Changes and Innovations in Japanese Literature in the Medieval Era

There is a vast difference between the courtly airs of the Heian Period and the overall feeling of the following Kamakura Period that makes the younger of the two periods more appealing. The changes in Japanese literature during the Kamakura Period can be readily observed in many works, including the innovation in poet devices found in the Shinkokinshu, as well as the subject matters of different stories. We have the introduction of another ancient Japanese classic in Heike Monogatari, where the reader is assaulted with battlefield stories and upfront political warfare not seen to that extent before. A significant feature, if not the most significant feature, of the Kamakura Period is the increased presence of Buddhist teachings and ideas within texts, permeating its way through all types lf literature in response to the religious immersion throughout Japan from the continent.

Beginning with the most trivial of changes, new technical aspects have been added to poetry by the writers in the Shinkokinshu: honkadori, taigendome, and the multiple consecutive usage of the noun no noun pattern. I particularly like how the honkadori and the noun no noun pattern add more depth to the poem, even if increases the likelihood of not being able to understand it. Referencing well-known passages and images in a completely new context must be considered very sophisticated, because first of all, one would need to know the poem it was taken from by heart, and second of all, use the borrowed attribute in a manner that is not redundant and still rings true as something unique while simultaneously paying homage to the other work. The noun no noun sequence is also interesting because it makes use of grammatical structure uncommon and awkward to ...

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...ue existing with no feeling attached to the situation? Anyhow, I digress, since this section is supposed to look into the presence of Buddhism in literature of medieval Japan, not be a critique on the plausibility of it as a religion. So, Buddhism shows up in anywhere from the lines of poetry where loneliness is expressed, the poet sealing himself in seclusion and trying to follow the path, yet failing to do so, to the prose of folktales. The Uji Shui and Hojoki in particular embody the teachings of Buddhism coupled with traditional storytelling in an attempt to ingrain morals and religious practices into everyone, even the peasants. Essentially, Buddhism is a key aspect to the literature appearing during the Kamakura Period, a much needed spiritual escape and detachment from the cruelty of the outside world from which one could also improve one’s character.