Primary source analysis 2

• Guidelines
• List of materials to use
  • List A (use at least 1)
  • List B (optional)

Guidelines

 

• 800 words (± 10%;  excl. footnotes and bibliography)
• Use Chicago Notes and Bibliography for quotations (direct and indirect), paraphrases, and sources of ideas.
• Due May 4
  • You may submit a version earlier for feedback.
  •  For work submitted before April 24 I can arrange a peer review with your classmates.
  • Only the final version (or the version of May 4) will count towards your grade.
• Format: Google Doc, share with me.
  • If in doubt: use this template for the google doc
• You must use at least one document from list A (material not yet covered in the first Primary Source Analysis). You may contrast this with material(s) from list B (material already covered for the first Primary Source Analysis)

Task (as described in the syllabus)

History is created through the study of primary sources, and in these essays you get a chance to demonstrate your skills in interpreting sources and using them to construct a historical argument.

You select two or more primary sources and put them in dialogue, and show how a historian can use these to deepen our understanding of Japanese history. You can trace a genre or topic in time, or you can put two sources from the same time period in dialogue. Keep your eyes and ears open throughout the semester for interesting combinations of documents to use in this essay: read others’ reflections or go back in your own personal archive, listen out in class discussions, read through your class notes.

The main task is to place the document in its historical context, to follow up on ideas raised but not explored in full in the discussion, to think about how the material connects to the rest of the course or other courses, and to raise some questions for further debate or research. This is a very good exercise to come to grips with thinking and writing as a historian.

List of materials

List A: Choose at least ONE of the texts from this list for your primary source analysis.

• Late Heian:
  • • • “Rise of the Warrior Class.” In The Dawn of History to the Late Tokugawa Period, Volume 1 in Japan: A Documentary History, edited by David John Lu, pp. 101-106. London: Routledge, 2015. https://muhlenberg-on-worldcat-org.muhlenberg.idm.oclc.org/oclc/904546969.
      • “Scrolls of the Frolicking Animals”, attributed to Toba (1053–1140).
        • • • • Pictures in the Folder with Chōju jinbutsu giga pictures (“Frolicking Animals”)
      • “The Lady Who Preferred Insects”. In Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology. Beginnings to 1600, edited by Haruo Shirane, 498-499. Columbia Univ. Press, 2007. (PDF) [Optional extra]
      • “Collection of Tales Now Past.” In Sources of Japanese Tradition, Volume One: From Earliest Times to 1600 2nd edition, edited by de Bary, William Th. et al, 529-555. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. (PDF) [Optional extra]
• Kamakura:
  • • • Genji & Heike: Selections from The Tale of Genji and The Tale of Heike, translated by Helen Craig McCullough. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1994.
        • Selections from the Tale of Heike (PDF)
      • Kamo no Chōmei. “An Account of My Hut” [Hōjōki]. In Anthology of Japanese Literature: Earliest Era to Mid-nineteenth Century, compiled and edited by Donald Keene, 197-212. Unesco Collection of Representative Works. New York: Grove Press, 1955. (PDF)
      • “The Tale of the Dirt Spider.” In Monsters, Animals, and Other Worlds: A Collection of Short Medieval Japanese Tales, edited by Keller Kimbrough and Haruo Shirane, 23-30. Translations from the Asian Classics. New York: Columbia Univ. Press 2018. (PDF)
      • “Estate Stewards in Legal Documents”. In Pre-Modern East Asia, to 1800: A Cultural, Social, and Political History. 3rd ed. Edited by Patricia Buckley Ebrey and Anne Walthall, 190-191. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2014. (PDF)
      • “The Mongol Scrolls”. In Sources of Japanese Tradition, Vol. 1: From Earliest Times to 1600, compiled by Wm. Th. de Bary, Donald Keene, George Tanabe, and Paul Varley, 282-83. Second edition. Introduction to Asian Civilizations. New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 2001. (PDF)
      • Yoshida Kenkō. “Essays in Idleness.” In Anthology of Japanese Literature: Earliest Era to Mid-nineteenth Century, compiled and edited by Donald Keene, 231-241. Unesco Collection of Representative Works. New York: Grove Press, 1955. (PDF) [Optional extra]
• Muromachi (Ahigaka) period:
  • • • • Seami Motokiyo. “The Art of Nō”. In Anthology of Japanese Literature: Earliest Era to Mid-nineteenth Century, compiled and edited by Donald Keene, 259-262. Unesco Collection of Representative Works. New York: Grove Press, 1955. (PDF)
        • “Atsumori” (attributed to Seami). In Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology. Beginnings to 1600. Edited by Haruo Shirane, 980-991. Columbia Univ. Press, 2007. (PDF)
        • Yoshida Kenkō. “Essays in Idleness.” In Anthology of Japanese Literature: Earliest Era to Mid-nineteenth Century, compiled and edited by Donald Keene, 231-241. Unesco Collection of Representative Works. New York: Grove Press, 1955. (PDF) [Optional extra]
        • Objects connected to late Muromachi aesthetics (Slides (Gdrive link))
• Foreign relations:
  • • • • “Japan’s Christian Century”. In David John Lu. Japan: A Documentary History, 199-201. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1997. (PDF)
        • Oda Nobunaga. “Letter to the King of Korea”. In Sources of Japanese Tradition, Vol. 1: From Earliest Times to 1600, compiled by Wm. Th. de Bary, Donald Keene, George Tanabe, and Paul Varley, 465-67. Second edition. Introduction to Asian Civilizations. New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 2001. (PDF)
        • Haboush, JaHyun Kim, and Kenneth R Robinson. A Korean War Captive in Japan, 1597-1600: The Writings of Kang Hang. New York: Columbia University Press, 2013. (PDF)
• Controlling the Samurai:
  • • • • “Denial of Traditional Authority”. In David John Lu. Japan: A Documentary History, 174-186. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1997. (PDF)
        • “The Assault on Mount Hiei and the Blessings of Nobunaga”. In Sources of Japanese Tradition, Vol. 1: From Earliest Times to 1600, compiled by Wm. Th. de Bary, Donald Keene, George Tanabe, and Paul Varley, 445-47. Second edition. Introduction to Asian Civilizations. New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 2001. (PDF)
        • “Control of Vassals.” In David John Lu. Japan: A Documentary History, 203-208. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1997. (PDF)
        • “Closing the Country.” In David John Lu. Japan: A Documentary History, 220-228. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1997. (PDF)
• Tokugawa culture
  • • • • Selection of Sen no Rikyu’s poetry on Cha no yu (From Sadler, A. L. Cha-No-Yu: The Japanese Tea Ceremony. Rutland, Vt.: C.E. Tuttle, 1977. First published 1933 by J.L Thompson & Co.) (PDF, pp. 1-6)
        • Sen no Rikyu. “One Hundred Rules” (extract). (From Sadler, A. L. Cha-No-Yu: The Japanese Tea Ceremony. Rutland, Vt.: C.E. Tuttle, 1977. First published 1933 by J.L Thompson & Co.) (same PDF as bullet point above, pp. 7-10)
        • Namiki Senryū. “Suma Bay.” In Traditional Japanese Theater: An Anthology of Plays, edited by Karen Brazell, and James T Araki, 442-455. Translations from the Asian Classics. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998. (PDF)
        • Chikamatsu Monzaemon. “The Battles of Coxinga”. In Traditional Japanese Theater: An Anthology of Plays, edited by Karen Brazell, and James T Araki, 314-332. Translations from the Asian Classics. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998. (PDF)
        • “Early Haikai Poetry and Poetics.” In Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600-1900, edited by Shirane, Haruo, 170-172. 2002. Translations from the Asian Classics. New York: Columbia University Press. (PDF) [Optional extra]
        • “Little Atsumori.” In Monsters, Animals, and Other Worlds: A Collection of Short Medieval Japanese Tales, edited by Keller Kimbrough and Haruo Shirane, 250-64. Translations from the Asian Classics. New York: Columbia Univ. Press 2018. (PDF) [Optional extra]

List B: You may (but don’t have to) use these materials to supplement one or more materials from List A

• Early Chinese records on Japan:
  • • • • “Accounts of the Eastern Barbarians.” In Sources of Japanese Tradition, edited by Ryūsaku Tsunoda, Wm. Theodore De Bary, and Donald Keene, 1-9. Introduction to Oriental Civilizations. New York: Columbia University Press, 1964. (PDF, Canvas link)
• Founding myths of Japan in the Kojiki:
  • • • • “Book 1.” In Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600. Abridged ed., edited by Haruo Shirane, 15-21. Translations from the Asian Classics. New York: Columbia University Press, 2012. (PDF, Canvas link)
• Early Japanese historical record (Optional extra)
  • • • • “Archaic Rule and Conflict: Chronicles of Japan (Nihongi).” In The Life of Ancient Japan: Selected Contemporary Texts Illustrating Social Life and Ideals Before the Era of Seclusion, edited by Kurt Singer, 37-42. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2014. (PDF, Canvas link)
• Prince Shōtoku’s “Constitution”
  • • • • “The Seventeen Article Constitution of Prince Shōtoku.” In Sources of Japanese Tradition, Volume One: From Earliest Times to 1600. 2nd edition, edited by Ryūsaku Tsunoda, Wm. Theodore De Bary, and Donald Keene, 50-55. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. (PDF)
• Selection from “The Reform Edict of Taika”
  • • • • “Reform Edicts.” In Japan: A Documentary History: The Dawn of History to the Late Tokugawa Period, edited by David J. Lu, 69-74.  Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1997. (PDF)
• Chinese histories on Japan during the Sui and Tang dynasties.
  • • • • “History of the Sui Dynasty (Suishu).” In Sources of Japanese Tradition, edited by Ryūsaku Tsunoda, Wm. Theodore De Bary, and Donald Keene, 9-12. Introduction to Oriental Civilizations. New York: Columbia University Press, 1964. (PDF)
• Selection of primary sources on Buddhism and the state during the Nara period. (1 PDF, two different references):
  • • • • “The Sutra of the Golden Light”. In Sources of Japanese Tradition, Volume One: From Earliest Times to 1600. 2nd edition, edited by Ryūsaku Tsunoda, Wm. Theodore De Bary, and Donald Keene, 99-101. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002.
        • “State Sponsorship and Control of Buddhism”. In Sources of Japanese Tradition, Volume One: From Earliest Times to 1600. 2nd edition, edited by Ryūsaku Tsunoda, Wm. Theodore De Bary, and Donald Keene, 104-108. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002.
• Poems from the Man’yōshu (for each poem, refer to the specific page in your footnotes)
  • • • • Varley, H. Paul. Japanese Culture. Fourth edition, updated and expanded. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2000. (link)
• Extract of a Provincial gazetteer (was an optional extra)
  • • • •  “Provincial Gazetteers (Fudoki).” In Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology. Beginnings to 1600, edited by Haruo Shirane, 53-56. Columbia Univ. Press, 2012. (PDF)
• Keikai’s Record of Miraculous Events in Japan
  • • • • “Keikai.” In Sources of Japanese Tradition, Volume One: From Earliest Times to 1600. 2nd edition, edited by Ryūsaku Tsunoda, Wm. Theodore De Bary, and Donald Keene, 117-126. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002.
        •  (PDF)
• Kūkai’s “parabel” on reaching enlightenment
  • • • • Kūkai, “Indications of the Goals of the Three Teachings.” In Sources of Japanese Tradition, Volume One: From Earliest Times to 1600. 2nd edition, edited by Ryūsaku Tsunoda, Wm. Theodore De Bary, and Donald Keene, 157-162. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. (PDF)
• Kokinshu selection
  • • • • “Kokinshū (Collection of Ancient and Modern Poems, Ca. 905).” In Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600. Abridged ed., edited by Haruo Shirane, 146-168. Translations from the Asian Classics. New York: Columbia University Press, 2012. (PDF)
• “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter”
  • • • • “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Taketori Monogatari, ca. 909)”. In Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600. Abridged ed., edited by Haruo Shirane, 168–184. Translations from the Asian Classics. New York: Columbia University Press, 2012.(PDF)
• “Minister Kibi’s Adventures in China”
  • • • • “Translation of Kibi Daijin Nittō Emaki.” In Seven Demon Stories from Medieval Japan, by Noriko T. Reider, 102-110. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2016.  (PDF)
• Genji selections: You can use all three, or only 1 of the selections, but they must be paired with at least one other source (that is not Genji)
  • • • • “Murasaki Shikibu: On the Art of Fiction.” In Sources of Japanese Tradition, Volume One: From Earliest Times to 1600. 2nd edition, edited by Ryūsaku Tsunoda, Wm. Theodore De Bary, and Donald Keene, 201-202. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002.
        • “Kiritsubo.” In Genji & Heike: Selections from The Tale of Genji and The Tale of Heike, translated by Helen Craig McCullough, 25-26; 32-33. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1994. (PDF)
        • “The Broom Tree.” In Genji & Heike: Selections from The Tale of Genji and The Tale of Heike, translated by Helen Craig McCullough, 42-47. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1994. (PDF)
        • “Aoi” In Genji & Heike: Selections from The Tale of Genji and The Tale of Heike, translated by Helen Craig McCullough, 135-137, 141-142. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1994. (PDF)