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- Many Japanese male aristocrats would have been thoroughly
educated in the Chinese classics, such as the Classic
of Poetry (see page 812 in
volume A) and the writings of Po Chü-i (see
page 1393 in volume B), to prepare for a career in
government administration.
- When thinking about the misogyny inherent in writings
of the Japanese imperial court—such as the Tale
of Genji—it is worth thinking about gender standards
in European medieval, Renaissance, and Victorian literature
(see pages 1622–2141 in volume
B; pages 2465–3060 in volume C; pages 1071–1571
in volume E).
- During the discussion about women in Chapter 2 of the
Tale of Genji, reference is made to On Marriage,
the first poem in Ten Poems Composed at Ch'ang-an.
(see page 2491 in volume B).
- When Genji whispers, "In the Eight Month, the Ninth
Month, the nights are long," he is alluding to the
Chinese poem The Fulling Blocks at Night by Po
Chü-i. As Genji is leaving for exile in Suma and looks
back at the city, an allusion is made to Lines Written
on the Winter Solstice in the Arbutus Hall, another
poem by Po Chü-i. He makes another reference to Po
Chü-i's poetry as he is about to leave. Reference
is made to On the Evening of the Full Moon of the Eighth
Month. (see pages 1393–1398
volume B).
- It is possible that the Pillow Book is a direct
allusion to a poem by Po Chü-i where the poet describes
using a book as a pillow while napping (see
page 1393 in volume B). In Flowering Trees,
Sei Shonagon refers to the poetry
of Po Chü-i. But it is possible that the details about
Yang Kuei-fei discussed here are not in line with the sequence
of events in the original poem (see
pages 1393–1398 in volume B).
- Twentieth-century British and U.S. poets, including W.
B. Yeats and Ezra Pound, drew inspiration from No's
rich tapestry of poetry and prose, and reliance on a single
symbol (see page 2348 in volume
B).
- As with Beowulf, covered in "The Formation
of a Western Literature" (see
pages 1626–1702 in volume B), the Tale of
the Heike is thought to have originated as a story
told by itinerant performers who traveled the countryside.
- Satori, or enlightenment, is analogous to the
concept of moksa, central to Hindu doctrine and
the literature of India's heroic age (see
pages 881–1038 in volume A) and classical age
(see pages 1251–1350 in volume
B), and to the mystical poetry of India (pages
2373–2405 in volume B).
- Zeami Motokiyo's Haku Rakuten is a direct
allusion to the Chinese poet Po Chü-i. Haku Rakuten
is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese poet's
name (see, pages 1393–1398
and 2356–2361 in volume B).
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