『해도기(海道記)』의 중세성

Abstract

From ancient times to the present, “travel,” one of the major components of Japanese culture base, has been counted as an important literary subject in Japanese literature. Saigyo, a poet who wrote about traveling, traveled in search of traces of Noin; and Basho, who traced Saigyo’s path, developed a new poetic sense called Haikai. The tradition of following someone’s trace is one of the generally-seen material in Japanese literary tradition. In Japanese medieval travel literature, it starts from the ancient travel literature’s tradition and it is easily found in the literary description of attractions. In The Tokankiko and Izayoi Nikki, the attraction spot is depicted in an idealistic image from Waka style narrative rather than in a realistic image. However, in The Kaidoki, written before The Tokankiko and Izayoi Nikki, differentiated by its non-traditional narrative in Heian period. In The Kaidoki, the “road” described in specific manner, stepped aside from the dynastic viewpoint. Unlike other literature of that era, the story in The Kaidoki develope its narrative by focusing on a road called Tokaido. In Heian period, the narrative of travel was about the provincial governors issued to local province. In The Kaidoki, the narrative is about the road itself, its social construction, and meaning in the middle ages of Japan. The narrative in The Kaidoki, therefore, should considered in terms of enjoyment of medieval time and space rather than follower’s tradition. Literatures in variety of genre operates as a key to understand a nation’s society, culture and values. In this perspective, The Kaidoki can be counted as one of the key materials to tunderstand Japanese medieval literary and cultural background.