Exploiting a Mountain: The Destruction of Nature and the Birth of Popular Literature in Heijō-kyō

• Iizumi Kenji

  埼玉大学

Bibliographic Information

Other Title

• 大山を削る
• 大山を削る : 平城京の天皇・僧と民の文学
• オオヤマ オ ケズル : ヘイジョウキョウ ノ テンノウ ・ ソウ ト タミ ノ ブンガク
• ―― 平城京の天皇・僧と民の文学 ――

Abstract

When a mountain was cut out for the construction of the large statue of Buddha in Tōdai-ji Temple, the people of different classes in Heijō-kyō made different responses to it. The members of the imperial family prayed the Buddhist statue to subdue the fury of nature symbolized by the mountain. Forgetful of their religious duties in pursuit of worldly profits, the priests struggled to gain the ownership of estates around the construction site. The common people showed a detached attitude toward the event and made satirical songs about the imperial family's superstition and the priests' mammonism. Satirical poems called “rakushu” originated from them. Thus unexpectedly the destruction of nature for the building of the statue gave birth to a new type of popular literature.

Journal

• Japanese Literature

  Japanese Literature 62 (5), 20-28, 2013

  Japanese Literature Association

Details

• CRID: 1390282680756908672
• NII Article ID: 130006742680
• NII Article ID: 40019643097
• NII Book ID: AN00197092
• DOI: 10.20620/nihonbungaku.62.5_20
• ISSN: 24241202
• ISSN: 03869903
• NDL BIB ID: 024459912
• Web Site: http://id.ndl.go.jp/bib/024459912
• Web Site: https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/books/R000000004-I024459912
• Text Lang: ja
• Data Source:
  • JaLC
  • NDL
  • CiNii Articles
  • KAKEN
• Abstract License Flag: Disallowed