The Heian period in Japan spanned from 794 to 1185. At this time, the imperial court was considered to be at its peak, when literature and poetry flourished . China was considered an exemplary model of culture and civilization, and Japan wanted to separate from it and become its own powerful entity. Thanks to the steady decline of Chinese influence, Japan was able to establish its own indigenous identity. Through literature, the Japanese raised their status to challenge China. The first imperial anthology was the Kokinshū, which included over 1,000 poems, most in tanka form. This anthology presented waka as an acceptable and valuable art form. It is therefore thanks to poetry that Japanese literature has gained appreciation and respect. Throughout the Heian period, poetry held a central role in traditional Japanese literature, both in monogatari and nikki. This article will focus on the role of poetry in the narrative prose of the Heian period, as exemplified by the Ise monogatari, Taketori monogatari, and Tosa nikki. These specific works were chosen because each represents a different style of traditional Japanese prose narratives, but they are all connected by the central thread of poetry. The explosion of literature is due to the development of kana symbols, which are simpler to use than Chinese kanji. characters. Kana was used to compose Japanese poetry and was used among court ladies. Thus, some of the best works of Heian literature are believed to have been produced by women. In the Heian period, there were two basic types of prose literature: monogatari and nikki. Monogatari are poetic stories whose subjects range from novels to historical articles to short anecdotes. These are stories mainly written in prose but ...... middle of paper ...... poetry was not limited only to the upper social classes. Overall, in the Heian period, poetry was the foundation of narrative literature, without which, I believe, Japan could not have competed with China. Keene, Donald. Anthology of Japanese literature, from the early period to the mid-19th century. New York: Grove, 1955.2. Ise Monogatari reading from class.3. Taketori Monogatari reading from class.4. Handout 5 from Class 5. Handout 6 from Class 6. Handout 8 from Class 7. "History of Japan: Nara, Heian Periods." Japan-guide.com - Travel and life guide in Japan. June 9, 2002. the web. June 3, 2011. .8. "Japan Reference - Culture - Japanese History: Heian Period 平安時代." Japanese reference (JREF). Internet. June 3 2011. .