Unique or universal. Japan and its Contribution to World Civilization. Volume 2
Unique or universal. Japan and its Contribution to World Civilization. Volume 2
100 Years of Japanese Studies at the University of Warsaw
Contributor(s): Beata Kubiak Ho-Chi (Editor), Jędrzej Greń (Editor)
Subject(s): History, Language and Literature Studies, Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Japan; Japanese culture; Japanese literature
Summary/Abstract: The second volume of texts submitted for the international conference celebrating 100 years of Japanese Studies at the University of Warsaw contains articles on the uniqueness or universality of Japanese literature, language, theatre and film. The authors examine both classical and modern examples of Japanese prose, poetry, and performative arts, debating whether the numerous ‘unique’ areas of Japanese culture have become universally recognized, and already constitute an inseparable part of our contemporary transcultural world.
- E-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-6256-6
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-235-6248-1
- Page Count: 226
- Publication Year: 2023
- Language: English
The Art of Retelling and the Universality of Literature
The Art of Retelling and the Universality of Literature
(The Art of Retelling and the Universality of Literature)
- Author(s):Katarzyna Sonnenberg-Musiał
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
- Page Range:21-37
- No. of Pages:17
- Keywords:Akutagawa Ryūnosuke; universality of literature; Kumo no ito, Hankechi; Butōkai
- Summary/Abstract:As illustrated by "Noroma ningyō" ["Noroma Puppets"] (1916), Akutagawa Ryūnosuke was very much aware of the tension between the historical and the universal as far as the reception of art is concerned. The article focuses on three of his short stories: "Kumo no ito" ["The Spider’s Thread"] (1918), "Hankechi" ["The Handkerchief"] (1916), and "Butōkai" ["The Ball"] (1919) in relation to the question of how he responded to this tension. It argues that while the use of archetypal themes and motifs may illustrate Akutagawa’s belief in the universality of literature, his playing with perspectives and the antithetical structure of some of his works simultaneously question the possibility of a common understanding between different readers across cultures.
Unique or Universal?
Unique or Universal?
(Unique or Universal?)
- Author(s):Inoue Takashi
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
- Page Range:38-49
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Mishima Yukio; The Sea of Fertility; Marcel Proust; La Comédie humaine; Madame Bovary; The Tale of Genji; Narrow Road to the Interior; shishōsetsu; nihilism
- Summary/Abstract:Amidst uniqueness and universality there tend to arise sparks, conflicts, and intricately intertwined secret relationships. Taking up four Mishima Yukio novels – "The Forest in Full Bloom" ("Hanazakari no mori"), "Confessions of a Mask" ("Kamen no kokuhaku"), "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" ("Kinkakuji"), and "The Sea of Fertility" ("Hōjō no umi"), I substantiate this theory while also referring to works by other authors. "The Sea of Fertility" is the most unique and, simultaneously, the most universal of the discussed works, as it contains many diametric oppositions and predicts the nihilistic reality of our world nowadays. However, at the same time, it also encourages us to find the best way of living our life meaningfully.
"Mizumura Minae’s Novel" Shishōsetsu from left to right (1995)
"Mizumura Minae’s Novel" Shishōsetsu from left to right (1995)
("Mizumura Minae’s Novel" Shishōsetsu from left to right (1995))
- Author(s):Matthew Königsberg
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
- Page Range:50-64
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:Mizumura Minae; polylingualism; bilingualism; shishōsetsu; literary realism; postmodernist literature
- Summary/Abstract:The paper discusses "Shishōsetsu from left to right" (1995), Mizumura Minae’s shishōsetsu or ‘I-novel.’ Taking a closer look at the book – which through its very title purports to belong to a specific and unique Japanese genre – the paper poses the question of whether Mizumura’s work is indeed an ‘I-novel’ and thus unique to Japan, or whether it would be more accurate to classify it as an example of realist literature. The question is approached by first “verifying” the autobiographical information given in the novel and then by comparing the time structure of the work to that of conventional shishōsetsu. It is shown that the work diverges from conventional ‘I-novels’ in the way that the narrator presents the material. In addition, the work is shown to have a theme, namely, loneliness in American society. Finally, in dealing with the polylingual text, the question is raised as to what extent the use of English is mimetic, or if it is possibly – along with photos and other ‘non-mimetic’ devices in the novel – at times more akin to techniques of postmodernist literature.
Mono no Aware (‘Pathos of Things’) and the Literary Portrait of Kiritsubo in "The Tale of Genji"
Mono no Aware (‘Pathos of Things’) and the Literary Portrait of Kiritsubo in "The Tale of Genji"
(Mono no Aware (‘Pathos of Things’) and the Literary Portrait of Kiritsubo in "The Tale of Genji")
- Author(s):Iwona Kordzińska-Nawrocka
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
- Page Range:65-84
- No. of Pages:20
- Keywords:Murasaki Shikibu; The Tale of Genji; Genji monogatari; mono no aware; Kiritsubo; monogatari; literary portrait
- Summary/Abstract:The research purpose of this text is to reconstruct the literary portrait of Kiritsubo, one of the female characters in "The Tale of Genji", a work in the genre of courtly narratives (ōchō monogatari) written by Murasaki Shikibu in 1008. Kiritsubo is an episodic character and her role in the work’s plot is limited to the first chapter, which may be why there is relatively little research devoted to her. The construction of Kiritsubo’s literary portrait is influenced by mono no aware (‘pathos of things’), an aesthetic category representing the Japanese world of beauty. The category itself can be analyzed from many different points of view, but here the author has limited her analysis to showing its role in the portrayal and construction of Kiritsubo’s character. It was mono no aware understood as aesthetic and emotional beauty that enabled Murasaki Shikibu to maintain her descriptions of Kiritsubo while conveying an atmosphere of subtle elegance and contributed to her perception as someone who evoked both awe and compassion.
Globalizing Japanese Literature
Globalizing Japanese Literature
(Globalizing Japanese Literature)
- Author(s):Agata Bice
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
- Page Range:85-106
- No. of Pages:22
- Keywords:Japanese literature; literary translation; literary canon; translation awards; literary awards; globalization; literature support program
- Summary/Abstract:Appreciation for Japanese literature has been steadily growing in the West. Together with the Japanese traditional arts and pop-cultural products, literature has proven to play a vital role in communicating Japanese values to the global audience. However, a typical global reader can only access those works that have been translated into major European languages, mainly English, which currently holds the symbolic crown of the ruling language of literature in the world. This paper aims to show the current status of Japanese literature in the global literary space. For this purpose, a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the available statistical information is carried out. In order to properly interpret the data, the history of translation and publishing of Japanese literature in English is briefly summarized, with special attention paid to the last few decades and the foundation of new publishing houses dedicated solely to translating fiction from Japan. It is highlighted that the titles promoted for translation have not only been deemed universal enough to resonate with the Western audiences but also display a certain level of uniqueness which would set them apart from other works available to the global reader. A particular focus is then given to private and public initiatives, such as support programs and translation awards that aim at promoting and popularizing fiction from Japan outside its borders. The paper attempts to show what impact those efforts have had on raising the status of Japanese literature in the global literary system.
Passion and Form, Modernity and Tradition in the Unique Language of the "Midaregami" Poems of Yosano Akiko
Passion and Form, Modernity and Tradition in the Unique Language of the "Midaregami" Poems of Yosano Akiko
(Passion and Form, Modernity and Tradition in the Unique Language of the "Midaregami" Poems of Yosano Akiko)
- Author(s):Anna Zalewska
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
- Page Range:107-123
- No. of Pages:17
- Keywords:Japanese poetry; tanka; Yosano Akiko; versification; modern poetry; sensuality; female beauty
- Summary/Abstract:Yosano Akiko (1878–1942) gained fame as a poet, both in tanka and modern shintaishi form, as a wife of Yosano Tekkan, also a prominent poet and literary magazine editor, and as a feminist, pacifist, and social reformer, author of many texts published in the "Seitō" ["Bluestocking"] magazine. In order to better understand the uniqueness of her poetic art, I take into consideration her language and the peculiarity of the versification of her poems. Although throughout her lifetime she produced many thousands of tanka poems, her most successful and most discussed collection of poetry was the first one: "Midaregami or Tangled Hair", published in 1901. Being the first poet, and moreover a female poet, to use words like ‘breasts’ in tanka, she scandalized and received harsh criticism from some literary figures of her time. Others criticized her for creating poems which were hard to comprehend. In the first half of the twentieth century, her poems appeared to be full of passion and eroticism, her women were active and conscious of the beauty of their bodies and their sexuality. Yosano Akiko is still remembered as a scandalist and a creator of the most assertive, passionate poetry, but how is this passion created? In this paper I attempt to analyze modernity and tradition in Yosano Akiko’s poems.
Universal Rule of Infinite Variety?
Universal Rule of Infinite Variety?
(Universal Rule of Infinite Variety?)
- Author(s):Arkadiusz Jabłoński
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
- Page Range:124-144
- No. of Pages:21
- Keywords:Japanese language; nominal elements; word form; agglutinative properties; morphology; paradigmatic features
- Summary/Abstract:It is common in the grammatical descriptions of Japanese to neglect the morphological properties of the nominal elements of the language. This may probably be related to the Sino-centric tradition of ideographic (sinographic) writing and results in emphasizing the isolating and analytic properties of the Chinese languages it originates from. In this paper, certain detailed consequences of this approach are presented. They include, in the first place, the lack of differentiation between lexical and grammatical elements in grammatical descriptions. Little interest towards the concept of paradigmatic nominal word units, uneven recognition of agglutinative properties of language in the nominal and verbal elements of Japanese as well as description of peripheral phenomena instead of general rules may be considered the immediate consequences of the status quo. Bizarre or contradictory theories resulting from it, also presented in the paper, embody a characteristic preference for unsystemic grammatical description among the grammarians of Japanese, described in terms of emphasizing alleged infinite variety over universal morphological rules.
The New Nō Drama (Shinsakunō) for the Appeasement of Spirits and Process of Reconciliation
The New Nō Drama (Shinsakunō) for the Appeasement of Spirits and Process of Reconciliation
(The New Nō Drama (Shinsakunō) for the Appeasement of Spirits and Process of Reconciliation)
- Author(s):Jadwiga Rodowicz-Czechowska
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
- Page Range:147-163
- No. of Pages:17
- Keywords:nō; shinsakunō; new nō; appeasement; reconciliation; The Sea Current of Deer; Dōmoto Masaki; Udaka Michishige; Tada Tomio; Hiroshima; Nagasaki; Ishimure Michiko; Janine Beichman; Allen Marett
- Summary/Abstract:Studies of nō texts very rarely focus on plays written contemporaneously. Even though more than 400 newly created nō texts (shinsakunō in Japanese) have appeared, one can hardly find any information about them. By looking through the lists published by Hōsei Daigaku Nōgaku Kenkyūjo and browsing available data on the internet, as well as reading texts written by foreign authors (Cheong, Marlatt, Beichman), one can see how strongly the format of nō is related to processes of appeasement and reconciliation with a difficult past. The term shinsakunō is usually used for texts written since the beginning of the Meiji era until now. This term is not used for plays written in languages other than Japanese by non-Japanese authors, even if they are created in the exact same nō format. Yet it is precisely this format that allows one to deal with trauma, both individual and social, in a poetical way on stage. In Western theater, spirits appear on stage almost exclusively in works of fantasy. But in the nō format, they can meet the living thanks to this longestablished convention. In this respect, the uniqueness of nō forms serve the universal human need for appeasement of a bad or painful past.
"Kanadehon Chūshingura" in Kabuki Theater – A Universal Reflection of Japanese Uniqueness
"Kanadehon Chūshingura" in Kabuki Theater – A Universal Reflection of Japanese Uniqueness
("Kanadehon Chūshingura" in Kabuki Theater – A Universal Reflection of Japanese Uniqueness)
- Author(s):Iga Rutkowska
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
- Page Range:164-175
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Kanadehon chūshingura; kabuki; Kuromori Kabuki; Chūshinkan juzō; Maurice Béjart; Sada Yakko; Tōkaidō Yotsuya kaidan; suicide; Ichikawa Danjūrō II
- Summary/Abstract:Kabuki, one of the most important classical Japanese and world traditional theaters for almost three and a half centuries (from the beginning of the seventeenth century until the end of the Pacific War) was a very popular mass phenomenon in Japan. This contemporary theater, which represented the life of the entire society – people’s dreams, wishes, and problems – has always been strictly connected to politics and social changes, as well as to Japan’s reception in the West. The form has changed (and is still changing) together with politics, times, and culture. This article discusses issues related to the uniqueness of Japanese culture and its universal reflection in kabuki theater based on the example of "Kanadehon chūshingura" ["The Treasury of Loyal Retainers"] drama, a hit of all times.
Kurosawa Akira’s Adaptations of Shakespeare Influenced by Nō Theater
Kurosawa Akira’s Adaptations of Shakespeare Influenced by Nō Theater
(Kurosawa Akira’s Adaptations of Shakespeare Influenced by Nō Theater)
- Author(s):Hiranoi Chieko
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
- Page Range:176-195
- No. of Pages:20
- Keywords:Kurosawa Akira; Shakespeare; Kumonosu jō; Macbeth; Ran; King Lear; nō adaptations
- Summary/Abstract:This paper discusses the use of elements of nō, a unique genre of traditional performing arts in Japan, in the movie adaptations of Shakespearean plays directed by Akira Kurosawa (1910–1998). Kurosawa was one of the most distinguished movie directors in Japan. He created two adaptations of Shakespeare plays that were highly acclaimed worldwide, "Throne of Blood" (Macbeth) and "Ran" (King Lear), both of which are set during the civil war period in Japan. Kurosawa effectively introduced a variety of elements borrowed from nō theater, such as showing nō masks to the actors for them to be used as a basis for their facial expressions during the movie and adopting certain stylized movements in some scenes, especially in "Throne of Blood". Some elements of philosophy and motifs characteristic to nō theater are also present in his adaptations. For example, in Ran he introduces the perspective of people withdrawing from secular conflicts and battles while at the same time depicting the nightmare of ghosts rising from battlefields. In "Throne of Blood" the motif of the impermanence of worldly things is emphasized. These Kurosawa depictions of Shakespearean plays are relatively faithful to their original plots. However, each of the two films shows a different approach when it comes to the characters portrayed. In "Throne of Blood", the major characters seem to roughly coincide with the equivalent characters in the original work. However, in "Ran" Kurosawa changes the three daughters present in "King Lear" to the three sons of the protagonist, and consequently he also introduces the sons’ wives. The question is, how is this change necessary for or effective at conveying the director’s interpretation of "King Lear" and presenting his adaptation? This paper shows, using the above-mentioned examples, how incorporating elements of traditional Japanese theater makes Kurosawa’s movies unique in the world-universal context of Shakespearean adaptations.
Culinary Continuity
Culinary Continuity
(Culinary Continuity)
- Author(s):Sean O’Reilly
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Other Language Literature, Philology
- Page Range:196-215
- No. of Pages:20
- Keywords:cinema; history; Japan; food; Oda Nobunaga; time travel; culinary continuity
- Summary/Abstract:What is the link between a country’s past and its present, and how can anyone possibly verify that link? The answer is time travel, allowing direct firsthand experience of both eras, and thus making it possible for the traveler to confirm the existence of foods which taste the same throughout time, forming what I call “culinary continuity.” The concept of certain foods as universal and unchanging, linking past with present via the convenient plot device of a time slip, came into the mainstream with the 2010 film "A Boy and His Samurai" ("Chonmage purin"), featuring a time-traveling samurai who slips forward in time and then brings his crème caramel skills back to the Edo era with him, retroactively (and paradoxically!) introducing the universal delicacy to Japan. But the film did not connect with audiences. The 2017 hit "Honnōji Hotel" adjusted its formula to make a more successful continuity argument, fueled this time by the putatively ‘unique’ flavors of kompeitō and abura mochi, in the process offering a dangerously de-villainized view of Japan’s cultural history. The savagery of the bloody past is stripped away, replaced with saccharine-sweet sentiments like “I want to create a world where everyone can live in peace and smiles.” In the absence of meaningful criticism, the film’s 1.5 million viewers might well be convinced by its (mis)use of culinary continuity. I analyze Honnōji Hotel’s reimagining of history, arguing that the film’s box-office success relative to A Boy and His Samurai happened because of this food-fueled appeal to unique flavors of long-ago Japan, and its ‘de-clawing’ of warring states Japan and its greatest ‘hero’ Nobunaga. Contemporary Japanese audiences appear to reward films which focus more on unique-to-Japan culinary continuity linking Japan ’s glorious past and peaceful present.
