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Print, Power, and Parable in Japanese Literature – Opening Session
October 25, 2019 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Free
This opening session of the 2019-2020 Speaker Series: “Print, Power, and Parable in Japanese Literature” will feature two great speakers.
4:00 pm – Glynne Walley (University of Oregon)
“Taking Advantage of Filial Piety: Subverting Confucian Virtues in Edo Popular Fiction”
This talk will examine parodies of Chinese filial piety narratives in early modern Japanese popular fiction. Filial piety, a key tenet of Confucianism, was considered a cardinal virtue and was allied with the loyalty demanded by the state of its subjects. The principle was often taught through a set of twenty-four Chinese stories of filial children, parables that emphasized heroic self-sacrifice for one’s parents. While meant to be inspiring, the tales were also ripe targets for parody. I will discuss two examples of skeptical treatments of filial piety, one by Ihara Saikaku and one by Kyokutei Bakin.
5:00 pm – Motoi Katsumata (Brandeis University)
“Attack of the Peach Boy: The Politics of War in a Japanese Folktale”
In modern times, the ending of the Japanese folktale Momotarō, or The Peach Boy, has undergone many changes. The original tale ends with Momotarō giving the treasure he plundered from “Island of the Ogres” (Onigashima) to his mother and father. But in later versions, Momotarō returns the treasure to its original owners, the village people. Such an ending may appear as a depiction of benevolence, but closer examination will reveal its hidden political nuances.
This lecture examines the history of the tale Momotarō and argues that its endings have been changed to suit political agendas at key points in modern Japanese history. The talk traces the tale’s transformation from its recorded origins in the Edo period (1603-1867) to its modern versions before World War II and in contemporary popular culture.