Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

Shifting from the Heian period to the Edo period, this paper analyzes Ihara Saikaku’s parodic engagement with The Tales of Ise. It examines how parody and haikai recontextualize Ise-derived motifs within urban commoner culture, transforming courtly values into sources of humor.

Paper long abstract

In contrast to the preceding presentation, which analyzes “laughter” within The Tales of Ise (Ise monogatari) itself, this paper shifts its focus from the Heian period to the early modern Edo period. The publication of the Saga-bon edition in 1608 constituted a decisive turning point in the reception history of The Tales of Ise, fundamentally transforming its readership. While the Saga-bon was initially read primarily among haikai poets, subsequent developments in printing technology enabled The Tales of Ise to circulate more widely among urban commoners, thereby expanding its audience. Within this cultural context, Ariwara no Narihira came to be widely recognized through a shared image—or code—of the handsome and amorous man.

Against this backdrop, numerous works drawing on The Tales of Ise were produced, as will be discussed in detail in the following presentation. One of the figures who most astutely engaged with this trend was Ihara Saikaku (1642–1693), known both as a Danrin haikai poet and as a writer of ukiyozōshi. Although it is well known that Kōshoku ichidai otoko (The Life of an Amorous Man), Saikaku’s debut work, incorporates elements of The Tales of Ise in a parodic mode, his engagement with Ise extends far beyond this single text. Saikaku repeatedly incorporates and reworks motifs, images, and character types derived from The Tales of Ise across his oeuvre, ranging from Tales of Gallantry and travel narratives to haikai compositions.

This paper explores how Saikaku, through the techniques of parody and haikai, appropriates Ise-derived motifs and situates them within the literary and social contexts of early modern urban commoners. By examining how courtly values and aesthetics associated with The Tales of Ise are recontextualized within these frameworks, the analysis clarifies how Saikaku generates comic effects that resonate with early modern urban audiences.