일본 초기서사의 특질과 독자성 －현존하는 모노가타리의 시조(始祖),<다케토리 모노가타리>(竹取物語)의 서사세계－

Abstract

Taketorimonogatari, Japan’s first prose in Kana and the progenitor of monogatari, was formed by combining different stories transmitted in Japan and accepting foreign cultures such as Buddhism scriptures and Chinese fairy tales. By studying the process of formation and the narrative world of Taketorimonogatari, this study examined the characteristics and identity of early Japanese narratives that base on domestic transmitted stories with Kana as the method of expression, while expanding the narrative world and transforming into the new Kana narrative by accepting foreign cultures. In forming Taketorimonogatari, Japan’s transmitted stories such as ‘Taketori no Okina’ and ‘The Feather Robe’ in addition to the influence of foreign cultures including the knowledge brought from Buddhism scriptures and Chinese fairy tale books were embraced. As such, the harmony of different domestic stories and foreign cultures to form a new narrative world is the characteristic of Japan’s early narrative and the progenitor of monogatari, Taketorimonogatari. However, the background of ‘The Feather Robe’, which is heaven, has moved to the earth in Taketorimonogatari. The most essential and independent setting in creating in Taketorimonogatari into the story of human world on the earth was that Kaguya-hime became the adopted daughter of Taketori no Okina and became a specific individual on human world as opposed to a mere unspecified nymph, and also that the emperor burned the ‘elixir of life’ that Kaguya-hime left as she left the earth. The process of a heavenly existence feeling a human feeling of the sorrow of separation, and the earthly existence giving up on the opportunity to become an immortal being are the independent narrative world of Taketorimonogatari that were retained in the process of its formation as Kana narrative. The monogatari literature of Heian Period that deals with the futility of human life and problems of women’s lives, started with Taketorimonogatari, which embraced both romantic elements and human’s stories on the earth.