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The Pillow Book and the Japanese Mindset

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The Pillow Book and the Japanese Mindset Feature Sharing Japanese Literature with the World THE PILLOW BOOK AND THE JAPANESE MINDSET TAMAKI KAWASAKI Ancient Japanese literature conveys the essence of Japanese people’s emotions through subtle descriptions of the seasons and natural elements. Professor Etsuko Akama of Jumonji University, a researcher in Heian literature such as Makura no Soushi (The Pillow Book), illuminates these intricacies of expression for generations Professor Etsuko Akama of Jumonji University explains the less familiar with Japanese classics. intricacies of Heian literature to generations less familiar with Japanese classics HE charm of The In the first paragraph that can also spot many noteworthy Pillow Book derives starts with the above line, the plays on words and witty ideas. “T from beautiful writer describes how the sky of For instance, “near yet far” is depictions of the four seasons by Higashiyama in Kyoto changes used to describe the last day of Lady Sei Shonagon, who wrote color as the sun rises, along with the year and the New Year, as over a thousand years ago in the fireflies that illuminate the well as relationships with family the Heian Period (794-1185),” summer night. “Her descriptions members one doesn’t get along explains professor Etsuko Akama convey a sense of movement, with, while “far yet near” is used of Jumonji University. “Starting almost like a video posted on to portray the Buddhist paradise with the famous opening line, social media,” says Akama. and relationships between men ‘In spring, the dawn—when Shonagon’s prose allows the and women. Her words are similar the slowly paling mountain reader to visualize the scene, and to those of modern women, mixing rim is tinged with red…’ she the distinctive characterizations humor and sarcasm: the pleasure incorporates seasonality by through the senses—the chirps of she finds when a hated person has showcasing the highlights of the insects, the fragrance of irises a bad experience, noting that there each season, which are carefully and the drenching storm against is nothing more interesting than depicted and blended in her the face—enthrall readers. gossiping about others, or pointing prose.” As her writing progresses, you out that sermons are better when 8 highlighting japan The Pillow Book has been translated into many languages and Kiyohara no Motosuke, was a enchanted readers worldwide famous poet, so she grew up surrounded by books, reading, studying kanji characters and gaining wonderful writing skills. At the time, upper-class women were hidden away from society once they married. However, Shonagon thought that women should know more about the world. At court, she met Empress Teishi, which resulted in the birth of “seraglio literature” and The Pillow Book. “Although Empress Teishi’s family soon fell to ruin and she died shortly afterward, thanks to Sei Shonagon this florid seraglio literature was preserved for posterity,” Akama notes. The Heian Period was the longest in Japanese history, lasting for over four hundred years. Although there were political issues, it was a peaceful time without any wars. It Sei Shonagon’s humor and intricate observations about life in the Heian Period are at the heart of The Pillow Book’s charm was also an age of imperial aristocracy, and through complex human relationships and romantic emotions, many forms of expressions were born the lecturer is a handsome man. possible to print an anthology of through self-reflection, suffering, “Sei Shonagon was talented poetry called the Kokin Wakashu weakness, craftiness and fear. at expressing people’s honest in native Japanese instead of the “Chirps of insects not being feelings through her writing,” classic Chinese characters. This considered noise but rather Akama states. sparked a revival in Japanese something soothing is an It’s been said that female literature. aesthetic specific to Japanese writers first appeared in Japan According to Akama, women people,” Akama says. “It’s likely during the Heian Period and became leading figures in literary that this form of emotional women’s literature flourished. studies during this time, with a expression derives from the Prior to that time, Japan’s written focus on intricate descriptions Shinto belief that trees, insects language was entirely based on derived from observation and even words contain a soul, kanji (Chinese characters), and it and emotions. Even in the and that we are surrounded by was considered vulgar for women modern dictionary of classic eight million kami (gods).” to learn to write in this “men’s Japanese words, explanations These and other emotions language.” However, during the for emotional adjectives are of Heian people from over a Heian Period a new and simpler referenced from women’s thousand years ago still live form of writing called hiragana literature. within the hearts and minds of was devised. This made it Sei Shonagon’s father, modern Japanese. February 2019 9.
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