A Study on the Proper Nouns in the Kotobagaki of the Poems of the Four Seasons in Kokinwakashu: A Fragment of the Characteristics of the Kotobagaki of Kokinwakashu

Mizutani, Takashi

doi:10.21481/jbunka..78.201808.187

Journal of Japanese Culture

2018, (78), pp.187-208
DOI :10.21481/jbunka..78.201808.187
Publisher : The Japanese Culture Association Of Korea (Jcak)
Research Area : Japanese Language and Literature

Mizutani, Takashi ¹

¹ 武庫川女子大

ABSTRACT

The kotobagaki (prefatory prose statements) for the 31-syllable Japanese poems of the four seasons in Kokinwakashu contain a lot of proper nouns, some of which seem to be unrelated to comprehending the meaning of the poems themselves. These proper nouns can be divided into two groups: utamakura (place names with allegorical resonance) and the names of the royal family members or places in the court. With utamakura, there are a lot of cases where the poets compose poems not only by directly observing scenery but also by imagining the scenery without actually going there. Utamakura were used in the kotobagaki for the poems of the four seasons to indicate whether the poet actually viewed a scene or created it from imagination, and it is supposed that readers of Kokinwakashu gained a greater appreciation for the poems knowing whether they depicted actual or imaginary scenes. However, no such enhanced appreciation comes from including the names of royal family members and places in the court it is supposed surmise that the editors of Kokinwakashu wrote kotobagaki asaway of reporting to the Throne in order to inform the emperor, the first reader of Kokinwakashu, whether a poem concerned the emperor—even if such information was not necessary to understand the poem.
KEYWORDS

KokinWakasyu , Waka in the four seasons , kotobagaki , Proper noun , Utamakura
REFERENCES (6)

[journal] 水谷隆 / 2015 / 新撰和歌が詞書きを持たぬことについて / 大阪女子短期大学紀要 / 大阪女子短期大学 39 : 112~116

[book] 窪田空穂 / 1935 / 古今和歌集評釈 / 東京堂 : 115~

[journal] 雨野弥生 / 2015 / 『古今和歌集』二十七番歌詞書の地名をめぐって / 同志社女子大学大学院文学研究科紀要 / 同志社女子大学 15 : 41~69

[book] 竹岡正夫 / 1976 / 古今和歌集全評釈（上） / 右文書院 : 331~

[book] 片桐洋一 / 1988 / 古今和歌集全評釈（上） / 講談社 : 497~

[journal] 滝沢貞夫 / 1986 / 勅撰和歌集の詞書について－古今和歌集の場合－ / 和歌文学研究 / 和歌文学会 52 : 1~12
KCI Citation (0)

KJC Korea
Journal Central

Statistics

Tools