TERMS AND GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR FILM

Classical Japan and the Tale of Genji

Murasaki Shikibu (ca. 973-1025): courtier to the empress Joto Mon'in at the Heian court and author of the Tale of Genji, the world’s first novel. Uji: clans led by single patriarch (warrior/shaman). Nara Period (710-794)

Heian Period (794-1192) Fujiwara: clan name of the family that controlled the Heian court for several centuries through intermarriage with the imperial family.

#1. What are the greatest differences between the traditional political authority claimed by a Chinese emperor and the authority claimed by a Japanese emperor? What role did mythology play in the Japanese case?

#2. What are the four main areas of cultural borrowing that Japanese engaged in with China?

#3. How was the Chinese writing system adapted to the Japanese language? What problems were encountered in this cultural adaptation?