요나오시론(世直し論)의 계보와 그 시작—근세 일본의 지진 재해와 ‘요나오시(よなおし)’—

Abstract

The term “Yonaoshi” is frequently encountered in contemporary mass media. In modern fields such as history, folklore, and religious studies, scholars have ascribed various meanings to this term and utilized it as an academic term. Moreover, it is a historical term that was also used in early modern Japan. Despite its broad application, a comprehensive examination of this term remains insufficient. To fully understand its overall significance, a deep understanding of the historical backgrounds of multiple academic disciplines, as well as an exploration of the terminology used during the Edo period, is necessary. This paper aims to undertake a preliminary work to comprehensively understand the term “Yonaoshi” by organizing its academic genealogy and investigating the meanings it held when it first began to be used in the early Edo period. In particular, by examining the earliest examples of “Yonaoshi” related to earthquake disasters in the Edo period, this study seeks to clarify what the term meant at that time, thus providing insights into the subsequent academic genealogy surrounding “Yonaoshi.” “Yonaoshi,” which means either a spell to prevent earthquake disasters or the earthquake itself, later appeared in the context of uprisings as “Yonaoshi Daimyōjin,” and also in the inscriptions of namazu-e that emerged after the 1855 earthquake disaster. For a comprehensive understanding of the term “Yonaoshi,” it is essential to analyze its historical meaning alongside its significance as an academic term in modern and contemporary contexts. This research is significant in that it organizes the genealogy of “Yonaoshi” and examines the meanings of this term from its earliest occurrences.