(初期の日本文学) The Japanese early modern period

The Japanese early modern period is very rich in pictures, notions, sounds, writings in particularly, it is important to underline that the early writings and cartography in Japan was booming, the language was constantly changing, lots  of borrowings came from China, Korea. The language was not simple, lots of districts and dialects made its own literary genre that determined Asia as a whole, new nations, distant ones, but with a very peculiar culture and identity. The early history is not only written by wars and skirmishes – but also by literature, white pages are filled with beautiful poems, rhymes, “oracle history” of Japan. Imperial Japan alike Imperial Britain had its tales on court, from where it all traveled miscellaneously changed by troubadours. Generations shaped history. The versification and stress, the intonation pattern changed alongside with the region it was told, sang, created.  Different district meant different dialect and so it went. Japan language wouldn’t be competed without Chinese, the grammar founder [1]Shen Yue wrote the pattern that governs the rules of Japanese language which functions nowadays. The language became more descriptive, more imaginative and versatile. The rhythm of sound and sense made a sound of the language altogether. The word that describes the excellence of early modern writing is ‘shirabe’ which stands for a tone, a sound, particular element of articulation, it can be compared to English inaudible and mute sound of ‘shwa’ [ə]. It all was the onset of what bloomed as a sets of letters, clusters of words and sentences, so unusual for foreigners and outsiders, it was a language full of surprises Western cultures wanted to know, to acknowledge. A representative of ‘waka’ literary genre – [2]Kamono Mabuchi rote a thesis in which he described the usage of ‘shirabe’ – how difficult it was to put it into the sentence to make it meaningful.  Native Japanese theory of linguistics borrowed the symbols and patterns from Chinese language. It resulted with ‘choka’ poetic, it described the harmony, tranquility, the tone of verse was stable, pace unchanged. ‘Kanshi’ – its earliest work is entitle ‘Kaifuso’ – was a sophisticated piece of writing, a clusters of verses – it consists of three imperial parts that appeared at the end of the IX century. The diversification between the Chinese and Japanese appeared, the intonation pattern started changing, the original phonemes started sounding differently, it is an audible distinction between ‘ya’and ‘wa’.

kamiyo yori / iitsute kuraku / soramitsu / Yamato no kuni wa / sumekami no / itsushiki kuni / kotodama no / sakiwau kuni to… …from the age of the gods / it has been told and retold / that the sky-vast / land of Yamato / is an august land, / its rulers of divine descent, / a land blessed / by word spirit

The work of Yamanoue no Okura 山上憶良

The literary work seemed to be a bit in-comprehensive, incoherent, namely, the lack of a sound and a sense in a meaning caused distraction of notion. However the poetic patterns finally emerged in Japanese literary works, the first [3]lamentation appears. The language of ‘waka’ is simple – it a rhyme and a melody.

Ide aga koma / hayaku yuki koso / Matsuchiyama / matsuramu imo o / yukite haya mimu Giddyap, my steed, / hurry, and take me there: / Mount Matsuchi— / I wish to hurry and see / my love, who must be waiting

Ide aga koma / hayaku yuki kose / Matsuchi yama / aware / Matsuchiyama hare / Matsuchiyama / matsuramu hito o / yukite haya / aware / yukite haya mimu Giddyap, my steed, / hurry and take me there: / Mount Matsuchi— / ah! / Mount Matsuchi, oh, / Mount Matsuchi— / she who must be waiting— / I wish to hurry, / ah! / to hurry and see her.

An example of a rhyme and a melody poem of early modern Japanese literature.

The pattern of the poetry is complex, but the meaning is comprehensive and acknowledged, there is a proper sound, a proper intrusive sound and a proper tone altogether.

. Single-phrase pairs (ikku-tsui 一句対). Okisoyama Mount Okiso, [of]	Mino no yama the mountains of Minu
. Double-phrase pairing (niku-tsui 二句対) kunibara wa over the expanse of land unabara wa over the expanse of water	keburi tachitatsu smoke rises and rises, kamome tachitatsu gulls rise and rise
Four-phrase linked pairing (yonku rentsui 四句連対). toki naku zo with no measure of time hima naku zo without pause sono yuki no like the snow sono ame no and like the rai	yuki wa furikeru the snow was falling, ame wa furikeru the rain was falling, tokinaki ga goto with no measure of time, hima naki ga goto without pause
Six-phrase linked pairing (rokku rentsui 六句連対). sakashime o hearing that there was kuwashime o hearing that there was sa-yobai ni he set out yobai ni he made the trip tachi ga o mo not yet untying osui o mo not yet loosening	ari to kikashite a wise woman, ari to kikoshite a fair woman, aritatashi to court her ari-kayowase to woo her— imada tokazute the cord of his sword imada tokazute his mantle
Four-phrase extended pairing (yonku chōtsui 四句長対). obana chiru in the fields at Shizuku karigane mo geese, too, Niibari no and on Lake Toba akikaze ni white-crested waves form	Shizuku no tai ni where pampas blossoms scatter, samuku ki-nakinu come with their chill cries— Toba no ōmi mo in Niibari, shiranami tachinu in the autumn wind

The table presents the phrase patterns

The phonetic patterns and changes in phrasal structure made Japan a modern language, the borrowings from China did not in an inch halted the development of a new dialect, a new language, with its sophisticated literature and history. Early modern poetry gave the onset of Meji poetry. Nativism and naturalism were the focal themes of all lyrical poems.

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[1] Shen Yue was a very important public persona, a poet, statesman and historian. Above all he was a scholar during the rule of Liang Dynasty, he wrote w very famous piece of writing The Book of Song. As a theoretician he was recognized by his work of “four tones”.

꜂上 shǎng	去꜄  qù
꜀平  píng	入꜆  ru(p)

[2] He was a poet and philologist, his works characterize Edo period in Japan. He studied and described the ancient literature of Japan. The meaning of poems, the Tale of Genji, and all written pieces that shaped Japanese literature and history.

[3] These were very powerful  poetic lines describing sorrow, pity, pain and grief. ‘Illiad’ and ‘Odyssey’are perfect examples of laments. It was all sang in elegiac tone.

Ametsuchi to wakareshi toki yu— kami-sabite takaku tōtoki Suruga naru Fuji no takane o ama no hara furisake mireba wataru hi no kage mo kakurai teru tsuki no hikari mo miezu shirakumo mo i-yuki-habakari toki-jiku zo yuki wa furikeru kataritsugi iitsugi-yukamu Fuji no takane wa

From the time when heaven and earth were split apart. as I gaze up at the Plain of Heaven in Suruga Fuji’s lofty peak, god-like, tall and noble, it hides the light of the sun crossing the sky, and the moon’s glow remains unseen; it blocks the course of sailing white clouds, and snow falls on it without regard for season— Statement of Significance to each generation let us tell of its fame.