『うつほ物語』における忠こそ物語の意義とその特徴

Abstract

Tadakoso appears as the protagonist of the Story of Mamako-ijime in Utsuho-monogatari. Tadakoso became a priest because he was disappointed with the curt attitude of his father, Chikage, who was enticed by his step mother. The volume of Tadakoso, where the stories of Tadakoso are found, is said to be a collection of short narratives in virtue of its structure, but it suddenly becomes a long narrative once the clan of Toshikage appears in the story. After he becomes a priest, Tadakoso comes back to the story as a virtuous priest, but he is soon described as a person who pursues Atemiya for marriage; he is portrayed as a figure whose image is far from close to that of a priest. In order to interpret this discrepancy, it is not sufficient to resort to the view that the writer attracts the readers through the strange story where the virtuous priest fell in love with Atemiya. It would be more appropriate to interpret the story in such a way that the writer intended to shape the nature of humans who suffer, provided that Tadakoso has difficulty in maintaining his ambition as a priest, which suggests that even a virtuous priest struggles with his worry and his conflicting ideas. In this respect, the writer’s intention is related to the molded image of Kaoru and Ukifune in the Tale of Genji, and this is where the molded image of Tadakoso is significant and characteristic.