Yamato Monogatari

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Copy of the Kitamura Kigin's Yamato Monogatari from the 17th century

Yamato Monogatari ( Japanese 大 和 物語 , dt. "Tales from ancient Japan", also "Tales from the province of Yamato ") is a story that, along with the Ise Monogatari, belongs to the Uta Monogatari genre . In this early form of the narrative ( monogatari ), which was originally handed down orally and whose early written fixings represent the Uta Monogatari, poetry, i.e. waka and prose, setsuwa (originally orally transmitted fairy tales and legends) are still mixed with one another. The exact date of origin and the author are unknown. It is assumed that the author belonged to the court nobility who cultivated this form of poetry in the middle of the Heian period . The Yamato Monogatari probably originated around the year 951 during the reign of Murakami Tennō . The work comprises 173 anecdotes and 300 waka, which have been handed down in two maki (roles).

Overview

A common distinction is made between two parts: the first part up to anecdote 140 mainly deals with the court and the aristocracy, while the second part, from anecdote 141 onwards, deals with unhappy love, separation and reunions. Formally, the Setsuwa predominate in the second part. Anecdote 147 (the "Ikudagawa saga" 生 田 川 伝 説 ) tells of the suicide of a woman from Isu who received two marriage proposals, one from a young man from the Mubara clan from Settsu province and one from a young man from the Chinu clan from Izumi province . She decides to marry the applicant who excels in courting her and outperforms the competitor. However, since both applicants try equally hard, she cannot find a criterion to prefer one of the two, gets into a difficult decision and plunges into the river Ikuda . Both applicants, who jump after her to save her, drown with her in the river and are buried to her right and left at the end.

The Yamato Monogatari is likely influenced by the older Ise Monogatari. The first anecdote and anecdote 147 refer directly to the poet Ise . The Yamato Monogatari also reports on "Fujiwara (no) Sumitomo ran" ( 藤原 純 友 の 乱 ), a pirate rebellion that culminated in a fateful naval battle in 936. At this point in time, Fujiwara no Sumitomo was returned to sea from a foray with about 1000 small boats. Several hundred pirates were killed and around 800 ships were confiscated. Nevertheless, the pirate leader Sumitomo managed to escape. These historical events are mentioned in two anecdotes from the Yamato Monogatari. On the one hand, Anecdote 4 tells of the appointment of Ono no Yoshifuru ( 小野 好 古 , 884–967), who managed to capture Sumitomo, and on the other hand, Anecdote 126 describes Sumitomo's attack on Dazaifu Chikuzen, the pillage of the official building and how Ono was no Yoshifuru returns from a punitive action against Sumitomo and visits the pillaged Lady Higaki ( 檜 垣 の 御 ), who lost her house and inventory.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Further research opinions are that the second part begins with anecdote 143 or with andekdote 147.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 大 和 物語 . Kyoto University Library, 2004, accessed October 26, 2012 .
  2. ↑ 大 和 物語 . In: デ ジ タ ル 版 日本人 名 大 辞典 + Plus at kotobank.jp. Retrieved October 22, 2012 (Japanese).
  3. ↑ Yamato Monogatari . In: Japanese Historical Text Initiative (Ed.): Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei (Compendium of Japanese Classical Literary Works) . tape 9 . Iwanami Publishing, Tokyo 1957, chap. 147 ( sunsite3.berkeley.edu ( memento of February 26, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) [accessed on February 26, 2015] Japanese: 大 和 物語 . Translated by Mildred M. Tahara, based on the English translation of the JHTI (restricted access)).
  4. ↑ 藤原 純 友 の 乱 . In: デ ジ タ ル 版 日本人 名 大 辞典 + Plus at kotobank.jp. Retrieved October 22, 2012 (Japanese).
  5. ↑ 「記憶」 の 語 り は 可能 な の か ～ 「大 和 物語」 百 二十 二十 六段 を よ む . (No longer available online.) March 24, 2003, formerly in the original ; Retrieved October 26, 2012 (Japanese).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / homepage2.nifty.com  

literature

  • From the Yamato Monogatari. The girl with the two suitors . In: Binko Matsuoka, Paul Hass (ed.): Japanese stories . H. Fikentscher Verlag, Leipzig 1938, p. 78-81 .

Web links