to be the greatest work of a certain period or indeed of all Japanese literature should have been written by a woman. I can’t think of any other country where that is the case. Perhaps no other culture would admit to that fact if it were the case, patriarchies being what they are. At the risk of alienating half the audience, and empowering the other half, I would begin by highlighting this achievement. Murasaki Shikubu, lady-in-waiting at court during the heyday of fashionable Heian society, is author of “The Tale of Genji” (1000-1020). It is conceivable that a study of her life, her motives, perhaps the unique position of women writers at that time when classical Chinese, which was used exclusively by men, was competing with the Japanese prose used by women. We have the makings of literary turf wars in this saga, a battle of the sexes, all depending on what point you wish to argue. And then two centuries later, with the advent of the warrior culture, women writers lose their voice, a situation lasting over 500 years.
This to me is more interesting than “fictional” Genji’s amorous adventures. To be fair, I have not yet read this book, but the premise is reminiscent of half a dozen French novels or plays, that feature the exploits of a charming womanizing scoundrel set amidst the intrigues, vanities and hypocrisies of court or fashionable aristocratic society. The theme is obviously irresistible in nearly all cultures and reappears in the literature of almost every century from the chivalric days of the Middle Ages to modern day Casanova inspired Hollywood stories. The genre of contemporary fiction seems to have caught on in Japan a good few hundred earlier than in Europe. This may be so because society at the height of the Heian period was stable, protected and at peace, and not preoccupied with war, religious dogma and pestilence. On e also needs to consider audience. Murasaki Shikubu would have been writing for a tiny faction of the educated elite. She could not have anticipated that her story would become a mainstay of the Japanese literary canon.