2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Indonesian comic works: Considering the Indian epic poem Mahabharata

Research Project

Project/Area Number	23520169
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Research Field	Study of the arts/History of the arts/Arts in general
Research Institution	Osaka University
Principal Investigator	FUKUOKA Madoka 大阪大学, その他の研究科, 准教授 (40379318)
Project Period (FY)	2011 – 2013
Keywords	大衆芸術 / 伝統芸能 / インドネシア / コミック・ワヤン / マハーバーラタ / R.A.Kosasih
Research Abstract	This study examines the characteristics of Indonesian comic works focusing on the repertoire of the Mahabharata, one of the major epic poems of ancient India. Among Indonesian comic writers, R.A.Kosasih(1919-2012)was the best known and most successful. Since 1950's he created his popular komik wayang, or comics of wayang, which earned its title because of its close relationship with the wayang theater. This study focused on his series of works from the Mahabharata. He created them from the main stories of the Mahabharata also creating works base on special episodes in Javanese wayang performaces. In addition, Kosasih was greatly affected by several Indonesian translations of epic poems. In this study I consider Kosasih's unique way of dramatization by comparing the episodes in wayang performance witht the corresponding parts in Kosasih's comic work.