Studies on the Literature and Cultural Activities in Buddhist Nunneries, and the Relationships between the Larger World of Vernacular Tales and Vernacular Buddhist Tales

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25370259
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Japanese literature
• Research Institution: National Institute of Japanese Literature
• Principal Investigator: KOIDA TOMOKO 国文学研究資料館, 研究部, 助教 (50516995)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 尼寺 / 尼 / 物語草子 / 仮名法語 / 寺院 / 絵巻 / 奈良絵本 / 説話

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I researched mainly those vernacular Buddhist tales which show how members of the aristocracy interacted with temples in the Muromachi and early Edo period. I was granted an opportunity to investigate the oldest extant manuscript of the most copied book of that time, namely, Genchu sodaga 幻中草打画, as well as another newly discovered manuscript of that same work. This is a vernacular tale (monogatari soshi) in which Zen nuns and monks engage in a debate, containing also elements from the genre of vernacular Buddhist sermons (kana hogo). In this tale, we catch a glimpse of the ways in which members of the nobility might have interchanged with certain temples in the Muromachi period. In this research, I have considered possible relationships between the publication of vernacular Buddhist tales and the larger world of vernacular tales in the early Edo period. I have endeavored to share the results of my work through presentations, articles, and a newspaper contribution.

Free Research Field

日本文学