History of Japanese Literature golden age - Essay Example

Though there has been a great influence of China on the Japanese literature in the very beginning, that made use of Chinese words in it. The Heian period lasted from the 8th to the 12th century in Japan. This period, that ran over the span of 794 – 1185, is termed as the Golden age for the literature and arts in Japan. “The Heian period is considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art and especially in poetry and literature.” (www.jref.com, 2010). Also, the meaning of the word “Heian” is “peace”, that should mean that the Golden age in the literature of Japan is considered as a period of peace.

The Japanese imperial court also enjoyed its height in the same reign. Since its end, no other period has been appreciated more by the Japanese nation than the famous Heian period. In the same period, the Samurai class surfaced that later gained rule and helped the commencement of the feudal system in Japan. Since the Heian period was preceded by a strong influence of the Chinese and Korean languages on the Japanese literature and writings, the official language of the official documents and the imperial court continued to remain Chinese in the start of the Heian period, but this was not all.

Besides the Chinese language, another language “Kana” surfaced and started to rule the Japanese literature and all forms of written texts. Besides, another system of writing referred to as Hiragana was identified in the Heian period that was phonetic in nature. The special feature of Hiragana was that it did not need an understanding of the characters of the Chinese language, and was also considered much simple and quick for writing. One of the biggest achievements of the Heian period is that Japanese literature was relieved of the rule of Chinese language.

Instead, the major use of Kana in the Japanese literature projected an innovative approach and