On the image of Kakitsubata

[alejandro morales]

Good evening everyone,

My name is Alejandro Morales, I am a research student at the Sophia University in Tokyo and I am doing research on the modern writer Izumi Kyôka. The reason why I am writing in this forum for Premodern Japanese Studies is that this author in particular seems to have multiple links to the Premodern literature and performing arts.

Specifically, I am working in a short story called 妖剣記聞, where a samurai's page falls in love with a girl of the burakumin caste. The important thing is that right from the beginning of the story she is associated with the image of the kakitsubata and, as I am working on his aesthetic vision, I am convinced that this allusion must have some meaning. Therefore I would like to see if there are any other references to this flower in Premodern literature. I know of the existence of a poem in the Ise Monogatari that alludes to the image, and that this poem was the inspiration for a Noh play under the same name, but I would like to know what are the connotations for the image per se. 

I apologize for the straightforwardness of my message. I would very much appreciate any thoughts about where I should look, for I want to know how much is this author relying on previous conceptions of this flower in literature. And, of course, how much he is departing from it.

Thank you very much in advance,

Alejandro Morales.

[Daniel Botsman]

Dear Alejandro,

I am afraid I cannot contribute anything of interest with regard to the significance of kakitsubuta, but reading your brief description of Kyōka's story I could not help but be reminded of  "The Eta Maiden and the Hatamoto" from A.B. Mitford's Tales of Old Japan (first published in 1871 (I think) and reissued many times thereafter).  I wonder if you or anyone else on the list might know if there is a connection between the two stories?  Perhaps they were both inspired by an older tale (or incident?) from the late Edo period?  In any case, I am very grateful to have learned about Kyōka's story from your posting and wish you the best of luck with your research. 

Daniel Botsman

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[Paramore, K.N.]

Dear Alejandro,

Yes, I am also grateful to learn about the story, and the beautiful symbolic use of this flower.
Sometimes to advance these conversations on the list someone needs to come out with the obvious, and I will volunteer to be the fall-guy this time.
Eta were well known, especially in urban areas, for living on river banks, or parts of the land in or around the city which were low lying and uncultivated. Marshes, high reeds and wet grounds are part of the imagery through which writers, especially sympathetic ones, sometimes alude to eta without naming them directly.
The kakitsubuta is of course a beautiful flower which grows in in marshes amongst reeds.
I don't know of any direct literary example of using this particular flower to refer to eta, although it is certainly a very nice literary allusion, and fits in with the use of other marsh botany words for this purpose.

Kiri Paramre

-----Original Message-----
From: pm...@googlegroups.com on behalf of Daniel Botsman
Sent: Tue 12/14/2010 3:59 PM
To: pm...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [PMJS] On the image of Kakitsubata

Dear Alejandro,

I am afraid I cannot contribute anything of interest with regard to the significance of kakitsubuta, but reading your brief description of Kyoka's story I could not help but be reminded of "The Eta Maiden and the Hatamoto" from A.B. Mitford's Tales of Old Japan (first published in 1871 (I think) and reissued many times thereafter). I wonder if you or anyone else on the list might know if there is a connection between the two stories? Perhaps they were both inspired by an older tale (or incident?) from the late Edo period? In any case, I am very grateful to have learned about Kyoka's story from your posting and wish you the best of luck with your research.

Daniel Botsman

On Dec 14, 2010, at 4:30 AM, alejandro morales wrote:

> Good evening everyone,
>
> My name is Alejandro Morales, I am a research student at the Sophia University in Tokyo and I am doing research on the modern writer Izumi Kyôka. The reason why I am writing in this forum for Premodern Japanese Studies is that this author in particular seems to have multiple links to the Premodern literature and performing arts.
>

> Specifically, I am working in a short story called ????, where a samurai's page falls in love with a girl of the burakumin caste. The important thing is that right from the beginning of the story she is associated with the image of the kakitsubata and, as I am working on his aesthetic vision, I am convinced that this allusion must have some meaning. Therefore I would like to see if there are any other references to this flower in Premodern literature. I know of the existence of a poem in the Ise Monogatari that alludes to the image, and that this poem was the inspiration for a Noh play under the same name, but I would like to know what are the connotations for the image per se.

[Alejandro M.]

Dear Kiri,

I think that because of its obviousness I did not think about it, but
it is indeed a good idea. The Eta character in this story lives next
to the river, so it fits perfectly in the prototype...
I will let you know what I can come out with for this story, but it is
a really fascinating story....

Thank you very much for your reply and your insight,

Alejandro.

On Dec 15, 12:16 am, "Paramore, K.N." <K.N.Param...@hum.leidenuniv.nl>
wrote:

>  winmail.dat
> 5KViewDownload

[John Szostak]

Dear colleagues, 

I was hoping for a little help identifying a painting subject. The work is a modern one ("Falling Flowers/Rakka", Kikuchi Keigetsu, 1904), but I believe there is a Heike Monogatari connection, due to the presence of 2 figures in the painting who also appear in that chronical.  After several weeks of looking and thinking, and coming up with nothing, I hope to pick the brains of some medieval art, literature or history specialists (apologies for cross-listing).

I've put an image of the painting on a blog page, along with a summary of what I've learned on my own:  http://szostak-nihonga-research.blogspot.com/

I originally thought the painting featured a scene from the "Death of Kiso" episode; in fact, I think I've managed to identify Kiso (Minamoto) Yoshinaka himself in the work, as well as his companion, Tomoe Gozen, by their appearance, which matches their description in the text. The problem is the central figure - a young warrior on horseback wearing juzu beads, carrying a naginata and - here's the biggest problem - his face and torso are covered by a long gauzy shawl that has caught in the horse's bridle.

I used several indexes that pointed me to sections where Kiso and Tomoe appear, but this scene is not described.  The mystery figure is front and center, and the circumstances so peculiar and particular, I figure it must represent a scene or episode, if not in Heike then in some similar or related gunki narrative.

Does this ring any bells with anyone? If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, I'd be delighted to hear them.

- john

__________

John D. Szostak, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Japanese Art History

Department of Art and Art History

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Aug. 2010-July 2011:

Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellow

Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures

School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)20-7898-4466
Fax: +44 (0)20-78984429

[Michael Watson (gmail)]

Dear John,

A fascinating painting. There is no doubt about the identity of Tomoe.
In 1904, Kikuchi Keiketsu would have been as likely to have known the
Genpei story from Genpei josuiki as from Heike monogatari.

I will go right out on a limb here and suggest that the wraith-like
figure in the middle is Kiso Yoshinaka's other "onna shogun"--a woman
called Aoi. In the Genpei josuiki account of Kiso's last battle, one
of the Genji sent to hunt him down spots Tomoe and remarks:

木曾殿には、葵、巴とて二人の女将軍あり、葵は去年の春礪並山の合戦に討れぬ
(Kiso dono ni ha, Aoi Tomoe tote ninin no onna shogun ari, Aoi wa
kyonen no haru Tonamiyama no kassen ni utarenu...) [Genpei josuiki,
vol. 35, "Tomoe Kanto geko no koto" 巴関東下向事]

He continues by describing Tomoe as formidable fighter, as does the
more familiar Kakuichi version. The figure represented in the middle
is specter-like, behind a veil of sorts, and as you noted, holds a
rosary. Perhaps Kikuchi was familiar with the tradition and imagined
Aoi present in spirit (as it were) at Kiso's last battle. (It is
usually assumed that both women were Kiso's lovers.)

There is a noh play not in the current repertoire (bangai yokyoku) in
which Aoi's spirit appears and describes the battle of Tonamiyama
(Kurikara, the major battle of the campaigns described in book 7 of
Heike monogatari). I have translated the play for a forthcoming
volume. Interestingly, there are old stone markers (tsuka) for Tomoe
and Aoi near Tonamiyama in modern Toyama-ken. (As you know, Tomoe
survived both battles, fleeing to the Kanto and living to a ripe old
age...) This suggests that there was a long-standing tradition linking
the two women.

It is also very possible that Kikuchi was inspired or influenced by
one of the Meiji period retellings of the Death of Kiso episode. You
should check works like "Kiso no saigo" by Fukuchi Ochi (福地桜痴),
published Meiji 35 (1902) and "Tomoe gozen" by Tsukahara Jushien,
Meiji 36 (1903). I have seen neither, and know of them only from a
bibliography:
http://www.taisei.ac.jp/jp/iwjc/bulletin/34-2.pdf

One last suggestion. Have you had a look at the exhibition catalogue.
"Kikuchi Keigetsu-ten" published in 1982--the year of a major
exhibition of Keigetsu's work? The painting Rakka was exhibited at
that time, and there may some explanatory note in the catalogue:
http://webcat.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/shsproc?id=BN05339239
http://www.momak.go.jp/Japanese/exhibitionArchive/1982/159.html
I see that my university library has a copy, and I'll check to satisfy
my own curiosity as much as yours.

Michael Watson