Religion and Japanese Literary Expression

RELIGION AND JAPANESE LITERARY EXPRESSION
Student's Name
Instructor's Name
Course Name
The Name of the University
Date of Submission
Religion and Japanese Literary Expression
Japanese literature has evolved significantly over the years to its current status as one of the wealthiest and most influential forms of literary expression in the world today. Like most other literature from around the world, Japanese literature has primarily been influenced by Japanese culture. For instance, ancient Japanese culture was predominantly influenced by the prevailing religious beliefs in the country. This is attributable to the fact that most educated people in Japanese society were monks and other religious leaders.. As a result, religious themes found their way in their literary works, ultimately contributing to Japanese literature development. Besides, most Japanese people are religious, ascribing to Buddhism, Shintoism, or syncretic beliefs drawn from both religions. Therefore, most Japanese readers resonate with the religious themes that feature predominantly in Japanese works of literature.. This paper explores the various ways in which religious beliefs have affected Japanese literary expression. To accomplish this objective, the paper reviews and analyzes some outstanding Japanese literary works to extract valuable religious themes and assess how such themes have influenced Japan's literary expression. Among some of the works explored in this paper include Sugawara no Takasue no Musume's The Sarashina Diary, Donald Keene's Essays in Idleness, Donald Keene's The Pleasures of Japanese Literature, Kamo no Chomei's An Account of My Hut, and Helen Craig McCullough's Genji and Heike. Based on the analysis of these seminal works of Japanese Literature, it is evident that religious beliefs significantly impact how Japanese writers express themselves, particularly when it comes to addressing themes such as death, suffering (work), love, and ethics.[Keene, Donald. 1988. The pleasures of Japanese Literature. New York: Columbia University Press.] [Keene, Donald. 1988. The pleasures of Japanese Literature. New York: Columbia University Press.]
The influence of religious beliefs on Japanese literary expression is manifested in Sugawara no Takasue no Musume's The Sarashina Diary in various ways. This book, which is written from a first-person perspective, is primarily influenced by Buddhist religious views. For example, the writer states that she drew a massive image of the Healing Buddha and performed Buddhist rituals as a young girl in prayer. This draws readers to the fact that Sugawara no Takasue no Musume was a Buddhist believer and that religion was a significant part of her life. As she narrates her story, she alludes to various Buddhist beliefs, practices, and rituals.. Essentially, the author tells her story of moving from her rural home to the city, where she can explore her life with greater freedom access important cultural and religious resources.[No Musume, Sugawara no Takasue. The Sarashina Diary: A Woman’s Life in Eleventh-Century Japan. New York: Columbia University Press.] [No Musume, Sugawara no Takasue. The Saras...