Paper short abstract:

Since medieval times, the Genji monogatari has been a subject of study for the upper classes as a form of "literary heritage". In the mid-Edo period authors of lower extraction made the characters of their novels talk about the Genji monogatari transforming and reusing it as a form of entertainment.

Paper long abstract:

During the Edo period, enjoyment of the Genji monogatari spread among low-ranking samurai and the merchant class: commentaries and summaries like Kogetsusho or Genji Kokagami gained new readers, while scholars of the Kokugaku school launched new views of this classical work. During the 18th century, authors of zenki yomihon novels made their characters talk about the Genji monogatari in a way that imitated the style of academic treatises. Consequently, not only the Genji itself, but also the learning associated with it became a form of entertainment.

In this presentation I will give three examples of how the Genji monogatari has been reused and re-appropriated by Edo period authors, as a sort of Literary heritage.

The first example is Toyotomi Hideyoshi's character at the beginning of Kaidan tonoibukuro by Ōe Bunpa. Hideyoshi claims to explain the meaning of the word «tonoibukuro», one of the "three mysteries" in Genji monogatari, but it is merely a parody of the treatise Gengo hiketsu.

The second is the hermit of Saga who appears in Shinsai Yago by Bairōkan-shujin. The hermit asks Sanjonishi Sanezumi, an eminent scholar, several questions about the Genji monogatari. Sanezumi answered, just to be criticized by the hermit that expressed in turn his own opinions.

The third is Kakinomono no Hitomaro, as appears in Ueda Akinari's Nubatama no Maki. Hitomaro expresses his appreciation for the renga poet Sochin, a devote reader of the Genji monogatari himself, and lectured about his original interpretation of the tale.

In these three examples, the authors express their own opinions about the Genji in the form of a story. Generally, allegories represent the author's thoughts and criticism of reality, but in these cases is the author's view on literature and his interpretation to be expressed. It was this original view and interpretation that attracted new readers. In other words, this are early examples of how canonical texts and the "learning" associated with them have being appropriated and reconfigured as "entertainment".