Cultural+Characteristics

=Literature=

Lyrics to Kimigayo (Japanese national anthem) adapted from a Heian era waka or poem.
君が代は 千代に八千代に さざれ石の いわおとなりて こけの生すまで Thousands of years of happy reign be thine; rule on, my lord, till what are pebbles now By ages united to mighty rocks shall grow Whose venerable sides the moss doth line.

English translation by Basil Hall Chamberlain

=Beauty=

Widely considered as important to being a "good" person. The male courtly ideal included a faint moustache and thin goatee, while women's mouths were painted small and red, ad their eyebrows were plucjed or shaved and redrawn higher on the forhead. Costumes were determined by office and season, with a woman's robes in particular following a system of colour combinations representing flowers, plants, and animals specific to a season or month.



Questions Construct a Japanese poem which reflects the cultural characterisitcs and values of Japan under the Shoguns.

Construct an illustration which represents the concept of beauty within Japanese society. Describe the significance of dress within society and what beauty tells us about a persons social class.