Influence of Women on the Culture of the Heian Court Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

The Heian period is considered to be one of the most remarkable periods when arts and especially literature flourished. This period is also associated with a very special role women played at the royal court. Some researchers claim that this was the period of certain empowerment of women as they occupied specific posts at the court (Ebrey et al. 208).

However, this was also the time when women shaped the very nature of Japanese literature and developed a very special literary style. Some works created at that time are still regarded as some of the most significant masterpieces of the world literature. Females made Japanese literature refined, intimate a bit subjective, but absolutely majestic.

During the Heian period women started playing a more active role in the Japanese society. However, this role was still secondary as males were regarded as superior members of the society. This was revealed in various fields. For instance, women were not taught Classical Chinese as that language was seen as “very much a male preserve” (Bowring 11).

It is believed that males were afraid of possible empowerment of women through their knowledge of the formal state language and, thus, males did not let women learn the Chinese language (Bowring 12). Though, it is also important to note that women were not deprived of education as they could use Japanese which was then a written language (Bowring 12).

The Japanese language was not spoken at that time and was seen as somewhat archaic. However, this was not an obstacle for women who started writing down their contemplations and observations, their dreams and aspirations. Soon Japanese prose became an example of the most refined language.

Women remained in the terrain males reserved for them. Females kept diaries where they shared their feelings and their viewpoints. These pieces were rather fragmented and addressed a variety of issues. This specific style had become classic soon.

For instance, during this period two major works, which are regarded as major masterpieces of the period, were written: Pillow Book by Sei Shonagun and Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu.

These works are very intimate but they are regarded as historical and literary works. As has been mentioned above, the authors expressed their feelings and their viewpoints. They also wrote about their life at the court and depicted events which had happened.

However, what is the most remarkable about the period and women’s role at the court is the refined style developed by female authors. Notably, Bowring claims that the language itself was one of the factors that contributed to development of such a refined style (12).

Admittedly, the written language was not spoken at that time and female authors had to use quite formal structures without making their works too ‘prosaic’. Of course, the language played a very important role. However, those were females who created the so-called “flowery language” (qtd. in Bowring 12). They had specific vision and specific style which combined formal structures, sincerity and emotions.

The style developed by female authors was really special and it became a model to follow. This style reigned throughout a century. This style did empowered women to certain extent as they became poetic reporters of the life during that period. The importance of literary works created by females was certain evidence that women changed the court significantly as they won a particular niche for females.

Works Cited

Bowring, Richard. Murasaki Shikibu: The Tale of Genji. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print.

Ebrey, Patricia Buckley, Anne Walthall and James Palais. East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Publishing, 2008. Print.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2019, April 12). Influence of Women on the Culture of the Heian Court. https://ivypanda.com/essays/influence-of-women-on-the-culture-of-the-heian-court/

Work Cited

"Influence of Women on the Culture of the Heian Court." IvyPanda, 12 Apr. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/influence-of-women-on-the-culture-of-the-heian-court/.

References

IvyPanda. (2019) 'Influence of Women on the Culture of the Heian Court'. 12 April.

References

IvyPanda. 2019. "Influence of Women on the Culture of the Heian Court." April 12, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/influence-of-women-on-the-culture-of-the-heian-court/.

1. IvyPanda. "Influence of Women on the Culture of the Heian Court." April 12, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/influence-of-women-on-the-culture-of-the-heian-court/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Influence of Women on the Culture of the Heian Court." April 12, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/influence-of-women-on-the-culture-of-the-heian-court/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1