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Paper short abstract:

The Koiji no sōshi emaki occupies a central place among Muromachi period love tales and incorporates many setsuwa. This presentation will analyze the visual language of the illustrated scroll, connecting it to construction of love in Nō plays such as Koi no omoni, Unrin'in, and Kayoi Komachi.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation introduces a picture scroll produced in the late Muromachi period and situates it within the context of setsuwa (anecdotal literature) and performing arts. Though little is known about this work, as it has neither been annotated or published, it is of great interest because it tackles the themes of heterosexual and same-sex love. Currently known as the Koiji no sōshi emaki (Illustrated Tale of the Paths of Love), it consists of a series of tales, with key scenes illustrated and narrated in brief passages. One could therefore see Koiji no sōshi emaki as a setsuwa emaki (pictorialized collection of tales), but it is better understood as a singular otogi zōshi because of the consistency of its theme.

The term koiji (love's path) refers to the course of a love affair, particularly when such love is without reason, without chance of success, or false in some way. Building on these associations, the Koiji no sōshi emaki also thematizes heedless love, a theme also found in the forerunner of amorous tales, the otogi zōshi Jōruri jūnidan sōshi (The Tale of Lady Jōruri in Twelve Parts). A similar theme is found in Himeyuri (Princess Lily), in which a princess's menoto preaches the path of love to her charge. The adumbration of love's torments is likewise thematized in Takafusa no koizukushi (1177) and the Muromachi period tale Sagoromo no taishō. The Koiji no sōshi emaki emerges from this literary context and represents its flourishing in a Muromachi period, when such tales were increasingly common. The thematization of difficult love in plays such as Unrin'in, Kayoi Komachi, Umegae, and Koi no Omoni is one illustration of this development. This presentation will focus on the visual language of the scroll to hypothesize the narrative of construction of love that comes to be utilized in these different genres.