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Time and Emotion in Medieval Japanese Literature

Case Study 5: War Tales and Noh

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Time and Emotion in Sword Dreams (Nahoko Suzuki)

The aim of my dissertation project is to undertake a diachronic and intertextual investigation of sword dreams in ancient and medieval Japanese texts, ranging from Japanese mythology to war tales and Noh theater. In Japanese mythology sword dreams play an important role, functioning as a symbol of the legitimation of imperial power by the deities. Sword dreams are also an important motif in war tales, namely the Heike monogatari and the Taiheiki, compiled in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods respectively. In addition, I will examine sword dreams in the so-called “dream Noh plays” (mugennō) established by Zeami (1363-1443) in the Muromachi period, whose functions differ quite considerably from those appearing in the mythology and in war tales. Through an analysis of the sword dreams in these works, this survey diachronically traces the transformation of worldviews from ancient to medieval Japan.
 
Since the dreams in all these works have in common that they connect this world to the otherworld by exhibiting specific spatiotemporal correlations, my analysis involves the methodological approach of the “chronotope” – the correlation between time and space (Bakhtin 2002). Regarding space, I investigate the relationship between this world and other worlds (the world of deities, the world after death etc.). Regarding time, I examine how dreams connect living spaces in the past, the present, and the future. Furthermore, my research also involves other time-related theories (e.g., Fraser 1978) and approaches related to collective memory (e.g., Erll 2010) in order to diachronically examine collective and individual aspects of the transformation of worldviews, including the views of life and death.
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    Heike monogatari emaki, Scene 2 of Scroll II from a set of three handscrolls, National Diet Library (NDL) Digital Collections, Tokyo

Time, Emotion and Performance in Narrative Recitatives (Sebastian Balmes)

A study conducted by Sebastian Balmes will focus on the interplay of time and emotion as it relates to orality and performance. Narrative recitatives (katarimono) encompass a range of textual genres, such as gunki monogatari and kojōruri (and, depending on the exact definition, even Noh plays). Furthermore, texts that were performed orally in a less musical way, particularly the engi tales contained in the Shintōshū (Case Study 3), will also be taken under consideration. Within the scope of this study, time will mostly be defined as narrative speed, which is genuinely temporal in the performance of a text. Narrative speed is closely interrelated with emotion, as highly emotional scenes are usually recounted in greater detail (i.e., with less narrative distance), but also with the representation of time and space. With regard to katarimono that have been performed until today, it will be inquired to what degree narrative speed as a narratological concept is relevant to musical performance, while bearing in mind that the performing arts have become much faster since the medieval period. As far as pictorial material is available, especially in handscrolls, it will be included in the analysis as well.

Emotional Time in Hōgen Monogatari (Melanie Müller)

This case study focuses on one of the two gunki monogatari that directly precede the Heike Monogatari, namely the Hōgen Monogatari. Retelling the events of the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156, the narrative centers on the battles and their aftermath for the principal figures. This project examines the relationship between emotion and temporality in the depiction of the violent war scenes presented in the tale. More specifically, it compares two different variant categories with regard to their use of temporal structure and emotionally indicative phrasing and motifs.

The first textual tradition is the so-called «furubon», a term used to describe the versions of the tale, which are considered to be closer to an assumed original form (insofar as such a form can be said to have existed, given that the Hōgen Monogatari, like most gunki monogatari, relied on oral transmission prior to being committed to writing). The second category is that of «kotohirabon», referring to the most refined literary versions of the narrative. These texts were produced later than the earliest of the «furubon» tradition and exhibit a more elaborate and embellished style.

The working hypothesis of this study is as follows: the «furubon» tradition of the Hōgen Monogatari contains fewer explicit emotional markers and adheres to a more linear chronological structure, whereas the later «kotohirabon» versions demonstrate a more flexible handling of temporality and place greater emphasis on the emotional states of the principal figures. This hypothesis will be tested in the course of the present case study.