Chiteiki

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Chiteiki(池亭記), also known as Chitei no Ki, is one of the representative kanbun texts of the mid Heian period. [1] Belonging to the zuihitsu genre, it was written by Yoshishige no Yasutane (ja:慶滋保胤) in 982. The text is a valuable resource for understanding social issues within the capital at the time.

Kanbun, a form of Classical Chinese as used in Japan, was used from the Heian period to the mid-20th century. Much Japanese literature was written in this style, and it was the general writing style for official and intellectual works throughout the period. As a result, Sino-Japanese vocabulary makes up a large portion of the Japanese lexicon, and much classical Chinese literature is accessible to Japanese readers in some semblance of the original. The corresponding system in Korean is gugyeol (口訣/구결).

Heian period last major division of classical Japanese history (794 to 1185), named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto

The Heian period is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height. The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art, especially poetry and literature. Although the Imperial House of Japan had power on the surface, the real power was in the hands of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful aristocratic family who had intermarried with the imperial family. Many emperors actually had mothers from the Fujiwara family. Heian (平安) means "peace" in Japanese.

Zuihitsu (随筆) is a genre of Japanese literature consisting of loosely connected personal essays and fragmented ideas that typically respond to the author's surroundings. The name is derived from two Kanji meaning "at will" and "pen." The provenance of the term is ultimately Chinese, zuihitsu being the Sino-Japanese reading (on'yomi) of 随筆, the native reading (kun'yomi) of which is fude ni shitagau. Thus works of the genre should be considered not as traditionally planned literary pieces but rather as casual or randomly recorded thoughts by the authors.

Contents

Background

Yasutane drew inspiration for his text from Bai Juyi's Chi Shang Pian (池上篇) and Kane Akira's book by the same title. [1]

Bai Juyi Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty

Bai Juyi, courtesy name Letian, was a renowned Chinese poet and Tang dynasty government official. Many of his poems concern his career or observations made about everyday life, including as governor of three different provinces.

The short text is contained with volume 12 of the Honchō Monzui . It is composed of two major sections. The first is a commentary on problems within the society. Noteworthy are the descriptions of the capital: the west side has gone to ruin and people live crowded on the east side. Due to these issues, in the second half Yasutane goes into seclusion. He builds a small house where he can live a free lifestyle away from worldly cares. [1] [2]

Honchō Monzui (本朝文粋) is Japanese book of Chinese prose and poetry. It was compiled around the middle of the 11th century during the Heian period by Fujiwara no Akihira.

Influences

Chiteiki is primarily cited as having a major influence on Kamo no Chōmei's later Hōjōki (written around 1212). [1] [3] In Hōjōki, Chōmei mimics a number of literary devices found in Chiteiki, describes similar social problems, and eventually goes into seclusion building a small hut.

Kamo no Chōmei Japanese poet

Kamo no Chōmei was a Japanese author, poet, and essayist. He witnessed a series of natural and social disasters, and, having lost his political backing, was passed over for promotion within the Shinto shrine associated with his family. He decided to turn his back on society, took Buddhist vows, and became a hermit, living outside the capital. This was somewhat unusual for the time, when those who turned their backs on the world usually joined monasteries. Along with the poet-priest Saigyō he is representative of the literary recluses of his time, and his celebrated essay Hōjōki is representative of the genre known as "recluse literature".

<i>Hōjōki</i> Short work of the Kamakura period by Kamo no Chōmei

Hōjōki, variously translated as An Account of My Hut or The Ten Foot Square Hut, is an important and popular short work of the early Kamakura period (1185–1333) in Japan by Kamo no Chōmei. Written in 1212, the work depicts the Buddhist concept of impermanence (mujō) through the description of various disasters such as earthquake, famine, whirlwind and conflagration that befall the people of the capital city Kyoto. The author Chōmei, who in his early career worked as court poet and was also an accomplished player of the biwa and koto, became a Buddhist monk in his fifties and moved farther and farther into the mountains, eventually living in a 10-foot square hut located at Mt. Hino. The work has been classified both as belonging to the zuihitsu genre and as Buddhist literature. Now considered as a Japanese literary classic, the work remains part of the Japanese school curriculum.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten (1986:1214)
  2. ↑ Ōsone (1992:86–93)
  3. ↑ Kubota (2007:315)

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References

Jun Kubota is a scholar of Japanese literature. He is best-known for his work on medieval waka.

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