Heian Literature

Abstract: Heian Period Women’s Literature: The thesis is built on the following chapters: 1) Introduction 2) Heian Period History 3) The Aristocrat Women in Heian Period 4) Marriage and Family System in Heian Period 5) The History of the Japanese Writing Systems and Onnade 6) Literary Genres in Heian Period 7) Mono no Aware: Sadness of the Things 8) Ki no Tsurayuki and Kana Preface of Kokin Wakashū -Tosa Nikki 9) Michitsuna no Haha and Kagero Nikki 10) Sei Shonagon and Makura no Soshi, 11) IzumiShikibu and Izumi Shikibu Nikki 12) Conclusion 13) Bibliography
Özet: Tezde Heian Dönemi kadın edebiyatı ele alınmıştır. Tezin bölümleri aşağıdaki gibidir: 1) Giriş 2) Heian Tarihi 3) Heian Dönemi Soylu Kadını 4) Heian Döneminde Evlilik ve Aile 5) Japon Yazı Tarihi ve Onnade’nin oluşum 6) Heian Dönemi Edebi Türleri 7) Mono no Aware 8) Ki no Tsurayuki – Kokin Wakashū Kana Önsözü /Tosa Nikki 9) Michitsuna no Haha – Kagerō Nikki 10) Sei Shōnagon – Makura no Sōshi 11) Izumi Shikibu – Izumi Shikibu Nikki 12) Sonuç 13) Kaynakça
要旨: 「平安時代女流文学」目次1) 序論2) 平安時代史 3) 平安時代における遺族女性4) 平安時代における結婚制度5) 日本における書記法史とをむなで6) 平安時代における文学のジャンル7) 物の哀れ8) 紀 貫之と古今和歌集の仮名序 / 土佐日記9) 右大将道綱母と蜻蛉日記10) 清少納言と枕草子11) 和泉式部と和泉式部日記12) 結論 13) 参考文献

This essay explores the social, political and psychological difficulties encountered by Murasaki and the Akashi lady in Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji. It argues that the challenges faced by the female characters in the novel are not simply fictional, but that they reflect the reality of life for women during the Heian Period.

Resumen
Este artículo tiene como objetivo examinar de forma sucinta la historia de la literatura femenina japonesa desde el periodo clásico, conocido como era Heian (794–1185), hasta el periodo Moderno, cuyo final aproximado se da en la era Taishō (1912–1926). La literatura del periodo Heian de la cual se conservan, mayormente textos escritos por mujeres, constituirá un pilar fundamental para la construcción de la idea de nación en el Japón de finales del siglo XIX. Establecidos como “clásicos”, estos textos legitimarán la importancia de la escritura femenina del momento; que el canon masculino intentará desvincular de la literatura popular.


Abstract
This article aims to briefly examine the history of the Japanese women literature from its beginnings, known as the Heian era (794–1185), to the Modern period, whose approximate ends is in the Taishō era (1912–1926). The literature of the Heian period, of which they are preserved mostly texts are written by women, will constitute a fundamental pillar for the construction of the idea of nation in late XIX century Japan. Established as “classics”, these texts would legitimate the importance of women writing of the moment; that the male canon would try to dissociate from popular literature.

In this paper, I extend Malonfalean’s close reading by focusing on how Boku and Watashi struggle against the entropy around them brought about by hyper-reality. I highlight this struggle in two ways, both of which will explain how Boku and Watashi succeed in their struggles by becoming “asymptotically immortal.” The first way is by focusing on their experiences in the third space described by Malonfalean, with emphasis on the role of memories in preserving fragments of the self. The second way is by focusing on Murakami’s narrative structure of the novel, namely, the juxtaposition of the plot of Hard-boiled Wonderland with the plot of End of the World.  Here, I argue that the novel is a postmodern rendition of the Japanese monogatari (tale), a traditional literary form in Japanese literature that was born from the quiet struggles of the lower social classes in Heian-period society.

This paper discusses the emergence of Heian literary figures Hikaru Genji and Ariwara no Narihira as cultural and romantic heroes. It explores ideas of courtliness, spirituality/religion, and morality in relation to their actions, in an effort to understand the significance of the irogonomi as a cultural hero in Heian literature.

This is a translation of the epitaph as it appears in the collection
of Kukai's prose, poems, and prayers known as the Henjō hakki seireishū (or shōryōshū), (遍照発揮性霊集, Collected Works Divining the Spiritual Nature of Henjō, i.e., Kūkai), preserved in the sixth volume of the Kōbō Daishi Kūkai zenshū (KKZ, 弘法大師空海全集, Complete Works of Kōbō Daishi Kūkai. It begins with Kūkai's explanatory prose, which he added after returning to Japan.

When translating Kūkai 's Chinese, we consulted the Japanese translation and commentary notes included in the Volume 6 of the KKZ as well as other dictionaries and encyclopedias. We also referred to other writings by Kūkai in the KKZ.

Kūkai described his knowledge of esoteric Buddhism as coming directly from Huiguo. Therefore, his portrayal of the master is particularly useful for understanding the early development of Shingon as well as Kūkai himself.

The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) is written during the Heian-period (794-1185) by the court lady Murasaki Shikibu and is considered one of the earliest novels in the world. Originally written in classical Japanese, its first English translation appeared in the late 19th century by Suematsu Kenchō. Ever since, four more English translations appeared on stage: Waley (1921-23), Seidensticker (1976), Tyler (2002) and Washburn (2015). This article makes a comparison between these translations and the Japanese source text, to uncover its hidden message. With the use of quirky popsong titles, this paper introduces Genji as a gentleman, Casanova and a sexual predator. Moreover it is an investigation into the relationship between work and author.

“Like Water Foam”: the Introduction of Buddhist Expressions in Heian Literature

With a comparative approach between kanshi and waka, I intend to address the problem of the import of Buddhist terms and expressions in Japanese poetry. Through the study of the image “water foam” (Minawa or mizu no awa), often used as a metaphor of the short life of man, I want to demonstrate the impor- tance of a conception of literature that transcends the division into genres. We will follow the development of this expression starting from the sutras, and analyzing Man’yōshū, Kūkai, Sugawara no Michizane, Bai Juyi and Ōe no Chisato, and finally the Kokinshū.


「水の泡」- 平安文学における仏教的表現の導入について

本発表は、比較文学論的に平安時代の歌と詩における仏教的表現の導 入を論じるものである。一つの例として、「水の泡」という表現を取 り上げ、その源泉と発展を分析したい。ジャンルの区別に限ることな く、平安文学を包括的な見解から考える必要を肯定する。対象テクス トについては、教典、万葉集、空海、菅原道真、白居易、大江千里か らの事例をあげ、「水泡」という表現の変容を考えたい。

Each subsequent generation in Genji monogatari proceeds with yet more realism and often yet more tragedy. The misty nostalgia toward the past in the earliest chapters gradually fades in favor of unrelenting clarity, each theme repeated until the psychology of each character is as clear to us as our own. At the same time as we see ourselves reflected in the main character, Genji, he seems to be by self-admission more than usually prone to image transference, attempting to replace one lost or failed relationship with another. One curious aspect of transference in this text is that, more often than not, it involves an ersatz incestuous connection. Despite its whole narrative being focused around a single family, and while there are some positive examples, idealized parent-child relationships are overshadowed by self-interest, intrigues and even abuse. In many ways, Neo-Confucian critics of the text were justified in labeling the work "amoral" from a Confucian standpoint. 1 This paper will argue, however, that Murasaki Shikibu's intention in these pseudo-incestous relationships is to convey the unique ethos of Heian aristocratic family dynamics, centralized around separation and deprivation. Furthermore, that while parent-child love does indeed exist in her time, it is often interrupted and diverted into forced romanticization.

Silenziose. Obbedienti. Nascoste nell’ombra. Questa è l’immagine che ci viene alla mente quando pensiamo alle donne del periodo Heian. Ma era davvero così?
Il periodo Heian è conosciuto anche come l’epoca d’oro della letteratura classica perché proprio in questo periodo si ha il fiorire di una letteratura femminile di altissimo pregio. Proprio grazie a questa letteratura, si può avere una visione realistica di com’era la vita dell’aristocrazia e della corte Heian, di come dovevano essere educate le donne e di quali regole bisognava seguire se si voleva avviare un rapporto con l’altro sesso.
Il mio elaborato è incentrato su di uno studio trasversale dei testi letterari al fine di determinare le condizioni di vita e la repressione emotiva delle donne aristocratiche del tempo e il loro conseguente tentativo di far sentire la propria voce. Verranno di conseguenza analizzate, tramite i testi, le armi che le donne hanno utilizzato come forma di protesta nei confronti di una repressiva società patriarcale e la forza che queste donne hanno avuto nell’affermare la propria volontà.

This is an annotated translation of the 103rd entry in the Henjō hokki shōryōshū (or seireishū), which is the second entry in scroll 10 of that document: "Dedication of the memorial image commemorating the late Venerable Master Gonzō, with preface (故贈僧正勤操大徳影讚并序)."

The translation is based on the classical Chinese text found on pages 772-3 in Volume 6 of the Kōbō Daishi Kūkai Zenshū (KKZ) with reference to the Japanese translations on pages 651-8 and the endnotes on pages 701-7 in that collection.

[Thesis in Brazilian Portuguese]
This research concerns the novel Namamiko Monogatari なまみこ物語, “A Tale of False Fortunes” (1965), written by Japanese writer Enchi Fumiko (1905–1986). Aiming at improving the visibility of the author and her work in a Brazilian context, and, thus, enriching the discussion about both aspects, we sought to make an annotated translation of the narrative. As theoretical basis, three guiding perspectives were used: George Steiner’s hermeneutic motion (1975), that explains translation mostly as a process of interpretation; Haroldo de Campos’s “transcreation”, a method originally proposed in the 1960s/70s for the translation of concrete poetry, aiming at a re-creation of the sign — and not just the signified — in certain target language and culture; and, finally, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s notion of feminist translation (1993), which incites us to look deeply into the rhetoric of the text as a means to identify the workings of the gendered agency in the author’s writing. In the preliminary comments, we examined practical issues of our translation’s process, such as the tools employed, and we also discussed the title, translated as “A história de uma médium irresoluta” (The story of an irresolute medium). In the comments section of the actual text, we delve into the difficulties and resources, pointing at the differences between writing systems, the intertextualities, the presence of the supernatural and the uncanny in the text, the formal and thematic recurrences, the gender issues, and the poetics.

Título em português: "A aia irresoluta que traduziu sua imperatriz: possessão e incorporação na tradução de Namamiko Monogatari"

Resumo: Esta pesquisa trata do romance Namamiko Monogatari なまみこ物語, “A história de uma médium irresoluta” (1965), da escritora japonesa Enchi Fumiko (1905–1986). Com o objetivo de visibilizar a autora e sua obra e enriquecer as discussões a respeito de ambas, empreendemos uma tradução comentada da narrativa. Como aporte teórico, utilizamos três visões norteadoras: a concepção de movimento hermenêutico, de George Steiner (1975), que entende a tradução sobretudo como um processo de interpretação; a transcriação de Haroldo de Campos, o processo originalmente proposto nos anos 1960/1970 para tradução de poesia concretista, visando a uma recriação do signo — e não somente do significado — na cultura e na língua de chegada; e a tradução feminista conforme Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (1993), que estimula a uma análise aprofundada da retórica do texto da escritora traduzida como forma de reconhecer a agência do gênero na escrita. Nos comentários preliminares, examinamos questões práticas do processo da tradução, como as ferramentas utilizadas, e discutimos o título, traduzido como “A história de uma médium irresoluta”. Já nos comentários da tradução, investigamos dificuldades e recursos, apontando para diferenças dos sistemas de escrita, intertextualidades, a presença do sobrenatural e da infamiliaridade no texto, recorrências formais e temáticas, questões de gênero e poética.

A common refrain in criticism of the eleventh-century work The Pillow Book is that Sei Shōnagon had nothing but disaparaging words to say about the lower classes.  This study re-examines this idea through an in-depth review of the passages in The Pillow Book that mention commoners, and it finds that the situation is somewhat more complex.  This paper begins by looking at the language that identifies people of the lower classes, specifically the noun "gesu," the adjective "waroki," and the prefix "-ese." Next the paper examines the scenes in which commoners make appearances.  While some passages contain negative portrayals, others express curiosity and interest in the world of the commoners, compelling us to revise the notion that Sei Shōnagon merely disdained the working classes.  Embedded within each of these passages, however, are a number of mechanisms that reinforce differences between the social class of the narrator and those of the objects of scrutiny.  This paper examines why the narrator uses this combination of images and concludes that they serve as elaborate performances that ultimately reinforce the illusion of the narrator's superior social and aesthetic acuity.

Ceremony for the establishment of the Shugei Shuchiin School, with preface (綜藝種智 院式幷序). "Shugei Shuchiin" is the Institution for Cultivating Knowledge of a Broad Weaving of Arts. This an annotated translation entry 102 in the Henjō Hakki Shōryōshu, the 1st entry in Scroll Number 10 of that document found in Volume 6 of the Kōbō Daishi Kūkai Zenshū. In this talk, Kūkai explains his idea and solicits funds to help establish Shugei Shuchiin, which became one of the first non-governmental and non-aristocratic schools in Japan. It was a school open to all people and encouraged education in a broad array of arts and sciences. Shugei Shuchiin became a long-enduring school in Heian (Kyoto) and its location is still commemorated there today.

In the following article, the author proposes a comparative analysis of the two masterpieces of Old Japanese («Genji monogatari» by Murasaki Shikibu) and Italian literature («Il Cortegiano» by Baldassare de Castiglione), in the context of world literature and comparative studies of classical world literatures, with the aim of indicating some universal qualities and conduct that characterized a courtier, also from the perspective of chivalric ethos.

A Bridge between Chinese and Japanese Poetry Sugawara no Michizane’s kanshi

Studies in wakan hikaku bungaku (Sino-Japanese comparative literature) have grown considerably in Japan during the last 50 years, but among scholars of different fields there is still a lack of convinction about the need for including this kind of comparative approach in studies of Heian literature. The relationship between Sugawara no Michizane’s kanshi and Kokin wa- kashū’s waka demonstrates that poetry in Chinese was not separated from the world of waka. The two literary traditions were deeply entwined in every aspect, both textual and social. In this paper I focus on the problem of inter- textuality and the passage of rhetoric from kanshi to waka and vice versa, to demonstrate the necessity for a different and dual point of view.

        和歌と漢詩の架け橋:菅原道真の詩歌

和漢比較文学の研究はここ五十年間、著しく発達してきた。だが、 このような研究が平安朝文学のどの研究においても大きなメリット があるという観点は、まだ日本文学研究者の間に十分に普及してい るとは言えない。菅原道真の詩と『古今和歌集』の和歌における表 現の共通点は、和歌と漢詩が別々の世界のものではなく、同じ文化 環境に位置し、緊密な関係を維持する双子のような文学であること を表している。この小論では、インターテキストと表現典拠の視点 から詩歌を分析し、このような比較文学研究の必要性を強調したい。

The paper argues that the well-established distinction between "formal" / "public" (hare) and "informal" / "private" (ke) poetry in waka studies not only fails to describe adequately the styles it purports to illustrate but actively hinders a more accurate understanding of the literary cultures to which it is applied. After briefly reviewing the debate on formal and informal styles in waka scholarship and a brief analysis of the zōtōka ("poetic dialogues") as a particular kind of poetic communication, I provide close readings of the personal poetry collections of Fujiwara no Morosuke (907-960) and Fujiwara no Kishi (929-985) in order to show that, when viewed against its historical context, so-called "private" poetry was as politically significant and as consequential for the state as its formal counterpart, albeit in a different way. Whereas formal, daiei-style composition reflected and celebrated the vertical, emperor-centric structure of the ritsuryō state, everyday exchanges between court aristocrats were the perfect literary complement to the "privatized," cooperative, and consensus-based order now known as the "court-centered polity" (ōchō kokka).

(*pdf file contains preview of the essay. You can purchase the magazine via Subaru's page)
エセン・エシン,「イスタンブールの紫式部と平安京のエシン」、 すばる文芸誌７月号、ｐｐ.204-205, ２０１４年７月 (日本語のエッセイ)
Esen, Esin, “Isutanburu no Murasaki Shikibu, Heian-kyō no Esin (Murasakiİstanbul'da, Esin Heian-kyō'da)” Subaru Sanat-Edebiyat Dergisi, s. 204-205, Japonya, Temmuz 2014. (Japonca deneme)
Esen, Esin, “Isutanburu no Murasaki Shikibu, Heian-kyō no Esin (Murasaki in Istanbul, Esin in Heian-kyō)” Subaru Arts and iterature Magazine, p.204-205, Japan, July 2014. (Essay in Japanese)

The article discusses on specific text-image interrelations in Senmen Hokekyō sasshi (Fan-shaped album of the Hokekyō Sutra), a XIIth century work restored in Shitennōji temple, Osaka. The album is famous not only because of its uncommon fan-shaped plates but also colourful underdrawings (shita-e). It is considered that the pictures are in fact pictorialization of poems (uta-e), which are combined with Sutra’s text. Using special technique called “hidden phrases” (inpukuteki kotoba) the author focuses on connections of uta-e with poems that could be inspiration for such pictorialization. The problem of pictures as means linking religious content with classcial Japanese poetry (waka) is also emphasized.

The Kara monogatari, compiled by Fujiwara no Shigenori (1135–1187), is a collection of twenty-seven secular anecdotes from Chinese literary and historical sources, written in the vernacular of the time, and traditionally classified in the setsuwa genre. However, considering its influence on the production of vernacular literary and practical knowledge manuals in the following Kamakura period (1185–1333), it is possible to rethink the work as a primer. The text exhibits several features that indicate a female audience. For example, many of the stories promote Confucian virtues, mainly those regarding the correct behavior of women, such as fidelity, wisdom, and forbearance. Furthermore, the rhetorical style is typical of post-Genji monogatari novels, which circulated especially among women. And lastly, the Buddhist flavor in some of the anecdotes connects them with the kana literary vogue and in turn with the Buddhist worldview that dominated the late Heian period (794–1185). Taken together, these features suggest the collection might well have been composed for mid-ranking court women. While modern literary scholars have conventionally assumed that in the twelfth century women no longer read or studied Chinese, Kara monogatari provides important evidence to the contrary.

Skripta je namijenjena studentima Japanologije koji polažu kolegij "Uvod u  japansku književnost 2" te pokriva razdoblje Heian. U skripti su dane osnovne informacije vezane za kulturnu klimu razdoblja, karakteristike književnih žanrova i njihovih stilskih odrednica.  Skripta sadrži kratak pregled opusa najpoznatijih autor(ica). Na kraju se nalazi popis literature koju je potrebno proučiti prije izlaska na ispit.

本論は、ハンガリーにおける百人一首の翻訳の歴史を論じたものである。和歌は俳 句に較べてハンガリーにおける認知度は低いが、それでも20世紀初頭には、日本文 学の紹介の中で文学史的な知識としていくつかの和歌がハンガリー語に訳されてい た。百人一首の全訳はようやく21世紀に入って登場する。それとは別にハンガリー 語訳の特徴は、日本語からの直接訳ではなく、英語やドイツ語に訳されたものを利用 しての間接訳（中間言語訳）だということである。最近になって大阪大学の学生によ る直接訳が行われたが、日本人によるハンガリー語訳であること、また日本人であっ ても古典としての百人一首に詳しくない学生の訳ということで、まだ問題が残ってい る。以上のような翻訳の歴史を踏まえて、理想的な百人一首のハンガリー語訳につい て試案を示してみた

Table of Contents

IntroductionXI

Part I
Frederick II, Saga and Uda1
Law reforms with Frederick II and Saga6
The state academy 9
The private relationship between ruler and officials, and the shōden system in Japan15
The monjō hakase and the poetic banquets17
Frederick II’s individualistic administration20
Conclusions22

PART II
Court and Culture23
Emperors as centers of the court, courts as centers of culture23
Latin and Chinese as languages of culture and bureaucracy 27
The prestige of high language30
Imperial power and Literature: the theory33
Some preliminary conclusions41
Imperial power and Literature: the texts44
The role of literature in pre-modern courts54
Utility of poetry: the problem57
Utility of poetry: a possible solution 60
Conclusions63

PART III
Court and Vernacular67
The Kokinwakashū and the Sicilian School of poetry: similarities and differences67
The path to the Kokinshū 69
The shaping of the Sicilian School72
The composition of the poetic community75
The birth of the vernacular canon88

PART IV
Formalization, translation, exclusion133
Formalization in the Sicilian School136
Formalization in the Kokinshū 146
Rhetoric as self-determination of the poetic community159
Conclusions164
Appendix - The exclusion of politics166

Part V
A new concept of love179
The love poetry of the troubadours185
Love and marriage at the Heian court 189
Attempting a comparison from the social point of view 191
Love in the Kokinshū and in the Sicilian School of poetry196
From the troubadours to the Sicilians197
From the Man’yōshū to the Kokinshū  206
The Kokinshū and the Sicilians, a direct comparison216

Conclusions241

References 247

Index257

"Language: Turkish
This paper aims to give a detailed explanation to Turkish readers of the Turkish translation of The diary of Lady Murasaki. The paper is built on the following titles: 1) Heian Period History 2) Social Structure 3) Women’s position 4) Women’s Literature 5)Murasaki Shikibu a) Life b) Works 6) About the Diary 7) People mentioned in the diary 8)Appearance of the women of the Heian Period a) Costumes a1)Wearing order a2) Fabrics used in costumes a3) Layer colors b) Hair forms 9) The houses of the noble people in Heian Period a) Shinden type construction a1) Inside a2) Outside a3) Parts between omotemon and nakamon a4) Parts inside the nakamon b) Blinds, folding screens etc. c) Other furnitures 10) About the translation."

This translates the 112 classical Chinese titles in the 10-scroll collection of Kūkai’s poems, works of prose, prayers, dedications, birthday wishes, appeals for funding, etc., gathered by his disciple Shinzai under the title Henjō Hakki Shōryōshu (“Divining the Spiritual Nature of The Everywhere-illuminating”, i.e., Kūkai.). Whereas most of the other writings in the Complete Works of Kōbō Daishi Kūkai expound Shingon doctrine, these are largely either poetic renderings or matters of practical business. Because Kūkai was interested in special uses of language, his poems are of particular importance. The practical writings can inform us of the actual early history of the Japanese Shingon tradition.