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Paper short abstract

This paper explores how eleventh-century Japanese court elites perceived and responded to extreme weather with rain as a case study. Using court diaries, especially Fujiwara no Yukinari’s Gonki, it analyses semantic representations, administrative measures and ritual reactions to droughts and floods

Paper long abstract

This paper examines the perception, interpretation, and practical engagement of the political elite in eleventh century Japan by looking at the impact of rain on the court nobility as well as on the living conditions in the broader city of Kyōto. In premodern Japan, rain was both an essential natural resource and a symbolically charged phenomenon, deeply embedded in religious and social life. Rice cultivation and other forms of agriculture made rainfall crucial for survival. Rain was often linked to the moral and spiritual order, with prolonged droughts or excessive precipitation interpreted as signs of divine favour or discontent, requiring corrective human action. The elite reacted to adverse weather conditions through administrative and ritual measures. They employed special officials for protecting the city from the nearby Kamo River. In case of serious devastation wreaked by floods and rainfall, the court provided aid to households. They also engaged religious specialists to respond with rituals, prayers and offerings (kiu祈雨, amagoi 雨乞い) to avert damage and to ensure agricultural prosperity.

A valuable source for investigating the representations and the influence of rain are courtier diaries written in Sinitic Japanese (kanbun nikki 漢文日記). Usually, an entry begins with a brief and often highly formalised account of the days’ specific weather conditions. Further ways of describing weather varies in each diary from simple expressions to very detailed depictions with the duration and quality of the weather. More detailed accounts can be expected in cases of unusual weather events, i.e., when there was too much or too little rain, causing problems for the court nobility.

In my presentation, I will analyse and contextualize the entries on rain in Fujiwara no Yukinari's 藤原行成 (972–1027) diary, Gonki 権記. I divide them into four thematically related areas: 1. General assessment of weather conditions, 2. Behaviour patterns of the court nobility, 3. Reactions in case of missing or excessive rain, and 4. Miscellaneous remarks related to rain. Using selected passages, I will present the routine procedures and exceptions in more detail.