| This dissertation examines the theory and practice of allegory in Japanese literature, with a special focus on secret allegorical commentaries (kochu), heavily influenced by esoteric Shingon Buddhism, which flourished in the late Kamakura period and were subsequently disseminated into the popular culture of the Muromachi period, forming the basis for Noh plays and otogizoshi (short prose narratives). The first chapter provides a theoretical framework for the dissertation by means of a genealogical critique of the terms allegory and symbol as they have been used in Western literary criticism. It then turns to a discussion of what elements of Japanese literature and religion might be considered allegorical. It concludes with an analysis of possible "triggers" (textual and cultural) for allegorical interpretation, and summarizes four main categories of commentary popular in medieval Japan. Chapter Two focuses on the historical development of Kamakura commentaries on the Heian period texts Ise monogatari (The Tales of Ise) and the Imperial anthology Kokinwakashu. In Chapter Three, I briefly discuss each of the most important kochu on Ise monogatari and the Kokinshu, giving examples of their interpretation in order to show how the kochu as a whole shared certain critical assumptions about proper interpretation, yet at the same time evidenced quite distinct characteristics. In Chapters Four and Five, I analyze some of the ways that these secret allegorical commentaries were used to write Noh plays in the Muromachi period. Chapter Four looks at the various ways Noh plays actually used the kochu as sources (honsetsu) for their themes and plots, concentrating on the figure of Narihira as okina (uncanny old man), the manifestation of a shrine Kami. The final chapter is a close reading of a single play, Kakitsubata, showing in detail how the composer incorporated kochu interpretations in both his plot and thematic structure. Part Two of the dissertation includes translations of two of the Ise monogatari Noh that I discuss, Kakitsubata and Oshio. I also include a translation of Ise monogatari zuino, a late Kamakura commentary, as an example of medieval allegoresis. |
