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Paper short abstract

The Taiheiki narrator shows overt or covert approval or disapproval of the actions of female characters in the few episodes when they play a major role. Our focus is on cases where judgement is withheld or avoided, such as in a vivid account of the life of a princess (18.7).

Paper long abstract

Women feature prominently in only a small fraction of the hundreds of episodes in the Taiheiki. This paper will focus on the longest and most most successfully narrativized example, the tale of Crown Prince Takayoshi and his consort (Rufubon section 18.7, SNKBZ 18.11). The tone and pace range from dreamy courtly romance in its opening (a biwa played in moonlight, echoing the “Hashihime” chapter) to its long midsection replete with thrilling detail typical of medieval narratives (an abduction, the vengeful spirit of a loyal retainer, dragon god summoned by the woman, a storm at sea) before it ends quietly with a summary of the couple’s short happiness after their reunion and their lamentable deaths after the Kenmu revolt. A striking feature is the lack of overt or covert judgement passed on the characters involved—apart from the abductor. This contrasts with many of the shorter tales of “good” and “bad” wives in other episodes, like the wife who is disloyal to her husband by betraying the conspiracy against the Hōjō to her father (Rufubon 1.7). After another conspirator is executed, his wife takes religious orders and prays for him (2.6). Believing Nitta Yoshisada is facing the danger of execution, his wife begs her uncle to intercede, but he angrily refuses, citing Chinese examples of virtuous wifely behavior (10.2). Much later, when Yoshisada takes his own life, the same lady takes the tonsure (20.11). The narrator seems to suggest that we draw a clear moral judgement on female actions, a possible parallel with the case of “good” warrior’s deaths as argued by the second speaker in this panel. This paper forms part of a study of the development of narrative style in the gunki genre from the tales of the Genpei period to the Taiheiki and beyond.