By Lorena Yasuda

This unit consists of four lessons, integrating language arts and social studies.

• Lesson I: Haiku Students become familiar with famous haiku authors of Japan and attempt to capture the feelings of four haiku written by these authors through illustrations. Students then write their own haiku describing a scene in nature and trying to evoke a feeling without saying directly what the feeling is.
• Lesson II: Hiragana Students learn about one writing system in Japan, hiragana. After practicing writing their names and other phrases in hiragana, students try calligraphy.
• Lesson III: Analysis of Primary Source Materials Students work in cooperative groups to analyze primary source materials and complete a graphic organizer. They are given two short stories from "The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon" and a section of "The Tale of Genji" by Lady Murasaki Shikibu to extract information about the dress/makeup, religion, leisure, and education of court life during this time period in Japan. Some illustrations are also provided for students to analyze.
• Lesson IV: Written Assignment As a final product to incorporate all the lessons, students pretend they are a boy or girl in the court of Kyoto and write a letter to a friend. a haiku poem, sign their name in hiragana, and include information about daily court life.

Haiku is a form of poetry that originated in Japan. A haiku has three lines: the first and third lines have five syllables each; the second line has seven. A haiku usually depicts a scene in nature and often implies a strong feeling. In a good haiku, a mere handful of words will make you see an entire scene and will convey a universal feeling, such as fear, surprise, regret, hope, or a mystery.

1. Read the attached haikus to students, giving them information on each author. Have students re-read each of these poems and try to see and hear what the author saw and felt.
2. Have students fold a piece of unlined paper into four squares. Students draw a picture of each haiku. This will show that a few words can paint a picture.
3. Have students think of a simple scene in nature. It should be one that is like a sharp, clear snapshot. Describe what this mental photograph shows by writing a haiku. Have them see if they can make this brief description express a feeling without saying directly what the feeling is.
4. Have the students write the haiku on a plain, white piece of paper and illustrate it.
5. This haiku will be used in the writing assignment that follows.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON HAIKU AUTHORS

TANIGUCHI BUSON (1715-1783) was a Japanese poet whose poems many Japanese of today know by heart. He was also a painter, and his sharp eye for detail no doubt helped him compose poems whose focus is on small things that express a great deal.

OTSUJI ( ? - 1772) wrote many essays about the art of writing haiku. He believed that a poet should view human life as part of the larger world of nature. He also felt that in the best haiku, emotions should be suggested, not expressed directly.

KYORAI((1651-1704) was the son of a physician to a royal Japanese family. He sought to write poems in which every word was necessary and none could be changed without destroying the poem's meaning.

MATSU~BASHO (1644-1694) was born near Kyoto, Japan, In many of his haiku, he presents a scene in which a vivid or momentary feature stands out against an unchanging background. He can present a whole landscape or an entire season by describing just a few key details.

Return to the top of this page.

One thing Japan borrowed from China was its writing system. Formal writing was in Chinese and so was early poetry. Because they wanted to express feelings in their own language, the Japanese developed a set of characters called hiragana to represent Japanese. Hiragana symbols represent syllables rather than words. Women who were not expected to learn Chinese used hiragana to write some of the greatest literature of the age.

ITEMS NEEDED:

• hiragana paper
• square white pieces of paper
• black paint and brushes

1. Pass out the hiragana paper and tell students about hiragana. Have students practice writing the phrases given in hiragana.
2. Students try to write their names in hiragana, including middle and last names. This will be difficult for some of the names, but they need to understand that they are trying to write with the sounds, not necessarily the letters.
3. After students feel comfortable writing their names in hiragana, have them paint it on the white square piece of paper.
4. They will be signing their name in hiragana in the writing assignment.

Return to the top of this page.

During the Heian period of Japan, there was the emergence of the diary form by noble women describing court life. One famous piece of literature from this time period is the "Pillow Book" by Sei Shonagon around 1002. Another is "The Tale of Genji" which is considered the world's first novel, written by a woman known as Murasaki around 1008.

ITEMS NEEDED:

• packets with the enclosed primary source materials
• graphic organizer chart
• writing assignment
• social studies textbook

1. Put the students in small groups of 3 or 4. Give each group a packet of the primary source materials and give each child a graphic organizer. Working in the groups and with the materials, have the students read and discuss the stories and pictures.
2. Students use the information to put on the graphic organizer. They may wish to add more information from their text or other resources.
3. Using the graphic organizer, students will complete the writing assignment.

A young bachelor of an adventurous nature comes home at dawn. Though he still looks sleepy, he immediately draws his inkstone to him and, after carefully rubbing it with ink, starts to write his next morning letter. He does not let his brush run down the paper in a careless scrawl, but puts himself heart and soul into the calligraphy. What a charming figure be makes as he sits there by himself in an easy posture, with his robe falling slightly open! It is a plain unlined robe of pure white, and over it he wears a cloak of rose-yellow or crimson. AS he finishes his letter, he notices that the white robe is still damp from the dew, and for a while he gazes at it fondly.

Then he makes arrangements for delivering his letter. Instead of calling one of the ladies in attendance, he takes the trouble to get up and select a page-boy who seems suitable for the task. Summoning the boy to his side, he whispers his instructions and hands over the letter. The page leaves for the lady's house, and for some time the gentleman watches him disappear in the distance. As he sits there, he quietly murmurs some appropriate passage from the sutras.

Now one of his servants comes to announce that his washing water and morning gruel have been prepared in the neighboring wing. The gentleman goes there, and soon he is leaning against the reading-desk and looking at some Chinese poems, from which he now and then reads out a passage that he has particularly enjoyed - altogether a charming sight.

Presently he performs his ablutions and changes into a white Court cloak, which he wears without any trousers. Thus attired, he starts reciting the sixth scroll of the Lotus Sutra from memory. A pious gentleman indeed, or so one might think, except that at just this moment the messenger returns (he cannot have had far to go) and nods encouragingly to his master, who there-upon instantly interrupts his recitation and with what might strike one as sinful haste, transfers his attention to the lady's reply.

One night the Empress's ladies-in-waiting were engaged in a heated discussion. 'When they are making batons for the new Chamberlains of the Sixth Rank,' said one of them, 'why do they use wood from the planks at the southeast corner of the Empress's Office? Surely they could just as well take it from the east or west sides of the building. Or, for that matter, why not use wood from the southeast corner to make batons for Chamberlains of the Fifth Rank?'

'I see nothing very interesting in that,' said another of the ladies. 'It is the names given to different types of clothing that I find strange. They often seem to have been chosen at random. I can see why the name "thin and long" should have been given to long robes. But why "sweat garment" for women's loose coats? Surely they should be called "long train" like the robes worn by boys. And why "Chinese robe"? The proper name would be "short robe". I suppose they call it that because it's worn by the Chinese. "Over-robe", "over-trousers", and "under-robe" all make sense. And so does "big mouth" since the opening of the trousers is greater than the length. But the name hakama for trouser-skirt is pointless. And why "insertions" for laced trousers? They should be known as "leg clothes", "leg bags", or something of the sort.'

Well, well,' I said, 'what a noise you're making! I myself have nothing to add on the subject and I wish you'd all go to sleep.' As if in reply to my words came the peevish voice of the priest on night duty: 'That would be a great shame,' he said, much to our surprise and amusement. Do please continue talking all night'

The best of the Japanese court writers was Lady Murasaki Shikibu. In The Tale of Genji, she wrote at account of the life of Prince Genji (JEHN jee) and other members of the imperial court. This book is considered the first true novel. The following excerpt. a conversation between Genji and his friend To no Chujo. illustrates the romantic quality of life at the court

It had been raining all day. There were fewer courtiers than usual in the royal presence. Back in his own palace quarters, also unusually quiet, Genji pulled a lamp near and sought to while away the time with his books. He had To no Chujo with him. Numerous pieces of colored paper, obviously letters, lay on a shelf. To no Chujo made no attempt to hide his curiosity.

"Well," said Genji, "there are some I might let you see. But there are some I think it better not."

"You miss the point. The ones I want to see are precisely the oaes you want to hide. The ordinary ones - I'm not much of a hand at the game, you know, but even I am up to the ordinary give and take. But the ones from ladies who think you are not doing right by them, who sit alone through an evening and wait for you to come - those are the ones I want to see.

It was not likely that really delicate letters would be left scattered on a shelf, and it may be assumed that the papers treated so carelessly were the less important ones.

"You do have a variety of them," said To no Chujo, reading the correspondence through piece by piece. This will be from her, and this will be from her, he would say. Sometimes he guessed correctly and sometimes he was far afield, to Genji's great amusement. Genji was brief with his replies and left out no secrets.

"It is I who should be asking to see your collection. No doubt it is huge. When I have seen it I shall be happy to throw my files open to you." "I fear there is nothing that would interest you." To no Chujo was in contemplative mood. "It is with women as it is with everything else: the flawless ones are very few indeed. This is a sad fact which I have leaned over the years. All manner of women seem presentable enough at first. Little notes, replies to this and that, they all suggest sensibility and cultivation. But when you begin sorting our the really superior ones you will find that there are not many who have to be on your list. Each has her little tricks and she makes me most of them, getting in her slights at rivals, so broad sometimes that you almost have to blush. Hidden away by loving patents who build brilliant futures for them, they let word get out of this little talent and that little accomplishment and you are all in a stir. They are young and pretty and amiable and carefree, and in their boredom they begin to pick up a little from their elders, and in the natural course of things they begin to concentrate on one particular hobby and make something of it. A woman tells you all about it and hides the weak points and bring out the ones as if they were everything, and you can't very well call her a liar. So you begin keeping company, and it is always the same. The fact is not up to the advance notices.

Return to the top of this page.

Writing letters was an extremely popular form of communication among Kyoto courtiers. The courtier chose the color and texture of paper very carefully so it would cause the right mood. Letters almost always included a poem.

1. Pretend you are a boy or girl in the court of Kyoto and write a letter to a friend describing one of your days. Your letter should include lots of facts about what courtiers did and what they wore.
2. Include a haiku in your letter. You should choose paper whose color and texture represents the feeling you want your friend to feel.
3. Be sure your friend has a Japanese name, and you have a Japanese name. Sign your name in hiragana. To make your letter more interesting you might want to include some Japanese words.
4. Students may wish to knot or twist their letters as shown in the illustration.

Return to the top of this page.

Return to the 1996 Table of Contents.

Return to the TASSI home page.