Download or read book Inscribed Objects and the Development of Literature in Early Japan written by Joshua Frydman and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2023-06-26 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The introduction of writing enables new forms of literature, but these can be invisible in works that survive as manuscripts. Through looking at inscriptions of poetry on garbage and as graffiti, we can glimpse how literature spread along with writing. This study uses these lesser-studied sources, including inscriptions on pottery, architecture, and especially wooden tablets known as mokkan, to uncover how poetry, and literature more broadly, was used, shared and thrown away in early Japan. Through looking at these disposable and informal sources, we explore the development of early Japanese literature, and even propose parallels to similar developments in other societies across space and time.