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Genji Monogatari
is a classic work of Japanese literature written by the noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu around the peak of the Heian period, in the early 11th century. It is one of history's first novels, the first by a woman to have won global recognition, and in Japan today has a stature like that of Shakespeare in England. The work is a depiction of the lifestyles of high courtiers during the Heian period. It is written mostly in Japanese phonetic script (''hiragana''), in a vernacular style associated with women's writing of the time (not the same as "vernacular Japanese", which only appeared in late 19th century), not in Chinese characters (''kanji'') used for more prestigious literature, and its archaic language and poetic style require specialised study. The original manuscript no longer exists but there are more than 300 later manuscript copies of varying reliability. It was made in " concertina" or style: several sheets of paper pasted together and folded alter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Murasaki Shikibu
was a Japanese novelist, Japanese poetry#Age of Nyobo or court ladies, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial Court in Kyoto, Imperial court in the Heian period. She was best known as the author of ''The Tale of Genji'', widely considered to be one of the world's first novels, written in Japanese between about 1000 and 1012. Murasaki Shikibu is a descriptive name; her personal name is unknown, but she may have been , who was mentioned in a 1007 court diary as an imperial lady-in-waiting. Heian period, Heian women were traditionally excluded from learning Classical Chinese, Chinese, the written language of government, but Murasaki, raised in her erudite father's household, showed a precocious aptitude for the Chinese classics and managed to acquire fluency. She married in her mid-to-late twenties and gave birth to a daughter, Daini no Sanmi. Her husband died after two years of marriage. It is uncertain when she began to write ''The Tale of Genji'', but it was probably while s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orihon
An accordion book (Chinese language, Chinese: 經摺裝, pinyin: ''Jīngzhé zhuāng'', Japanese language, Japanese: 折り本, Romanization of Japanese, rōmaji: ''Orihon'') codex—a historic precursor to modern books—with an accordion-folded structure, which is known also as Folded leaflet#Concertina fold, concertina binding. Originating in China during the Tang dynasty, Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), the accordion-fold format evolved as an alternative to scrolls, making texts easier to handle and read. In particular, this form of binding was widely used for Buddhist scriptures, calligraphy, and illustrated works. This format also spread to Japan and Korea with the importation of Buddhism.Breede, M., & Lisi, J. (2007). The Accordion Book. ''International Journal of the Book'', ''4''(1). Construction An accordion book consist of a long strip of paper with writing on one side that is then compacted by folding in zig-zag fashion. The format of an accordion book is considered a ste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Honorifics
The Japanese language makes use of a system of honorific speech, called , which includes honorific suffixes and prefixes when talking to, or referring to others in a conversation. Suffixes are often gender-specific at the end of names, while prefixes are attached to the beginning of many nouns. Honorific suffixes also indicate the speaker's level, their relationship, and are often used alongside other components of Japanese honorific speech.Reischauer, Edwin O. (2002). Encyclopedia of Japan. Tōkyō: NetAdvance Inc. Honorific suffixes are generally used when referring to the person someone is talking to or third persons, and are not used when referring to oneself. The omission of suffixes indicates that the speaker has known the addressee for a while, or that the listener joined the company or school at the same time or later. Common honorifics The most common honorifics include: ''San'' , sometimes pronounced in Kansai dialect, is the most commonplace honorific and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Feudal
Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structuring society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour. The classic definition, by François Louis Ganshof (1944),François Louis Ganshof (1944). ''Qu'est-ce que la féodalité''. Translated into English by Philip Grierson as ''Feudalism'', with a foreword by F. M. Stenton, 1st ed.: New York and London, 1952; 2nd ed: 1961; 3rd ed.: 1976. describes a set of reciprocal legal and Medieval warfare, military obligations of the warrior nobility and revolved around the key concepts of lords, vassals, and fiefs. A broader definition, as described by Marc Bloch (1939), includes not only the obligations of the warrior nobility but the obligations of all three estates of the realm: the nobility, the cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dramatis Personæ
Dramatis personae (Latin: 'persons of the drama') are the main characters in a dramatic work written in a list. Such lists are commonly employed in various forms of theatre, and also on screen. Typically, off-stage characters are not considered part of the dramatis personae. It is said to have been recorded in English since 1730, and is also evident in international use. It is customary to give a cast list, which also has next to each character in a second column the name of the actor or actress playing the part; an alternative version lists the names of the actors who played the parts originally. In order not to give away vital parts of the plot some names may be altered, for example, mixed up with another name. Some minor characters may be listed just as the actors who perform the parts. Other uses In a wider sense, the term can be applied to any situation in which people or characters play a role, or appear to do so—such as a metaphor, a drama, or a court case. It may ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plot (narrative)
In a literary work, film, or other narrative, the plot is the mapping of events in which each one (except the final) affects at least one other through the principle of Causality, cause-and-effect. The causal events of a plot can be thought of as a selective collection of events from a narrative, all linked by the connector "and so". Simple plots, such as in a traditional ballad, can be linearly sequenced, but plots can form complex interwoven structures, with each part sometimes referred to as a subplot. Plot is similar in meaning to the term ''storyline''. In the narrative sense, the term highlights important points which have consequences within the story, according to American science fiction writer Ansen Dibell. The Premise (narrative), premise sets up the plot, the Character (arts), characters take part in events, while the Setting (narrative), setting is not only part of, but also influences, the final story. An can convolute the plot based on a misunderstanding. The term ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fujiwara No Michinaga
was a Japanese statesman. The Fujiwara clan's control over Japan and its politics reached its zenith under his leadership. Early life Michinaga was born in Kyōto, the son of Kaneie. Kaneie had become Regent in 986, holding the position until the end of his life in 990. Due to the hereditary principle of the Fujiwara Regents, Michinaga was now in line to become Regent after his brothers, Michitaka and Michikane. Career Struggle with Korechika Michitaka was regent from 990 until 995, when he died. Michikane then succeeded him, famously ruling as Regent for only seven days before he too died of disease. With his two elder brothers dead, Michinaga then struggled with Fujiwara no Korechika, Michitaka's eldest son and the successor he had named. The mother of Ichijo, Fujiwara no Senshi, coerced Ichijo into granting Michinaga the title of Nairan (内覧) in the fifth month of 995. Korechika's position was ruined by a scandal that took place the following year, likely arranged ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fujiwara Clan
The was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since ancient times and dominated the imperial court until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. They held the title of Ason. The abbreviated form is . The 8th century clan history states the following at the biography of the clan's patriarch, Fujiwara no Kamatari (614–669): "Kamatari, the Inner Palace Minister who was also called ‘Chūrō'',''’ was a man of the Takechi district of Yamato Province. His forebears descended from Ame no Koyane no Mikoto; for generations they had administered the rites for Heaven and Earth, harmonizing the space between men and the gods. Therefore, it was ordered their clan was to be called Ōnakatomi" The clan originated when the founder, Nakatomi no Kamatari (614–669) of the Nakatomi clan, was rewarded by Emperor Tenji with the honorific "Fujiwara"after the w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minamoto Clan
was a Aristocracy (class), noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial House of Japan, imperial family who were excluded from the List of emperors of Japan, line of succession and demoted into the ranks of Nobility, the nobility since 814."...the Minamoto (1192-1333)". ''Warrior Rule in Japan'', page 11. Cambridge University Press. Several noble lines were bestowed the surname, the most notable of which was the Seiwa Genji, whose descendants established the Kamakura shogunate, Kamakura and Ashikaga shogunate, Ashikaga Shogun, shogunates following the Heian era. The Minamoto was one of the four great Japanese clans, clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period, Heian period in History of Japan, Japanese history—the other three were the Fujiwara clan, Fujiwara, the Taira clan, Taira, and the Tachibana clan (kuge), Tachibana. In the late Heian period, Minamoto rivalry with the Taira culminated in the Genpei War (1180–1185 AD). T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kiritsubo Consort
is a fictional character in ''The Tale of Genji'' (''Genji Monogatari is a classic work of Japanese literature written by the noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu around the peak of the Heian period, in the early 11th century. It is one of history's first novels, the first by a woman to have wo ...''). She is the mother of Genji. The Emperor favored her over all his other ladies, despite her relatively lower rank. He would stay with her longer than was generally considered "proper" and with the court's concern for propriety it was quite scandalous. The other ladies began to harass her and she began to waste away. She died three years after Genji's birth. After her death, Genji constantly sought to fill the void left by this loss by forming relationships with various women, many of whom resembled his mother. References The Tale of Genji Fictional characters from Kyoto Fictional emperors and empresses {{lit-char-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Emperor
The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power". The Imperial Household Law governs the line of imperial succession. Pursuant to his constitutional role as a national symbol, and in accordance with rulings by the Supreme Court of Japan, the emperor is personally immune from prosecution. By virtue of his position as the head of the Imperial House, the emperor is also recognized as the head of the Shinto religion, which holds him to be the direct descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu. According to tradition, the office of emperor was created in the 7th century BC, but the first historically verifiable emperors appear around the 5th or 6th centuries AD. The role of the emperor of Japan has historically alternated between a largely cerem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hikaru Genji
is the protagonist of Murasaki Shikibu's Heian-era Japanese novel ''The Tale of Genji''. "Hikaru" means "shining", deriving from his appearance, hence he is known as the "Shining Prince." He is portrayed as a superbly handsome man and a genius. Genji is the second son of a Japanese emperor, but he is relegated to civilian life for political reasons and lives as an imperial officer. The first part of the story concentrates on his romantic life, and in the second, on his and others' internal agony. He appears from the first volume "Kiritsubo" to the 40th volume "Illusion". " Genji" is the surname of a noble demoted from royalty. His given name is never referred to in the story, as is the case with most other characters. He is also referred to as , sometimes abbreviated as . He is often called Genji. Hikaru Genji was attractive and talented, easily gaining the favor of those around him at a young age. Describing his superlative qualities, Murasaki Shikibu wrote: "but to rec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
