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SEVENTEENTH CENTURY—KANGAKUSHA (CHINESE SCILOLARS) —SEIKWA AND THE CHU-HI PHILOSOPHY, YEKKEN, HAKU- SEKI, KIUSO 5 A é ‘ 5 ; : 5 wen z24 III, SEVENTEENTH CENTURY — POPULAR LITERATURE — SAIKAKU, CHILDREN’S STORIES—CHIKAMATSU AND THE POPULAR DRAMA ; N : 3 é 4 3 x 0 eae a/ IV. SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY POETRY—HAIKAI, HAIBUN, KIOKA . 289 Y, EIGHTEENTH CENTURY—KANGAKUSHA—FICTION—JISHO AND KISEKI—JITSUROKU-MONQ-=WASOBIOYE~=POPULAR DRAMA 300 CONTENTS xi CHAPTER PAGE Vil. EIGHTEENTH CENTURY— THE WAGAKUSHA (STUDENTS OF JAPANESK ANTIQUITY)—KEICHU, KADA, MABUCHI, MO- TOORI ‘ . : : 3 : : . . eg StS VII, NINETEENTH CENTURY—HIRATA—SHINGAKU SERMONS, 5 RY) VIII. NINETEENTH-CENTURY FICTION—ROMANTIC SCHOOL— KIO- DEN, BAKIN, TANEHIKO. HUMOURISTS—SAMBA, IKKU. SENTIMENTAL NOVELS (NINJOBON)—SHUNSUI. WORKS IN CHINESE . : ; - . f : 6 e345 BOOK THE SEVENTH—TOKIO PERIOD (1867-1898) SOMF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS UNDER KUROPEAN INFLUENCE . 383 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE . . ° ° ° . . * 400 LIST OF DICTIONARIES, &. . ° oxen, ° ° 403 INDEX ° ) e t) ° e eo o e © ° e 4095 Die yl te — “hy ¥ ry é 6 URS eat ROT ANT Te AE AOR: a7, 7“ BOOK} THEO-FIRS'E ARCHAIC PERIOD-(serorE a.p. 700) BOOK THE FIRST ARCHAIC PERIOD (BEFORE A.D. 700) THERE are a few geographical and other facts which it is useful to bearin mind in tracing the history of Japan- ese literature. If we glance at a map of Eastern Asia we see that Japan forms a group of islands somewhat larger in superficial area than Great Britain and Ireland, separated by a narrow strait from the adjoining con- tinent. Here lies the peninsula of Corea, inhabited by a nation distinct from the Chinese in race and language, but from ancient times dependent both politically and intellectually on its powerful neighbour. Corea has shown little originality in the development of its litera- ture or civilisation, and its chief importance in connec- tion with Japan depends on its geographical position, which, in the infancy of the art of navigation, made it the natural intermediary between Japan and China. China, with its ancient civilisation, its copious and in many respects remarkable literature, and a history which goes back for more than two thousand years, has for many centuries exercised a commanding influence over all its neighbours. What Greece and Rome have been to Europe, China has been to the nations of the far East. Japan, in particular, is very deeply indebted to it. There is no department of Japanese national 3 4 JAPANESE LITERATURE life and thought, whether material civilisation, religion, morals, political organisation, language, or literature, which does not bear traces of Chinese influence. Beyond China lies India, which has furnished one important factor in moulding the literature of Japan, namely, Buddhism. If, in regard to Japan, China takes the place of Greece and Rome, Buddhism, with its softening and humanising influences, holds a position similar to that of Christianity in the Western World. The alternate preponderance of these two powers is an interesting feature of Japanese history, and we shall see that it has not been without effect upon the literature. We must not, however, forget the native genius of the Japanese nation, which, in spite of numerous external obligations, has yet retained its originality. The Japan- ese are never contented with simple borrowing. In art, political institutions, and even religion, they are in the habit of modifying extensively everything which they adopt from others, and impressing on it the stamp of the national mind. It is the same with the literature. Though enormously indebted to China, and at times hindered in its natural development by a too implicit reliance on foreign guidance, it has remained neverthe- less a true index of the national character. It is the literature of a brave, courteous, light-hearted, pleasure- loving people, sentimental rather than passionate, witty and humorous, of nimble apprehension, but not pro- found; ingenious and inventive, but hardly capable of high intellectual achievement; of receptive minds en- dowed with a voracious appetite for knowledge ; with a turn for neatness and elegance of expression, but sel- dom or never rising to sublimity. The insular position and political independence of ARCHAIC PERIOD 5 Japan no doubt account partially for the literature re- taining its native originality of character. But more is no doubt due to a fundamental difference of race from the nations to which the Japanese have been indebted. There is reason to believe that the Japanese nation con- tains an aboriginal polynesian element (which some writers call Malay), but the evidence of language and anthropology is conclusive that it is in the main a con- tinental race, quite distinct, however, from the Chinese. It must have come from a more northerly region, and geographical considerations point distinctly to Corea as the point of embarkation. Beyond this it is safer “not to go. Nor need we attempt to fix any date for their migration. Native tradition is silent on the sub- ject, or rather assumes that the Japanese are aborigines. The process of colonisation probably extended over centuries, and the numerous immigrations from Corea to Japan in historical times are no doubt simply a con- tinuation of the same movement. The first historical fact to be gleaned from the legen- dary stories which have been preserved to us in the an- cient Japanese annals is an invasion of the central part of the country, already settled by men of Japanese race, by a conquering army from the western island of Kiushiu. Their leader, Jimmu Tenn, who is recog- nised as the first Mikado, established his capital in the province of Yamato at a time which it is best to indi- cate vaguely as a few centuries before the Christian epoch. Here, or in one of the adjoining provinces, his successors reigned for many centuries, each Mikado building himself a palace and founding a capital in a fresh locality. A semi-nomad arrangement of this kind is obviously incompatible with much advance in civili- 2 6 JAPANESE LITERATURE sation. It was not until the capital was established on a more permanent footing at Nara, in the beginning of the eighth century, that any substantial progress was made in literature and the arts. Although the Archaic period has left us but few literary monuments, it is marked by two events of prime import- ance for the development of literature in Japan. One is the introduction of the art of writing, with which was associated an acquaintance with the literature and his- tory of China; and the other the first propagation of the Buddhist religion. Both came, in the first place, from Corea, which had received them from China no long time before. Until they became acquainted with Chinese the Japanese had no written character. It is probable that individuals had acquired some knowledge of the Chinese language and script early in the Christian era, but the first actual mention of the study of Chinese in Japan belongs to A.D. 405. Inthis year a Corean named Wangin was appointed tutor in Chinese to a Japanese Imperial Prince. He was the first of a succession of teachers from Corea whose instructions paved the way for a revolution in Japanese customs and institutions, not less profound and far-reaching than that which we have .- witnessed in our own day as the result of an acquaint- ance with Western civilisation and science. Buddhism was introduced about one hundred and fifty years later—in the middle of the sixth century—but it was not until the seventh that it made much progress. Its real founder in Japan was the Imperial Prince Shdtoku Daishi, who died A.D. 621. In the scanty remains of the period with which we are now dealing, there is scarce any trace either of Buddhist or of Chinese influences. It may be said that the Kiuzikt, a historical workattributed to the Prince just mentioned, SONGS 7 should be reckoned an exception to this statement. But its authenticity has been questioned ; and, in any case, itis in the Chinese language, and therefore, properly speaking, forms no part of Japanese literature. SONGS. The oldest relics of the genuine native literature of Japan are a series of songs contained in the ancient annals known as the Xoyzki and Nihongi, and the (orito or liturgies of the Shinto, or native Japanese religion. _ These songs are associated with some historical or quasi-historical incident, and are ascribed to Mikados or other distinguished personages. Several of them are attributed to Jimmu Tenné, who is said to have founded the Japanese monarchy in 660 B.c., and equally fictitious accounts are givenof others. Probably we shall not be far wrong if we assign most of the poems of the Koyzki and Wihongi to the latter part of the Archaic period, namely, to the sixth and seventh centuries of our era. The poetry of this time possesses a certain philological and archzeological interest, but its merit as literature is small. The language is still unformed, and there is a plentiful lack of imagination and of the other higher qualities of poetry. What, for example, can be more primitive than the following war-song, which is supposed to have been chanted by Jimmu TennO’s soldiers, and which, the author of the Mzsongz informs us, was still sung by the Imperial Guards in his own day ? “Ho! now ts the time ; Ho! now ts the time ; Hal Hal Pshal Even now My boys ! Even now My boys!” 8 JAPANESE LITERATURE Or this, which is dated go B.c. ? “ The Hall of Miwa (Of sweet saké fame), Even at morn tts door Let us push open— The door of the Flall of Miwa.” Saké, it ought, perhaps, to be explained, is an intoxi- cating liquor brewed from rice.