『源氏物語』時代の「たはぶれ(る)」巧 ―その解釈をめぐって―

Abstract

This paper is a reinterpretation of “tawabure” found in Japanese classic kana writing. “Tawabure” found in classic literature is generally defined as (1) playing and jesting (2) joking or (3) light sexual behaviors between men and women. Interestingly, some examples are defined as the second definition while it can be explained as the last definition of the three. Therefore, this paper focuses mainly on examples that can be interpreted as the third definition, unserious sexual behaviors between men and women. It is related to how Nihon Kokugo Daijiten 2ndEd (Shogakkan), the largest Japanese language dictionary published, recognizes the first literary example (interpreted as the definition (3)) in Kagero Diary written after mid-10th century for the vowel usage of “tawaburu” and The Life of an Amorous Woman written after the 17th century for the noun usage of “tawabure.” Also, it can be seen as an epiphenomenon after the newly added third definition. However, from the early 10th century, literatures were interpreted as the definition of (3) or were interpreted as definition (2) with the possibility of (3), and thus, there is a necessity to reconsider the examples after the Heian period. After analyzing the earlier studies on these entangled definitions on classic literatures up until the 10th century, this paper deliberates on more specific sentences and meanings of “tawabure” in Japanese kana writing during the mid-Heian period.