A Study of Joha's Hyakuin and Senku Renga Works

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K00286
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02010:Japanese literature-related
• Research Institution: Seitoku University (2020-2021); Iryo Sosei University (2018-2019)
• Principal Investigator: Matsumoto Asako 聖徳大学, 文学部, 教授 (70708990)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 中世 / 連歌 / 紹巴 / 昌叱

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study attempts to shed light on the literary and artistic activities of renga master Satomura Joha by organizing the hyakuin and senku renga works that he composed. Since many of Joha’s hyakuin and senku renga have not yet been reprinted, we compiled and reprinted the materials we believe were particularly important in this report. Our investigation of the hyakuin and senku renga revealed that Joha would always sit together with Shoshitsu and Shinzen, the renga masters he was close to, aiming to control the way they worked and streamline the rengakai (gatherings of renga poets where renga poetry was typically composed). Rather than composing poems that would have made him stand out, he seems to have tried to compose poems which everyone could understand and would entertain the rengakai participants. This resulted in popularizing renga. The study also found that the meeting format and style of verse composition established by Joha influenced the later haikai.

Free Research Field

日本文学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

紹巴は前の時代の宗祇や早世した宗養と比較して、詠まれた句は芸術性が低く、連歌文芸を衰退させた者と指摘されていた。しかし、一方で、紹巴が近世初期の俳諧に与える影響は多大で、『連歌至宝抄』や『連歌新式増抄』など、多くの連歌関係書が近世初期に次々と刊行されている。では、なぜ連歌作者として評価されなかった紹巴が、600近くの百韻や千句を残し、彼の著作も広く読まれたのか。この点を明らかにすることは、連歌から俳諧の道筋を明らかにできるものである。さらに、日本の文学史を理解する上でも、重要な視点だと思われる。