Editing History of literature (section)

===Classical and feudal Japan===
{{Main|Japanese literature|List of Japanese classic texts}}
[[File:Booklet of A Boat Cast Adrift (Ukifune).jpg|thumb|Illustrated 13th century copy of ''[[The Tale of Genji]]'']]
Japanese literature first diverged from Chinese literature around the eighth century.{{Sfn|Kato|1997|p=12}} ''[[Fudoki]]'' were eighth century records that were typically written in Chinese and documented both historical and mythological stories.{{Sfn|Kato|1997|p=18}} Folk ballads were also common, including those recorded in the ''fudoki'' and musical ballads. These ballads were written to be chanted and often had a syllabic structure, with the ''[[tanka]]'' being highly regarded in particular.{{Sfn|Kato|1997|p=21}} The writing of [[Waka (poetry)|''waka'']] poetry became increasingly important in the Heian period as it became a necessary skill for the aristocracy in both social and courtship settings.{{Sfn|Kato|1997|pp=57–58}}

The ''[[Man'yōshū]]'' is the oldest collection of Japanese poetry, written in Japanese with Chinese characters through ''[[Man'yōgana]]'' and compiling ''waka'' poetry from the fifth to eighth centuries.{{Sfn|Kato|1997|p=24}} The ''[[Kokin Wakashū]]'' was a collection of ninth century ''waka'' poetry compiled by imperial command. While the ''Man'yōshū'' was varied in the classes and professions of its writers, the poems of the ''Kokin Wakashū'' were limited to those of aristocratic poets.{{Sfn|Kato|1997|pp=50–51}} ''[[The Tales of Ise]]'' is a collection of loosely connected poems and narratives based on the life of [[Ariwara no Narihira]].{{Sfn|Kato|1997|pp=48–49}}

''[[Utsubo Monogatari]]'' and ''[[Ochikubo Monogatari]]'' were early prose works from the 10th century that realistically portrayed the lives of the aristocracy, and the former is sometimes considered to be the first full-length novel.{{Sfn|Kato|1997|p=62}} At the same time, women of the aristocracy began keeping diaries that followed aristocratic life.{{Sfn|Kato|1997|p=68}} ''[[The Tale of Genji]]'' was the next major prose work in Japan, written in the 11th century.{{Sfn|Kato|1997|pp=72–73}} Its use of realism and romantic idealization inspired later works of Heian period prose fiction, including historical works such as ''[[Eiga Monogatari]]'' and ''[[Ōkagami]]''; romantic novels such as ''[[The Tale of Sagoromo]]'', ''[[Yoru no Nezame]]'', ''[[Hamamatsu Chūnagon Monogatari]]'', and ''[[Torikaebaya Monogatari]]''; and short story collections such as ''[[Tsutsumi Chūnagon Monogatari]]''.{{Sfn|Kato|1997|p=78}} While these stories typically portrayed the aristocracy, ''[[Konjaku Monogatarishū]]'' was written in the 12th century, compiling roughly one thousand stories from different walks of life in Japan, China, and India.{{Sfn|Kato|1997|p=84}} Japanese literature expanded beyond the aristocracy in the 13th century and became increasingly accessible to lower classes, often through the narration of religious texts such as ''[[The Tale of the Heike]]'' by [[Biwa hōshi|blind priests]].{{Sfn|Kato|1997|p=100}} In the 14th and 15th centuries, poetry such as ''[[renga]]'' and drama such as ''[[noh]]'' and ''[[kyōgen]]'' was written by professional writers under the patronage of the court, temples, or local lords.{{Sfn|Kato|1997|p=112}}