▁establish ▁a ▁unique ▁national ▁culture ▁of ▁its ▁own ▁it ▁saw ▁the ▁gen esis ▁of ▁early ▁Japanese ▁classical ▁literature , ▁which ▁to ▁a ▁large ▁part ▁emer ged ▁from ▁women ' s ▁court ▁literature . ▁Through ▁the ▁rise ▁and ▁use ▁of ▁k ana , ▁arist ocr atic ▁women ▁court ▁writers ▁formed ▁a ▁foundation ▁for ▁classical ▁court ▁literature , ▁according ▁to ▁Har uo ▁Sh ir ane . ▁K ok in ▁W ak ash ū ' s ▁first ▁imperial ▁w aka ▁collection , ▁published ▁c . ▁ 9 0 5 , ▁set ▁the ▁foundation ▁for ▁court ▁literature . ▁Up ▁to ▁this ▁point , ▁Japanese ▁literature ▁was ▁written ▁in ▁Chinese ▁– ▁tradition ally ▁the ▁language ▁of ▁men ▁in ▁the ▁public ▁sphere . ▁It ▁was ▁in ▁the ▁literature ▁of ▁the ▁imperial ▁court ▁that ▁the ▁grad ual ▁shift ▁toward ▁vern ac ular ▁k ana ▁writing ▁system ▁was ▁most ▁evident , ▁and ▁where ▁w aka ▁poetry ▁became ▁imm ens ely ▁popular . ▁As ▁Sh ir ane ▁explains : ▁" W aka ▁became ▁integral ▁to ▁the ▁every day ▁life ▁of ▁the ▁arist ocracy , ▁function ing ▁as ▁a ▁form ▁of ▁elev ated ▁dialog ue ▁and ▁the ▁primary ▁means ▁of ▁communication ▁between ▁the ▁sex es , ▁who ▁usually ▁were ▁phys ically ▁seg reg ated ▁from ▁each ▁other ." ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 1 th ▁century ▁new ▁gen res ▁of ▁women ' s ▁court ▁literature ▁were ▁appearing ▁in ▁the ▁form ▁of ▁di aries ▁and ▁po etic ▁stories . ▁Women , ▁re leg ated ▁to ▁the ▁private ▁sphere , ▁quickly ▁emb rac ed