Literature as a Tool of Power at the Heian Court in Japan and Frederick II’s Court in Sicily

In this paper I will provide some examples of encomiastic texts from Italy and Japan that are charged with political and instrumental meanings. To this purpose, I shall focus on the literary production of the early Heian court in Japan (8th-9th centuries) and the Sicilian court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (13th century). I hope that this comparison may stimulate wider – even worldwide – insights into the dynamics of literary production at precise, and yet very significant, stages in the cultural history of both Italy and Japan.