Otogizoshi

Illustration from otogizōshi tale, published c. 1725

refers to a group of approximately 350 Japanese prose narratives written primarily in the Muromachi period (1392-1573). These illustrated short stories, which remain unattributed, together form one of the representative literary genres of the Japanese medieval era.

Overview

This type of short prose narrative from Japan is often considered a transitional genre, which bridges the gap between the courtly literature of the Heian period (794-1160) and the more plebeian kanazōshi (tales written in kana) and ukiyozōshi (tales of the floating world) of the Edo period (1600-1868). The stories are illustrated in the Nara-ehon style, a style that itself links the picture scrolls of the Heian era with the woodblock print books of the Edo period. This suggests that otogizōshi were meant to be read aloud, with the illustrations serving as reference guides.

Because the stories were recited before an audience, the narratives are simple, with little description, depth, or development. The majority of the tales are straightforward quest narratives, often revolving around a single heroic figure. In order to advance the plot, the passage of time is swift, with characters sometimes aging years or decades in the space of a single sentence.

Otogizõshi address a variety of topics, including worldly concerns (love, marriage, family); spiritual matters (the pursuit of enlightenment, encounters with manifestations of the Buddha); martial adventures; and supernatural fantasy. While some of the stories exhibit a clear didactic agenda, most otogizõshi appear to have been composed primarily for the sake of entertainment.

Categories of otogizōshi

Cover from volume of otogizōshi tales, published c. 1725.

Otogizōshi have been broken down into multiple categories: tales of the aristocracy, which are derived from earlier works such as the Genji monogatari, Heike monogatari, and Taiheiki; religious tales; tales of warriors, often based on the Soga monogatari and Gikeiki; tales of foreign countries, based on the Konjaku monogatari. The most famous of the tales, however, are retellings of familiar myths and folklore, such as Issun-bōshi, the story of a one-inch-tall boy who overcomes countless obstacles to achieve success in the capital.

Origins of the term otogizōshi

The term otogi literally means "companion," with the full name of the genre translating to "companion tale." This designation, however, did come into use until 1725, when a publisher from Osaka released a set of 23 illustrated booklets titled Shūgen otogibunko (Fortuitous Companion Library). As other publishers produced their own versions of Shūgen otogibunko, they began referring to the set of tales as otogizôshi. Gradually the term came to describe any work from the Muromachi or early Edo period that exhibited the same general style as the tales in Shūgen otogibunko.

History of otogizōshi scholarship

Otogizōshi came to the attention of modern literary historians in the late nineteenth century. For the most part, scholars have been critical of this genre, dismissing it for its perceived faults when compared to the aristocratic literature of the Heian and Kamakura periods. As a result, standardized Japanese school textbooks often omit any reference to otogizōshi from their discussions of medieval Japanese literature. Recent studies, however, have attempted to overturn this critical stance, highlighting the vitality and inherent appeal of this underappreciated genre.

See also

Manyōshū
The Murasaki Shikibu Diary
Kokusho Sōmokuroku

External references

Text references

Araki, James. "Otogi-Zoshi and Nara-Ehon: A Field of Study in Flux," Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 36: 1-20.Kavanagh, Frederick G. "An Errant Priest. Sasayaki Tale." Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 51: 219-244. Mulhern, Chieko Irie. "Otogi-zoshi. Short Stories of the Muromachi Period," Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 29: 181-198.

Online references

*"Sekai no Dejitaru Nara Ehon Detabesu", European Association of Japanese Resource Specialists, January 14, 2004
*Translations of Classical Japanese Works, Meiji Gakuin University
*Online edition of the Otogizōshi at Kyoto University