Poetry of the Heian Period

The role of poetry in narrative prose of the Heian period was shaped through history under Chinese influence. This led to its importance in Japanese society and use not only as stand-alone works, but as significant parts of narrative prose, like monogatari and nikki. The poetry greatly reflected its use in societal activities, especially in the lives of the aristocrats. As the society developed, so did the style of Japanese narrative prose. In other words, poetry worked as a record of Japanese society that assimilated Chinese ideals about literature in creating their own form of narrative prose.

The development of Japanese poetry was heavily influenced by the Chinese (Shirane 182, 606). As the Japanese tended to emulate the mainland society, they adopted various aspects of Chinese culture. This imitation was not only reflected in their prose, but also in the developing societal norms – in particular, that poetry was to be highly regarded as a reflection of culture and status and that its significance was higher than prose (Keene 4-5). In time, waka became a part of everyday life for the aristocracy. It also played an important part in the interaction between the sexes by bridging physical separation and acting as the primary means for communication between the two parties (Shirane 113).

The important role of waka in the society is the basis for using poetry in narrative prose. In other words, as poetry was part of their daily lives, its importance and constant use in upper society cannot help, but to be reflected in narrative prose. This can be seen in the genres of monogatari and nikki. These stories and diaries create tales or retell incidents that reflect Japanese culture. They act as accounts of exchanges between...

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Poetry during the Heian period was greatly important in the lives of the aristocrats. This was reflected in its heavy use in popular or noted narrative prose of that time period. There were various changes, such as the increase of women writers and introduction of new ideas, like mono no aware. So even though waka got its roots from Chinese literature, it became its own type of poetry that serves as a resource on past Japanese society.

Works Cited

Keene, Donald. Seeds in the Heart: Japanese Literature from Earliest Times to the Late Sixteenth Century. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999.

Mills, D.E. "Japanese Poetry." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (1975): 35-53.

Shirane, Haruo. Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600. New York: Columbia University Press, 2007.