Study on Heian Period Waka and the Reception of "The Tale of Genji"

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K12938
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 02010:Japanese literature-related
• Research Institution: Shujitsu University
• Principal Investigator: Kawarai Yuko 就実大学, 人文科学部, 准教授 (20823967)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 源氏物語 / 和歌

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study clarifies the actual state of the reception of The Tale of Genji through waka poetry of the Heian period and reconstructs the history of its reception up to the early Kamakura period. Specifically, the waka poems derived from The Tale of Genji during the Heian period, which have tended to be overlooked in the past, are positioned as important sources for the reception of The Tale of Genji. Through a detailed examination of these waka poems, the actual conditions of the reception of The Tale of Genji during the Heian period are elucidated. This provides a foundation for a comprehensive historical study of how The Tale of Genji was received and attained cultural influence during the Heian period, and how this reception extended into the medieval period.

Free Research Field

日本古典文学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、和歌によって『源氏物語』享受の黎明期の実相を解明することにより、平安期の享受が中世以降の享受へとどのように継承され変容していったのかという享受史を通観する上での架け橋となって、享受史全体をも再考させるものである。具体的には、平安・鎌倉期の『源氏物語』を享受する和歌を通して、当時流布していた本文、その本文に基づいた当時の解釈や享受作品の生成、異文が発生していく過程について明らかにした。