American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
45
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VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue02 2025
PAGE NO.
45-48
10.37547/ajsshr/Volume05Issue02-10
Literature and Buddhism in the Kamakura period
Javokhir Abubakirov
Researcher at High School of Japanese Studies, Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Uzbekistan
Received:
09 December 2024;
Accepted:
11 January 2025;
Published:
13 February 2025
Abstract:
The Kamakura period (1185
–
1333) was a period of great change in the political, cultural, and social life
of Japan, beginning with the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate by Minamoto no Yoritomo. During this
period, the samurai rose to the top of political power, and with the development of the feudal system, literature
is also visible.Instead of the aristocratic and elegant literature of the Heian period, the Kamakura market was
dominated by military tales, historical chronicles, and Buddhist philosophical works. In general, all events and
feelings in human life are the main topic of literature.In 1192, the great leader of the "eastern" (Kanto) samurai
detachments - Minamoto Yoritomo, after a long struggle, declares himself sei-taishogun, that is, the "supreme
military leader" of Japan, thus the true and hereditary becomes a ruler. becomes the true and hereditary ruler of
the whole country. Nevertheless, the Heian kings retain their supreme authority, but in fact begin to play almost
exclusively the role of the "high priests" of their people - the supreme ministers of Shintoism. The Heian monarchy
was replaced by a "shogunate" - a military system of government.The new management system also had an
impact on literature. Now new genres have started to appear in it. First, the circle of readers has completely
changed. Literature based on a new life, new state forms and a new culture, literary works characteristic of
samurai culture began to be created. The student began to belong to a different social environment with a unique
worldview. The boundaries of this circle have also expanded significantly.They began to attract an unprecedented
number of readers in Japan. Literature began to be read not only by new people, but also lost its previous,
essentially more exotic character and acquired a "wide" readership. A new author, a new reader, a new
environment revived the new literature. And the main reason for this was the day.
Keywords:
Amida,Soto-shu, Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren,hiragana, katakana, vabun, kangobun, tanka, buddhism
Gunki monogatari, Kamakura period, Samurai, Shogunate, "Hogen-monogatari," Heiji-monogatari, "Genpei-
Seisuki" and "Heike-monogatari",Tsurezuregusa,Gunki, kataribe, biwahoshi, emakimono, bushido codex,
historical works.
Introduction:
Through literary works, it is possible to
get vivid information about the domestic cultural life of
the relevant period. Through the genre of Gunki, which
we will study below, we can get valuable information
about the social life of the historical period of
Kamakura, the beliefs and worldviews of the people of
that time. The works of this genre cover a variety of
topics: one after another, funny or terrible events,
family traditions, ancient legends and transcriptions of
Buddhist sutras, as well as stories depicting the heroism
and nobility of samurai.Although the official accounts
of what constitutes gunki as a genre are confusing,
works in this genre are generally distinct from the
monogatari of the Heian period. A simple plot
described in a simple and understandable language is
explained not by describing the essence of character
and psychological analysis, but by dialogue and action,
tendency to mystical and dramatic events is a unique
aspect of the gunky genre.
RESULTS
"Gunki" - literally "military descriptions" - is the main
narrative and descriptive genre of the Kamakura
period, replacing the former monogatari, and it must
be said that it is partly genetically related to them.
Gunki, at least in part, forms its name according to the
same type as the Heian period story: It falls into
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monogatari. For example: "The Tale of the Hogen
Years" - "HogenMonogatari", "The Tale of the Heiji
Years" - "HeijiMonogatari", "The Tale of the Taira
House"
-
"Heike-monogatari"
and
others.G
unkimonogatari (Japanese: jūnjìwùyǔ) is a
literary genre, the main military narrative genre of the
Kamakura period (XII-XIV centuries). The plot of Gunki
is based on national historical events, first of all, the
topic of mutual civil wars of 1156-1568. Fairy tales are
distinguished by many features typical of epics.
Kamakura literature was formed during Japan's
Kamakura period (1185-1335) and is associated with
the rise of the samurai class. In this period, literature is
characterized by military spirit, Buddhism (Zen
Buddhism) and realistic images.Buddhism has had a
long and illustrious history in Japan, but it was in the
Kamakura period that Buddhism in Japan came into full
flower. The forms of Buddhism that emerged at that
time
–
Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren
–
were largely
responsible for the dissemination of Buddhist beliefs
and practices throughout Japanese society. The success
of this movement lay in tailoring the ideas and goals of
Buddhism to the concerns of the populace at large.
Hence, Kamakura Buddhism, as the entire religious
movement is called, has left an indelible mark on
Japanese history and has made Buddhism a lasting and
pervasive component of Japanese culture.
Buddhism is the most popular religion in Japan and
covers a large part of the population. There are several
types of Buddhism in Japan. Over the course of its
1,500-year history, many Buddhist schools and
movements have arisen and developed in Japan,
focusing on different aspects of the teachings - some
on philosophy, some on culture, some on meditation,
some on rituals, some on reciting mantras.Different
schools were popular among different strata of the
population - scholars, monks, samurai, ordinary people.
Some schools rely on monasticism, while others are
active in the social sphere. Historically, there have been
many disputes between Buddhist schools, which have
even ended in long-term armed conflicts.Although
most of the Buddhist schools in Japan originated from
similar schools in Korea and China, they have
experienced a long independent development and are
now quite different from the corresponding Chinese
and Korean schools. A few schools of early Buddhism
survive in their original form only in Japan, none in India
or China. Studying Buddhism in Japan allows us to
understand the history of Buddhism in other countries.
At the end of the 12th century, the teachings of the Zen
school reached Japan from China. The founder of
Rinzai-shu was Eisai (1149-1215). Before long, Rinzai-
shu gained prestige in samurai and imperial circles in
Japan, becoming in fact an officially sponsored
ideology.Almost all temples in this direction were part
of the Gozan hierarchical system, which was directly
under the control of the government. Gozan
monasteries became major cultural centers, and the
monks who lived in them became not only the keepers
of knowledge, but also the creators of literature in the
Chinese language called gozanbungaku ("literature of
five monasteries").
The founder of another Zen school, Soto-shu, was
Dogen (1200-1253). He prefers to stay away from
power, so Soto's ideas spread mainly in the provinces,
where they were strengthened by the support of local
feudal lords. The reformer of Soto-shu was Keizan
(1268-1325), under whom the followers of Soto
adopted and began to practice many of the rituals of
esoteric Buddhism. At the same time, there were
attempts to attract a wide range of people in this
direction.
The 13th century saw the emergence of the Nichiren-
shu school, which originated directly in Japan without
the involvement of Chinese or Korean preachers. Its
founder, Nichiren (1222-1282), singled out the Lotus
Sutra among all Buddhist scriptures, which was
especially valued by the Tendai school. Nichiren said
that only studying him, and above all, respecting him,
could ensure the prosperity of the country and the
happiness of his fans.For this, he always namoku -
"NamuMyohorenkyo!" He recommended repeating his
mantra incessantly. ("Glory to the Good Law Lotus
Sutra!"). Unlike the esoteric Shingon school, which
focused on the sartorial aristocracy, or the samurai-
based Rinzai-shu, the Nichiren-shu school, like the
Amida schools, attracted many commoners because of
the simplicity of its teachings. widespread in the
regions. It is no coincidence that the Amidaist
preachers were the inspirations (two or two) of the
religious peasant uprising against the tyranny of feudal
lords and officials.Due to constant internal conflicts,
monastery buildings were often burned down,
Buddhism strengthened its position in the 13th-15th
centuries, expanded its sphere of influence, and took
an active part in politics. Only at the end of the 16th
century, due to the activities of Oda Nobunaga (1534-
1582) and ToyotomiHideyoshi (1536-1598), who united
the country, the economic power of large monasteries
was broken and they were deprived of their former
privileges.
Although the government of the Tokugawa shogunate
(1603-1868) endorsed the moral and ethical teachings
of Neo-Confucianism, it generally supported Buddhism,
and it was used as a convenient tool to eradicate
Christianity, which had spread throughout Japan. to
carry out secret surveillance of the population.Each
family was assigned to a particular temple (regardless
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
of personal sympathy for a particular school) where
they had to register. At the same time, in the depths of
Buddhist schools, taking into account new conditions,
active processes of understanding philosophical
concepts and their subsequent modification took
place.TakuanSoho (1573-1645), BankeiYotaku (1622-
1693), HakuinEkaku (1683-1768), Suzuki Shosan (1579-
1655), Jiun (1718-1804) abandoned the Chinese
language and began to use Japanese in their sermons
and writings. At the same time, trends of syncretism
grew, which was manifested not only in the desire to
receive certain conditions from other Buddhist schools,
but also in the increasingly frequent appeal to
Confucianism and Shintoism.
Pure Land Buddhism and literature
Many works written during this period reflect Buddhist
philosophy and include themes such as the transience
of life, spiritual purification, and meditation. Zen
Buddhism gained popularity among the samurai during
this period because of its discipline's emphasis on
concentration and inner peace. This philosophy is
reflected in the literature in the following aspects:
1.Hojoki (1212) this work contains reflections on the
transience of life (mujo). The author renounces worldly
worries and chooses to live in the bosom of nature and
philosophically analyzes the instability of life.
2.Tsurezuregusa (1330) the influence of Zen Buddhism
is clearly visible in this collection of essays. The author
shows the beauty of ordinary life and promotes the
idea of appreciating the present moment.
3.Shobogenzo- this work is one of the most important
religious-philosophical texts on Zen Buddhism, which
describes the process of spiritual perfection and
meditation.
Amidism (Pure Land Buddhism) and literature
1.Popular among ordinary people, Pure Land Buddhism
promotes the idea of salvation through devotional
worship to Amida the Buddha. This philosophy is
reflected in literature as follows.
2.Heike monogatari. In this work, the concept of
transience of Pure Land Buddhism is clearly noticeable.
The heroes of the play accept their fate and find
comfort in understanding the transience of life.
During the Kamakura period, many literary works and
poetic texts deal with Buddhist prayers, penance, and
preparation for the afterlife. The literature of the
Kamakura period opened a new direction in Japanese
culture, which reflected the spirit of the samurai, the
philosophy of bushido, and the Buddhist worldview.
Unlike the elegant aristocratic literature of the earlier
Heian period, the works of this period were realistic
and philosophical, reflecting on the bravery of the
samurai, the tragic life of war, and the transience of
historical life. The literature of Kamakura is a great
period for later Japanese literary traditions and remains
an important cultural legacy even today.
CONCLUSION
Kamakura's literature is distinguished by its realistic
depiction, providing the tragedy of wars, and depicting
the life and moral values of the samurai. Unlike the
romantic and elegant literature of the Heian period, the
works of this period were more philosophical, war-
fighting, and historical.Although Gunki monogatari
were written in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods,
they have a number of similarities with Heian period
literature in terms of style. However, unlike the
literature of the Heian period, the main theme of the
Gunki monogatari was firstly a detailed coverage of the
bloody civil war that took place in 1156-1568 and the
courageous actions of the samurai.Gunki monogatari
aimed not only to shed light on the domestic and
cultural life of the Kamakura-Muromachi historical
periods and the conflicts of those periods, but also to
shed light on issues such as the place of the samurai
among people, his responsibility, and duty.This later
had an impact on the creation of Bushido, the
community of samurai. The literature of the Kamakura
period opened a new direction in Japanese culture,
which reflected the spirit of the samurai, the
philosophy of bushido, and the Buddhist worldview.
Unlike the elegant aristocratic literature of the earlier
Heian period, the works of this period were realistic
and philosophical, reflecting on the bravery of the
samurai, the tragic life of war, and the transience of
historical life. The literature of Kamakura is a great
period for later Japanese literary traditions and remains
an important cultural legacy even today.
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