Growth of Japanese Culture
A Golden Age of Literature and Drama By: Michael Raskin
Japanese Writing System
Japan developed their language from the Korean language beginning in the 400's. Also, in the way Japan took some language from Korea, Japan took some writing form from China. The Japanese used characters written as objects , actions, or ideas; these were also used in some English as well.
A Few Translations
Ancient Writing
Samples of Japanese Characters
Japanese Drama
In the Japanese society around the 600's a popular tradition was Shinto dance, a slow dance performed at religious shrines. In the 1300's actors developed a new type of drama called Noh. This was usually based on legends and folk tales; the actors were painted and wore wooden masks that show various emotions. The actors were usually men. Another drama that developed in the 1600's is called Kabuki. Kabuki is a combination of singing and dancing while wearing costumes and lots of makeup.
Nôgaku Theatre
Japanese Poetry
Japanese Poetry is based on sadness and the beauty of nature. In Japanese Poetry the poets count by syllables. The poem which are called haikus are 3 lines long. Each line has a certain amount of syllables: the first line has 5, the second has 7, and the third has 5 syllables.