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Paper short abstract:

Using the example of the Ōgiawase (扇合) and Jūban Mushiawase（十番虫合） revived along the Sumida River in Edo in the late 18th century, I will show that the Sumida River functioned as a place that reminded people of the capital of Kyōto evoking the elegance (雅) of the imperial court.

Paper long abstract:

In the Edo period, while peace and tranquility prevailed without wars, samurai along with townspeople played an active role in the world of elegance and culture in the latter half of the 18th century. The Sumida River Ōgiawase (角田川扇合) of 1779 and the Jūban Mushiawase (十番虫合) of 1782, both backed by meticulous research, were attempts to recreate in the city of Edo the tradition of monoawase from the court in the Heian period (794-1185). The attendees were a diverse array of people: Daimyō, Hatamoto and other shogunate vassals, mothers and wives of samurai, shogunate merchants and their wives, doctors, priests, incense masters, calligraphers, tea masters, booksellers, prostitutes of Shin-Yoshiwara, mistresses of brothels, and so on. They were attracted to the elegance of the classical imperial court and attempted the revival of monoawase in 18th-century Edo in order to create an authentic experience of this elegant world. They chose a “place overlooking the Sumida River” as the site for the revival of monoawase. In the Ise Monogatari (伊勢物語), a man accompanying Ariwara no Narihira composed the well-known poem there: "Oh capital bird/ if you are true to your name/ you will know tell me/ if the one whom I love/ is still in this world of partings” (Rodd/Henkenius). In the Nō play Sumida River Umewakamaru, son of the court noble Yoshida Korefusa, was kidnaped and brought to Edo, and he died of illness at the Sumida River. For the people of 18th century Edo, the Sumida River functioned as a place that reminded them of the capital of Kyōto, a famous spot that evoked the miyabi of the imperial court. Taking as examples the Ōgiawase and Jūban Mushiawase, this presentation reveals the evocative power of the Sumida River in Edo, from the latter half of the 18th through the 19th century.