Nō dramas emerged in Japan in the ca. 14th century and were performed in shrines and temples in Kyōto and Nara. The plots of nō plays were based on historical events, literature, legends, and contemporary events. At the time when nō plays were being written, many authors drew upon references or allusions from various literary sources such as Genji monogatari, Ise monogatari, and the Kokinshū. Two examples of nō plays that were based on Genji monogatari are Matsukaze and Nonomiya. After reading Matsukaze and Nonomiya, it is interesting that both plays share a similar plot even though they are written by different authors. Matsukaze, or also known as Pining Wind, was written by Zeami Motokiyo (1363 – 1443) around 1412 and according to Tyler, “[t]he background of Pining Wind includes a play which is now lost, Shiokumi (‘Gathering Brine’)” by Kiami (Tyler 183). The nō play Nonomiya, or also known as The Wildwood Shrine, is believed by most people to have been written by Komparu Zenchiku (1405 – 1468), who is the son - in - law and apprentice to Zeami. Both Matsukaze and Nonomiya share a similar story line and literary sources, but differ in how they were applied to contribute to the play’s plot, setting, characters, and relaying the emotion of the characters.
Although Matsukaze is based on Genji monogatari, Matsukaze also includes literary sources from Shiokumi, Ise monogatari, and the Kokinshū, which has a significant role in the play by presenting the play’s plot, setting, characters, and the character’s emotions. In Matsukaze, Matsukaze and Murasame represent characters from both Genji monogatari and Ise monogatari. In Genji monogatari, Matsukaze and Murasame represent the Akashi lady awaiting Genji’s return to Suma and ...
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...e description of the setting and the emotions of the characters. On the other hand, Zenchiku had stuck to most of the details in Nonomiya that were set by Murasaki Shikibu in Genji monogatari, but he gave the reader a new perspective of Rokujō than how she had been portrayed in the original tale. After analyzing and comparing Matstukaze and Nonomiya, it seems appealing to be able to modify an original story in a way to make it just as entertaining to read and watch as the original version.
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In Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha, Sayuri demonstrates that when the forces of fate and free will come into collision, the lack of determination to grasp control of one’s life will lead to a
The Cross-Cultural Articulations of War Magic and Warrior Religion by D. S. Farrer, main purpose of this article is to provide a re-evaluated perspective of religion and magic, through the perspective of the practitioners and victims. Farrer uses examples that range from the following: “Chinese exorcists, Javanese spirit siblings, Sumatran black magic, Tamil Tiger suicide bombers, Chamorro spiritual re-enchantment, tantric Buddhist war magic, and Yanomami dark shamans” (1). Throughout the article, he uses these examples to address a few central themes. The central themes for war magic, range from “violence and healing, accomplished through ritual and performance, to unleash and/or control the power of gods, demons, ghosts and the dead” (Farrer 1).
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Duhkha, Buddhist clerics, and cremation rituals are the concepts of Buddhism that were mentioned in the Tale of Genji. Kami and spirits are the concepts of Shinto that were mentioned in the story. Duhkha was demonstrated in the Tale of Genji because Aoi was suffering and was near death while she was possessed by evil spirits and when she gave birth to her son. Duhkha includes Buddha’s Four Noble Truths which include the ideas that suffering exists in the world, suffering is caused by cravings and desires, and there is a way to end suffering and pain, and the Noble Eightfold Path. The Tale of Genji also mentions concepts of Buddhist clerics and cremation. The Buddhist clerics came to try to heal Aoi with poppy seeds but unfortunately it
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In Yoshie's work, “Gender in Early Classical Japan: Marriage, Leadership, and Political Status in Village and Palace (2005),” she takes the example of Toji, women known to have played a m...
Oral history and native folklore is still alive and well in most tribes, and has been scholarly documented for generations. By tapping into the origins and lore surrounding Two-Spirit people I believe we will find a diverse set of stories that can illuminate the traditional Native perspective on Two-Spirit people. Furthermore, by comparing the similarities and differences in tribal legends, we may be able to further our understanding of tribal diffusion as well as better understand the perceptions of any spiritual resonance a Two-Spirit person may have.
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... "The Woman Warrior as a Search for Ghosts", Sato examines Kingston's symbolic use of the ghost figure as a means of approaching the dramatic structure of the text and appreciating its thematic search for identity amidst an often-paradoxical bicultural setting.
story and lasting throughout the play with the constant themes of deception and doing evil in the
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The Heian period(794-1185), the so-called golden age of Japanese culture, produced some of the finest works of Japanese literature.1 The most well known work from this period, the Genji Monogatari, is considered to be the “oldest novel still recognized today as a major masterpiece.”2 It can also be said that the Genji Monogatari is proof of the ingenuity of the Japanese in assimilating Chinese culture and politics. As a monogatari, a style of narrative with poems interspersed within it, the characters and settings frequently allude to Chinese poems and stories. In addition to displaying the poetic prowess that the Japanese had attained by this time period, the Genji Monogatari also demonstrates how politics and gender ideals were adopted from the Chinese.