A Study On The Traditional Japanese Literary Qualities In Kyouka Literature

Izumi Kyouka(1873-1939)is a writer spanning the Meiji,Taisho,and Showa periods in modern Japanese history,and is one of the key figures in the history of Japanese romantic literature.In his 66 years,his writing career spanned to 47 years.During his lifetime,Kyouka wrote a wide variety of works,including novels,plays,travelogues,and other subjects,and he is regarded as a "genius writer".Among these works,there are countless works that reflect traditional Japanese literary themes.In 1899,Izumi Kyouka published a masterpiece on the subject of flowers and willows,"Love in Yushima",which depicts the theme of geisha and love.This novel was also based on Kyouka’s own experience and criticized the old concepts and marriage system that existed in society at the time.Another novel,“Uta-andon” was published in1910,at the peak of his writing career,when his writing was already very mature.The beautiful scenes and unique narrative structure of this work make it an undeniable classic of his,and it also expresses the infinite reverence of Mirror Flower for art.What both works have in common is that Kyouka has skillfully applied the qualities of traditional Japanese literature,which he has been interested in since childhood,to his works,elevating them in terms of narrative technique and thematic expression.As a reader of Izumi’s works,we experience a richly layered and graphic world created by Kyouka’s masterful language skills.The unique " Kyouka style" has influenced the writing style of many famous writers in the Japanese literary world since then.It can be said that Izumi Kyouka is not only a great writer,but also the inheritor of Japanese traditional literature.First of all,it introduces the origins of the traits in Kyouka ’s literature.The first is from the background of the time in which Kyouka lived;the second is related to Kyouka’s upbringing.Secondly,it uses textual analysis to analyze two works,"Uta-andon" and "Yushima-moude",to show how Kyouka skillfully uses the qualities of traditional Japanese literature in his works;Next,it uses narrative theory to analyze the narrative structures and techniques Kyouka uses in his works.In addition,using knowledge of linguistics and stylistics,it explains how Kyouka imparts beauty to his works through the art of language,using the qualities of the Japanese language to create the beauty of sound and rhythm in his works and the aesthetic qualities of the Japanese people to create the beauty of color in his works.The combination of these narrative skills and language skills makes the traditional Japanese literature play to the extreme in Kyouka’s works.The analysis of Izumi Kyouka ’s two works shows that Kyouka has passed on traditional Japanese literature through literature,and in turn,literature is enriched and brought to life by the addition of traditional Japanese literature.In addition,Kyouka ’s mastery of language reflects the beauty of sound and color created by Japanese writing.This is the reason why Kyouka literature has remained so vibrant.