In order to understand the development of Heian Culture and thus the dawn of Japanese culture, one needs to understand the sources available. One of the incredible things about the Heian era is the availability of primary sources that we have access to for study: diaries, books of poetry and literary works.
Already, the imprint of the women in the Heian era leaps into the forefront of the research. In no other time period prior to the 16th Century did an entire class of women create such literature and poetry as the Heian noble women, and certainly not in such a publicly acceptable manner. While there were a few women poets and novelists in Europe during the same era, early medieval society did not encourage it. (See Appendix C for comparative timeline)
In many European societies the freedom to read and write did not really become acceptable until a woman was widowed, particularly if she was of the royal or noble class (Bittle, 2002). This almost obsessive desire to chronicle their lives has made the works created by Heian woman vital resources in the preservation of Japanese early history. Calligraphy, music and poetry comprised much of the Heian woman’s education and with these she was considered able to hold her own with men and other women alike (Morris, 1994).
“First you must study penmanship. Next you must …show more content…
This was true for most of the Heian Era. Men did write diaries, poetry and other works, however they were not published in period to the extent of the writings of the women. In part this could have been because women had the use of kana (Japanese) and as it was a phonetic depiction of the spoken language they were more able to express things poetically through words. Written Chinese remained the official language of the Heian imperial courts, used exclusively by men for everything except poetry and communication with