Narratives and Stories in Environmental Folklore: Following on from Motoori Norinaga's Concept of <i>Mono no Aware</i>

DOI Web Site

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 物の哀れをしるより外なし──環境民俗学の認識論──
  • 物の哀れをしるより外なし : 環境民俗学の認識論
  • モノ ノ アワレ オ シル ヨリ ソト ナシ : カンキョウ ミンゾクガク ノ ニンシキロン

Search this article

Abstract

<p>Japanese folkloristics, or minzokugaku, established by Kunio Yanagita, is generally accepted, amongst Minzokugaku scholars, to have been influenced by Motoori Norinaga and the Kokugaku academic movement of the Edo period. In particular, Yanagita's epistemology is influenced by Norinaga's concept of mono no aware, a Japanese sense of the poignancy of impermanence, as it pertains to poetics and The Tale of Genji. This paper follows on from Norinaga's theories and takes a look at narratives and stories in the life environment of inhabitants from the perspective of environmental folklore.</p><p>Norinaga considered the emotions people feel when moved by an event to be a precondition for the poetic act. Having others listen to one's story is a premise for telling the story. It provides solace and lifts the teller's spirits, a psychological effect that takes place in both the writing and the telling of a story, he explained. Norinaga pointed out the emotional needs of the author as the reason for writing a story, being much the same need as the poet's for composing poetry. He further noted that readers read stories to understand their own situation by empathizing with the characters, and to thereby lift their own spirits. The author would then write further stories in consideration of the readers who empathized with the author's characters. In essence, Norinaga considered the author, the characters in the story, and the readers all as the story's recipients who shared the same sentiments.</p><p>Taking the lead from Norinaga's theory, this paper examines examples of community building that have utilized folktales. It was found that people empathized with characters that appeared in the telling of the folktale, understood their own situation, felt emotional support, and thus participated in community building activities.</p><p>Folklorists understand the emotions of inhabitants from their narratives and create a story (ethnography) in which the people are the characters. By so doing they convey the people's emotions that touched their own hearts.</p>

Journal

Related Projects

See more

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top