HEIAN DYNASTY

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HEIAN DYNASTY

• 794-1185 A.D.
• A VERY ELEGANT AND SOPHISTICATED SOCIETY
  DOMINATED KYOTO
• MUCH OF PROSE AND POETRY BY WOMEN

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HEIAN DYNASTY

• THESE WOMEN WROTE IN SYMBOLIC SYSTEM OF WRITING
  (KANA) WHICH WAS SIMPLER THAN CHIN- ESE
  CHARACTERS (SUPER- IMPOSED SINCE 5TH CENT.

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HEIAN DYNASTY

• THESE LADIES WERE HIGHLY LITERATE. WROTE LETTERS,
  DIARIES, NOVELS AND POEMS

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HANDOUT 64

• READ THIS CAREFULLY LIST SOCIAL VALUES OF THE
  PEOPLE AS INDICA- TED BY THE DESCRIP- TIONS.
  SHARE IDEAS.

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BEFORE BAMBOO CURTAIN
OF 17TH CEN. TOKUGAWA

• JAPANESE VISITED THE MAINLAND FREQUENTLY
• CHINESE SUNG DYNASTY, FAMOUS FOR DEVELOPING
  ART, RELIGION, PHILOSO- PHY INFLUENCED JAPAN

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• THROUGH TRADE, 1127- 1279 A.D., JAPANESE CARRY
  BACK COLLECTIONS OF BOOKS, INCLUDING HISTORY,
  BUDDHISM, CONFUCIANISM, LITERATURE, MEDICINE AND
  GEOGRAPHY

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• JAPANESE PAINTERS DEV- ELOP OWN NATIVE STYLE
  (YAMATO) DEPICTING JAP-ANESE PEOPLE /SETTINGS
• MAIN CHARACTERISTIC?
• A LOVE OF BEAUTY

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JAPANESE DRAMA

• DRAMA EVOLVED FROM SIMPLE FOLK TALES AND DANCES
  TO ELABORATE CLASSICAL STYLE OF THE NO (NOH) PLAY
  W/CHORUS QUESTIONER NARRATOR

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OTHER FORMS OF THEATER

• KABUKI DEVELOPED BY A WOMAN (OKUNI)... OUT- DOOR
  MUSICAL.... ADDED TO DANCE FARCICAL SKITS ABOUT
  MALE EN- COUNTERS W/COURTESANS

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OTHER FORMS OF THEATER

• WOMEN, THE ORIGINAL PERFORMERS, WERE BAN- ISHED
  FROM STAGE WHEN ACTS BECAME ROWDY INCURRED
  CENSORSHIP

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OTHER FORMS OF THEATER

• KABUKI BECAME REAL DRAMATIC ART... STILL APPEALED
  TO LOWER/ MIDDLE CLASSES
• POPULAR BECAUSE FILLED A NEED FOR EXCITEMENT

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OTHER FORMS OF THEATER

• THE SHOGUNS BROOKED NO OPPOSITION TO THE RIGID
  SOCIAL STRUCTURE BUT DID NOT DARE TO BAN THIS
  POPULAR FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT

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OTHER FORMS OF THEATER

• PUPPET SHOWS/BUNRAKA GREAT CROWD PLEASERS
• WOODEN FIGURES MANIP- ULATED BY LIVE ACTORS
• IN KABUKI ACTORS IMI- TATE WOODEN PUPPETS

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