Accepted Paper
Paper short abstract
In this paper I introduce methodological approaches for reconstructing medieval Buddhist rituals with special focus on their language and musical elements, and consider how classical works can be meaningfully brought back into the present.
Paper long abstract
The late Heian to early Kamakura periods can be regarded as a turning point in the sounds and verbal forms of Buddhist ritual. Chanted texts became more highly refined, and innovations in musical practice and oral transmission emerged. In these developments, we can observe the progressive formalization of Buddhist ritual into an art form.
In recent years, I have engaged in collaborative research aimed at reconstructing medieval Buddhist rituals. This presentation introduces the methodological approaches we have adopted, while examining the distinctive features of medieval ritual language and musical elements. Put differently, I explore how these texts were chanted in the medieval period and, on that basis, consider how they might be chanted today. By linking the medieval and the contemporary across time and space, I aim to reflect on the relationship between present practice and future possibilities, with attention to corporeality, performing arts, and faith.
More specifically, I focus on the formalization of chanting and recitation as an art form through close readings of oral transmission texts and related sources. I consider why and how this aestheticization occurred. While several perspectives are possible, I concentrate on two: audience (awareness and presence) and music (the components that constitute the musical dimension). These aspects, I argue, are essential for addressing the question of how to chant in the present.
Finally, I introduce ongoing reconstructions of Buddhist rituals in audio and video formats and consider how classical works can be meaningfully bridged to the present, including the effects, significance, and challenges of such projects.
| Abstract in Japanese (if needed): | どのように唱われたか、どのように唱うか―仏教儀礼の復元にみる、ことばと音曲の文化史 平安時代末期から鎌倉時代初期にかけては、仏教儀礼の音曲やことばにおいて、一つの画期と捉えることができる。詠唱される詞がより高度に洗練され、音曲面にも工夫がや口伝が生じ、芸道化の様相が認められる。 そうした中世の仏教儀礼を現代に甦らせる（復元する）実践を、近年行ってきた。本発表では、どのような方法で中世の仏教儀礼に迫っていったかを紹介しつつ、中世のことばと音曲の特質について考察する。すなわち、中世に「どのように唱われたか」に迫る。さらに、それを踏まえて、現代に「どのように唱うか」を考える。中世と現代とを時空を越えて結び、人間の身体性や芸能・信仰といった側面をも考え併せながら、現在と未来につなぎたい。 具体的には、読経と唱導における芸道化に焦点をあてる。それらの芸道化の様相を、口伝書や諸資料の読解に基づき把捉した上で、「なぜ／どのように」芸道化したかを考察する。論ずべき観点は多くあるが、ここでは「聴衆」（聴衆への意識、聴衆の存在）と、「音曲」（音曲を構成する要素）を取り上げる。現代に「どのように唱うか」という課題の鍵となると考えるからである。 それらを踏まえて、現在行っている仏教儀礼の復元を、音声・映像で紹介し、古典をいかに現代に架橋できるか、その効果・意義・課題を考えたい。 |
Worldmaking in the Archives: The Interpretation of Cultural History Between the Reconstruction of Lost Worlds and the Creation of New Practices, Spaces and Objects