“Yamato-monogatari” , “The Tale of Yamato” ( Japanese 大 和 物語 ) - monogatari of the second half of the X century. It is one of the most important monuments of Japanese literature of the Heian period . The author is unknown, but was probably close to literary circles at the court of the emperor.
Content
Product Analysis
Background
The Uta monogatari , whose genre is written The Story of Yamato, was popular in the Heian period in Japan, combining poetry ( uta ) and romance ( monogatari ). In particular, these are collections of jokes or short stories illustrating one or more waka poems. [1] Uta monogatari and waka poetry have been developed in Japan since the beginning of the Heian period, in fact, due to the severance of relations with China (due to the fall of the famous Tang Dynasty), which contributed to the emergence of national preferences, whereas before that it completely dominated Chinese writing ( kanji ). [2] In the ninth century, along with kanji, recordings are made by Japanese syllabic writing Kana , which is simpler and more intuitive than Chinese writing: aristocrats, especially ladies (Chinese writing was a privilege for men), take this new form of writing, based on which truly Japanese literature is being developed about life, love and intrigue at court, which is expressed through nikki (diaries), monogatari (romance or short stories) and waka poetry. [3] [4] The Yamato Monogatari illustrates the development of elegant prose in Japan in the mid-10th century, culminating in a few decades later, The Tale of Genji (circa 1000, the Golden Age of Japanese Literature). [2] .
Structure and authorship
Yamato-monogatari is composed of 173 stories centered on verses, two appendices, and several later additions. The initial version was written around 951-952, and supplemented in about 1000, its author is unknown, but some signs indicate that it was a court aristocrat. [five]
The context of writing stories remains unclear. Heian's court life is usually described as refined, attaching importance to aesthetics and good taste, [6] it seems that aristocrats were entertained by composing poems or commenting on the content of ancient legends. Perhaps they compiled these stories into collections of the same type as the Yamato-monogatari. [2] At the time of their compilation, waka poetry was very popular among Emperor Uda . [7]
Yamato-monogatari is one of the first examples of tang-rank : the poet composed the beginning of the poem and left the second concern to supplement it. Such a composition becomes common in later periods. [eight]
Connection with Ise Monogatari
Most experts agree that the Yamato-monogatari format is largely based on Ise-monogatari . [9] Dame Ise also appears in sections 1 and 147, and at least six sections explicitly refer to her. [7] [10] However, the Yamato-monogatari is less interesting than the work of Ise, as her texts are more limited to stories of secluded life at court, and therefore, turn mainly to the aristocrats of that time, not interested in the internal connectivity of the work . [7]
Unlike Ise-monogatari, the narrative includes a large number of different characters, often historical figures of the time, often having nothing to do with each other. [eleven]
According to R. Bowring, the Yamato-monogatari could have been written surrounded by Emperor Uda in response to Gosen Wakashu . [7]
Contents
Yamato Monogatari focuses on life at Heian's court. In the first part, waka poetry predominates; introductions in prose report on the context of the writing of each poem and its author. Themes are close to the court, these are weddings, love stories and, of course, secret connections. The second part consists mainly of narratives in prose, although poems remain, describing characters or legendary heroes. [2]
The two applications are directly inspired by the Haitu Monogatari ( 平 中 物語 中 平 Haitu: Monogatari ) , compiled between 959 and 965, although the original was more concise and differed in some details. The story is about the life of Tyra Yoshidzake , who belongs to the imperial family, and is one of the list of thirty-six immortal poets of Japan . However, the story focuses mainly on the description of the character’s many love affairs. [12]
Yamato-monogatari very vividly depicts life at the court of the early Heian period (9th – 10th centuries), [11] also providing information on how poems were created, including how the choice of topic was made; [7] The story is also one of the first historiographical sources on Yamato-e , as it mentions illustrating verses with paintings on screens or on paper rolls. [13]
Cultural Influence
Jamato-monogatari jokes were adapted for the theater but served as inspiration for paintings and prints.
Bibliography
- Ermakova L. M. “Yamato-monogatari as a literary monument”, Main edition of oriental literature of the Nauka publishing house, 1982.
- (Fr.) René Sieffert , Contes de Yamato suivis du Dit de Heichû , Publications orientalistes de France, 1979.
- (Eng.) Saowalak Suriyawongpaisal , Intertextuality in the "Yamato monogatari plays" of the Nô theater , université de Harvard, 1995.
- (Japanese) Toshiko Abe , Japanese 校本 大 和 物語 と そ の 研究 (“Study of the work of the Yamato-monogatari”), Sanseido, 1954/1970.
- (Jap.) Tadanori Yanagida , Jap. 大 和 物語 « 研究 (“ Studying the Yamato-Monogatari ”), Canrin Sobo, 1994.
Notes
- ↑ Helen Craig McCullough, Classical Japanese Prose: An Anthology , Stanford University Press, 1991, p. 8, ISBN 978-0-8047-1960-5
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 (English) Mildred Tahara, “Yamato Monogatari” , Monumenta Nipponica, vol. 27, no 1, 1972, p. 1-37
- ↑ Donald H. Shively et William H. McCullough, The Cambridge History of Japan: Heian Japan , vol. 2, Cambridge University Press, 1999, p. 13, ISBN 978-0-521-22353-9
- ↑ (fr.) Edwin Oldfather Reischauer (Richard Dubreuil), Histoire du Japon et des Japonais: Des origines à 1945 , t. 1, Seuil, 1997, p. 58-59, ISBN 978-2-02-000675-0
- ↑ Terry Kawashima, Writing margins: the textual construction of gender in Heian and Kamakura Japan , Harvard Univ Asia Center, 2001, p. 66-68, ISBN 978-0-674-00516-7
- ↑ Richard K. Payne, “At Midlife in Medieval Japan,” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, vol. 26, no 1/2, 1999, p. 135-157
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 (English) Richard Bowring, “The Ise monogatari: A Short Cultural History” , Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, vol. 52, no 2, décembre 1992, p. 401-480
- ↑ Haruo Shirane, Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600 , Columbia University Press, 2008, p. 874-875, ISBN 978-0-231-13697-6
- ↑ William George Aston, A History of Japanese Literature , Simon Publications LLC, 2001, p. 88-91, ISBN 978-1-931313-94-0
- ↑ Narihira Ariwara, A study of the Ise-monogatari , vol. 1, Mouton, 1957, p. 142-143
- ↑ 1 2 (fr.) Yamato monogatari , Encyclopédie Larousse .
- ↑ (English) Mildred Tahara, “Heichū, as Seen in Yamato Monogatari” , Monumenta Nipponica, vol. 26, no 1/2, 1971, p. 17-48
- ↑ (fr.) Christine Shimizu, L'art japonais , Flammarion, coll. Tout l'art, 2001, p. 146-148, ISBN 978-2-08-013701-2
Links
- (jap.) Ancient manuscripts ( Waseda University )