310:, Mother of Michitsuna claims a motive “to answer, should anyone ask, what is it like, the life of a woman married to a highly placed man?” Heian nikki in particular, according to scholar Haruo Shirane, are united in “the fact that they all depict the personal life of a historical personage.” Thematically, many diaries lay heavy emphasis on time and poetry.
335:. Waka, traditional Japanese thirty-one syllable poetry, was used for purposes ranging from official proclamations and poetry contests to private matters of courtship, and became crucial to success in the life of the aristocracy. Due to the importance of waka in communication, imperial waka anthologies such as the
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Although scholars have found diaries dating back to the eighth century, most of those were mere records kept on daily matters of state. At that time, Japan looked to China as a model of culture and civilization and sought to copy
Chinese official government diaries. Thus, early Japanese diaries were
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contains fifty-seven waka. Revealing that the "events of the months and years gone by are only vague in memory, and often I have just written what I recall," Mother of
Michitsuna also reveals that nikki are not limited to a daily log of events. On the third point, one can see a literary intent when
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Nikki bungaku as a term has only been around since the early 20th century and debate continues over strict delineation. However, three major characteristics of
Japanese diary literature, though exceptions abound, are "the frequent use of poems, breaking away from the daily entry as a formal device,
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ushered in the second period of Heian literature and women's kana prose. Starting a tradition of psychological exploration and self-expression through
Japanese vernacular, nikki bungaku not only gives modern readers an idea of historical events but also a view into the lives and minds of their
394:, Mother of Michitsuna starts with her motive of realism in contrast to the monogatari she has read. Despite the overt rejection of the monogatari form, one can see the influence of the genre on diary literature in terms of style and paradigm; the discontent of the authors of both the
431:, arguably the first and one of the greatest court novels of all time. Lastly, though the definition is disputable, one can argue that the Japanese literary diary tradition continues to the present and remains an important element of culture and personal expression.
356:, and free verse. More than just developing from a poetic tradition, "it seems clear that poetry is conceived of as the most basic or purest literary form and that its presence, almost alone, is enough to change a journal of one’s life into an art diary."
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and the beginning of her son's courtship. Expressing her personal feelings and exploring her marriage and social situation, Mother of
Michitsuna pioneered a new wave of courtier women's kana literature. Other exemplars of Heian nikki bungaku include the
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Although there remains debate as to whether the nikki bungaku genre, with its emphasis on the diary as a literary art, continues to modern times, prominent examples of diary literature abound. The medieval period saw the rise of diaries such as
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grew out of a request to compile a family poetry collection. Literary diaries from Heian and
Muromachi periods included waka, and subsequent diaries were often associated with poetic forms such as
636:
The
Poetics of Nikki Bungaku: A Comparison of the Traditions, Conventions, and Structure of Heian Japan's Literary Diaries with Western Autobiographical Writings
306:. Other common observations include that diaries attempt at an "expression of the self" as opposed to a "search for the self." For example, in writing her
96:. While diaries began as records imitating daily logs kept by Chinese government officials, private and literary diaries emerged and flourished during the
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through the alleged perspective of a female companion. Departing from the tradition of diaries written in
Chinese, Tsurayuki used vernacular Japanese
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seems to stem from the gap between their realities and life as idealized in monogatari. Lastly, perhaps the most famous of all monogatari,
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367:, or the Japanese narrative literature, and nikki bungaku greatly influenced each other. In fact, with some works having multiple names—
119:. Traditionally, composed of a series of poems held together by prose sections, the poetic diary has often taken the form of a
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180:(c. 872 – 945), a famed poet and author, is credited with writing the first literary diary. His
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Nikki bungaku grew out of waka's rise in popularity. It has even been speculated that the
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poetry, and a female narrator to convey the emotional aspects of the journey.
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The catalyst of the nikki bungaku tradition, however, is often attributed to
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Miner, Earl. "The
Traditions and Forms of the Japanese Poetic Diary."
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Traditional
Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600.
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authors. Literary diaries are also believed to have influenced
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have studied and written in Western-style poetic diary form.
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The Princeton Companion to Classical Japanese Literature.
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and a stylistic heightening." For example, Tsurayuki's
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The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese
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A Hank Glassman essay on Japanese literary tradition.
266:. In the modern period, confessional diaries such as
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78:is a genre including prominent works such as the
642:, Vol. 21, No. 1. (Apr. 1987), pp. 98–102.
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224:attributed to Izumi Shikibu, Murasaki Shikibu’s
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341:were compiled as poetic standards.
228:, Sugawara no Takasue no Musume’s
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331:, and native vernacular writing,
619:Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan.
609:Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan.
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587:Defines Nikki (Nikki Bungaku)
414:Influence on other literature
631:New York: Columbia UP, 2007.
284:have gained in importance.
256:and travel diaries such as
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638:by Marilyn Jeanne Miller.
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634:Shirane, Haruo. Review:
599:Pacific Coast Philology
418:Mother of Michitsuna's
360:Influence of monogatari
288:General characteristics
240:Sanuki no Suke no Nikki
117:Japanese Poetic Diaries
226:Murasaki Shikibu Nikki
93:Murasaki Shikibu Nikki
64:genre, dating back to
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579:"A Darkness of Heart"
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16:Japanese poetic genre
627:Shirane, Haruo, ed.
454:Nijōin no Sanuki Shū
375:Zaigo Chūjō no Nikki
172:factual, written in
109:Princeton University
607:"Ki no Tsurayuki."
222:Izumi Shikibu Nikki
209:Michitsuna's mother
111:scholar/translator
466:Saigū no Nyōgo Shū
298:comparing Bashō's
236:Fujiwara no Nagako
217:Fujiwara no Kaneie
174:Chinese characters
161:Michael Rothenberg
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621:Online ed. 1993.
617:"Nikki Bungaku."
611:Online ed. 1993.
429:Genji Monogatari
380:Heichū Monogatari
319:Influence of waka
281:Danchōtei Nichijō
103:The English term
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664:Genres of poetry
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556:Shirane 1987
544:Shirane 2007
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304:Iwanami Sora
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272:Ichiyō Nikki
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153:Joanne Kyger
145:Jack Kerouac
129:World War II
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105:poetic diary
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87:Kagerō Nikki
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28:Poetic diary
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565:Miner 41-44
473:Okikaze-shū
441:Pillow book
427:'s classic
141:Gary Snyder
121:pillow book
653:Categories
480:References
447:Kojijū-shū
365:Monogatari
314:Influences
295:Tosa Nikki
276:Nagai Kafu
198:characters
182:Tosa Nikki
113:Earl Miner
81:Tosa Nikki
71:Tosa Nikki
248:Abutsu-ni
40:uta nikki
524:Kodansha
460:Akai-shū
435:See also
377:and the
338:Kokinshū
211:and her
139:such as
127:. Since
62:literary
659:Diaries
190:Shikoku
167:History
350:haikai
234:, and
151:, and
90:, and
506:Miner
485:Notes
354:haiku
194:Kyoto
123:or a
644:Link
623:Link
613:Link
603:Link
400:and
333:kana
329:waka
323:The
274:and
202:waka
186:Tosa
159:and
55:日記文学
383:or
373:or
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192:to
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34:歌日記
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