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Court Poetry and the Culture of Learning in Japan
Series: Harvard East Asian Monographs
Brief Description
Once the exclusive domain of the aristocracy, classical Japanese poetry (waka) underwent a remarkable transformation in the medieval period, becoming a dynamic tool for cultural education embraced by warriors, monks, merchants, and commoners alike. Ariel Stilerman investigates this evolution in Court Poetry and the Culture of...
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Court Poetry and the Culture of Learning in Japan
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In Court Poetry and the Culture of Learning in Japan, Ariel Stilerman examines the transformation of classical Japanese poetry (waka) from the exclusive domain of the aristocracy to a dynamic tool embraced by warriors, monks, and commoners. This book illuminates poetryβs role as a vital thread woven through the fabric of Japanβs cultural history.
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Description
Once the exclusive domain of the aristocracy, classical Japanese poetry (waka) underwent a remarkable transformation in the medieval period, becoming a dynamic tool for cultural education embraced by warriors, monks, merchants, and commoners alike. Ariel Stilerman investigates this evolution in Court Poetry and the Culture of Learning in Japan by examining not only poetic treatises but also overlooked genres such as encyclopaedias, professional manuals, Buddhist essays, literary primers, didactic fiction, and popular tales.
As new audiences turned to waka and its playful counterpart, kyΕka, in pursuit of salvation, career advancement, love, or adventure, poetry became a bridge between emerging social identities and the elite traditions of the aristocracy. Stilerman concludes that even as waka declined at the turn of the twentieth century, the tea ceremony rose to take its placeβpreserving and reinterpreting its role as the embodiment of Japanese tradition.
Offering a fresh and far-reaching perspective, this book illuminates poetryβs enduring influenceβnot just as an art form, but as a vital thread woven through the fabric of Japanβs cultural history.
Series: Harvard East Asian Monographs
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Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780674303416
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 17 March 2026
Country: United States
Imprint: Harvard University Press
Illustration: 1 color photo
Audience: Tertiary education
DIMENSIONS
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 229.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 318
About the Author
Ariel Stilerman is Assistant Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Stanford University.
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