Tales and Rites in the Blind Biwa Tradition: History, Reality, and Function

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K21971
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0102:Literature, linguistics, and related fields
• Research Institution: Okayama University (2021-2023); Aichi Shukutoku University (2020)
• Principal Investigator: KHALMIRZAEVA Saida 岡山大学, グローバル人材育成院, 准教授 (50880457)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-09-11 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 座頭 / 語り物 / 口誦形式理論 / フォーミュラ / 口承文芸 / 宗教儀礼 / 書記性 / 口頭性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Reports and research papers on the blind biwa players’ tradition of Kyushu by Kimura Riro, Narita Mamoru, Hyodo Hiromi, Hugh de Ferranti, and others are valuable sources when it comes to the history and repertory of the tradition. However, in previous research, there has not been sufficient consideration of the mechanisms of text recomposition and the relationship between the blind biwa players’ narratives and other narrative genres.
The purpose of this research is 1) to clarify the mechanism by which the stories in the blind biwa players’ tradition are created and transformed, 2) to identify the characteristics of blind biwa players’ tradition of the Kyushu region and its relationship with other storytelling genres connected in terms of narrative material, form, and musical structure, and 3) to identify the place and role of the blind biwa players’ tradition in the history of Japanese folk culture and performing arts’ history.

Free Research Field

日本文学・民俗学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

口誦形式理論は、世界の多くの研究者によって適用されてきた一方、同時に補強・再検討も加えられたが、未だ十分に理解されていないところも多々ある。
こうした現状を承けて、KHALMIRZAEVAは、座頭による語り物文芸を口頭文化の一事例として、フォーミュラの習得・生成と、語り物の生成・継承・伝播の仕組み、及び語り物文芸の書記性と口頭性等、語り物文芸の本質に関わる諸問題の解明を目指した。本研究は、日本における語り物ジャンルの実態・形成・歴史的展開を明確にするだけでなく、他地域の語り物研究に適用可能な法則・事例を提供し、口誦形式理論を補完・補正することで、国際口承文芸研究に貢献するものとなった。