"'The line, ' wrote William James, 'is the relation.' In a study of stunning originality, Thomas Lamarre gives us the brushwork line, the line of poetic gesture--and through it, the relation between nation and sensation. "Uncovering Heian Japan" combines an exquisitely researched archeology of Japanese writing with far-ranging reflections on race, nation, and collective expression. A major contribution not only to Japanese studies, but to the interdisciplinary realm of cultural theory as a whole."--Brian Massumi, State University of New York at Albany

Acknowledgments vii
A Note on Transliteration and Illustrations ix
Introduction: Unstating Heian Japan 1
Part One. The Interpretation of Rebuses
1. Revising the Rebus 13
2. Kana Inscription and Stylistic Differentiation 26
3. Composition and Competition 50
Part Two. Inscription and Sensation
4. Toward a History of Styles 77
5. Heian Calligraphy 93
6. The Multisensible FIgure: Ashide Shita-e Wakanroeisho 116
Part Three. The Song Machine
7. Two Prefaces, Two Modes of APpearance 143
8. Tsurayuki's Song Machine 161
Notes 189
Works Consulted 207
lIllustrations 217
Index 229