by Donald Keene
The association of wisteria blossoms with the end of spring follows a famous poem by the Chinese poet Bai Juyi (see here). The hero’s plucking of the flowers in the rain is an example of the custom of emphasizing the lengths to which one had gone to acquire the gift being sent; it shows that his behaviour is truly elegant. Episodes 16 and 52 depict a similar instance. Wisteria blossoms (fuji) may also be a reference to the Fujiwara clan (the name of which puns with fuji; see also Episode 101), although there is no conclusive evidence to support this theory and Yamamoto believes there is no pun. But there is no element of doubt in Episode 101, by contrast, where fuji is clearly punned upon.
This poem is found also in the Kokinshū (no. 133, attributed to Ariwara no Narihira) with a concise headnote. In the Tales, the headnote is slightly expanded with the addition of ‘a house of declining fortunes’ and the changing of the verb ‘to present’ to an honorific form.
81
Sailing into a Garden
Throughout the Tales, the authors’ sympathy lies clearly with those who lack power. Episode 81 is a fine example of this. The object of the author’s sympathy is here the ninth-century Minister of the Left Minamoto no Toru, who had been reduced from imperial rank to that of commoner but rose very high in the bureaucracy. A famous poem by him is quoted in Episode 1. He is also famous for his mansion on the banks of the Kamo River in the Sixth Avenue (the Kawara mansion – see Map 3), which is the setting for this episode; known as the ‘Riverside Palace’, it served as the model for Prince Genji’s own Rokujo Palace in The Tale of Genji.
Minamoto no Toru was a man of great refinement, whose elegance and moral superiority are shown here through his interest in gardens, which are often referred to in the Tales. The cloistered prince’s love of gardens is mentioned in Episode 78, for instance, the special stone being presented to him by someone who is aware of this. A sensibility for the beauty of flowers and gardens infuses the Tales with aesthetic lustre and refinement.
In his poem, the hero, Narihira, seeks to compliment the minister by suggesting that the garden is indistinguishable from the one that it imitates. The motif of the elderly man being confused or pretending to be confused about something in the landscape is also employed in Episode 77, where an old man confuses artificial trees for real ones; here, he appears to mistake the garden for the actual Shiogama. In a deft stroke, the hero as venerable old man (okina) claims that the garden is so like Shiogama that he feels as if he has been transported there in person. The gentle criticisms that follow, which seem to mockingly refer to the poet’s age, are in fact praising his delicate sensibility and marvellous poem.
Episode 81 is another important example of ‘venerable old man tales’ (okinagatari; see okina and the commentary to Episode 77). Here we have an old man, Narihira, who tells a poem based on his own past. He is referred to as an ‘old tramp’ (katai okina), a disrespectful mode of address that has connotations of being shabby and wretched. But this is just another example of playful deprecation – because the hero is in the presence of an exalted person – and not meant to be taken seriously.
fading chrysanthemums … many shades of red: Chrysanthemums that had reddened from the frost as the season changed from late autumn to winter were highly prized (see Episode 18). In the Japanese, the headnote tells us that the time was the tenth month of the lunisolar calendar.
viewing stands: The word itajiki (viewing stands) refers to a low wooden veranda open to the weather. Straw mats were placed on the wooden floors, but only where people sat. Because of the old man’s low rank, he is not allowed to sit on the stand to compose his poem but must prostrate himself on the ground below.
82
The Heart of Spring
This tale tells of the close friendship between Narihira, the hero of the Tales, and Prince Koretaka, the first son of Emperor Montoku and a likely successor to the throne. However, it was Montoku’s fourth son, Korehito, born in 850 to a member of the Fujiwara clan, who was named crown prince and eventually became Emperor Seiwa. Koretaka was ordained as a Buddhist priest in 872 (see the commentary to the next episode); thus, having never reached the throne, he was known from then onwards as a man of adverse fortune. He was a kinsman of Narihira, who had married Koretaka’s cousin on his mother’s side; Narihira was nineteen years his senior. Narihira is referred to here by his title, the Chief Equerry of the Right (see the commentary to Episode 77). The assertion that his name had been forgotten is, of course, a humorous fiction.
Katagiri suggests that Episodes 82 and 83 offer an emotional and visual contrast to each other. In Episode 82 feelings of amity and affection are expressed beneath the glorious colours of the cherry blossoms at Minase and Katano. Episode 83, which reminds one of an ink-wash painting, focuses by contrast on the tears that flow amid the snow at the base of solitary Mount Hie.
The fact that all the members of the gathering compose poems suggests that the act of composition here transcends all differences in rank. The first poem is one of the best known in the Tales. It describes, in the form of a paradox, the poet’s deep love of cherry blossoms. The poem is also found in the Kokinshū (no. 53), attributed to Narihira, and is quoted in Ki no Tsurayuki’s Tosa nikki (Tosa Diary; 935). The last line of the poem may be read as either ‘the heart of spring’, as rendered here, or ‘our hearts in spring’ – it is up to the reader. The second poem is a response to the first and asserts that it is the very fleeting quality of cherry blossoms that makes them so beautiful.
The third poem is composed by the equerry in response to an order by Prince Koretaka, after the party has arrived at the ‘River of Heaven’, located about half a mile south of the Nagisa mansion (see note below). A tributary of the Yodo River (see Map 3), it flows through the Kinya area of the city of Hirakata in present-day Osaka Prefecture. As ‘River of Heaven’ is another name for the Milky Way, the poem suggests that since they have arrived at the River of Heaven, they should ask the Weaving Maid for lodgings – a reference to the Tanabata legend. This poem is also found in the Kokinshū (no. 418).
The prince is greatly moved by this poem but cannot come up with a suitable reply, so his uncle (and Narihira’s father-in-law) Ki no Aritsune composes one in his stead (see daisaku (proxy composition)). The reply posits that since the Weaving Maid, according to the legend, can meet the Herd Boy only once a year, it is unlikely that she would let other men stay. This poem is thought to be based on an earlier one in the Kokinshū (no. 419), where it is attributed to Aritsune.
After composing the poems, the party returns to Koretaka’s residence in Minase, where they talk (see monogatarau) and drink through the night. Just as the prince, the worse for drink, is about to retire to bed, the equerry detains him with another poem, the fifth in the episode. Under the lunisolar calendar, the moon gradually grew larger during the first half of the month, became full on the fifteenth day, and then waned in the second half; it rose and sank at slightly different times of the night over the course of the month. The moon of the eleventh day would have sunk around 2–3 a.m. By using the moon as an image for the prince, and asking it not to disappear over the mountains, the poem expresses regret that he is about to go to bed. The poem appears in the Kokinshū (no. 884) with a very similar context provided in the headnote.
Again, as the prince cannot compose a reply, Ki no Aritsune offers one in his stead. This sixth poem states much the same as the fifth – that the poet wishes the prince would remain with them. A similar poem appears in the Gosenshū (no. 1249), but the author is said to be Kanzuke Mineo, about whom little is known.
Minase beyond Yamazaki: Yamazaki (see Map 3) was an important port on the Yodo River south-west of the capital (Heiankyo/Kyoto). Today it is known as Oyamazaki, in the district of Otokuni in Kyoto Prefecture. Minase (see Map 3) was an adjacent area further south-west. It is now called Hirose, a part of Shimamoto in Mishima District, Osaka Prefecture. This whole area was an imperial hunting ground.
Katano … Nagisa mansion: Katano is now part of th
e city of Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture. The Nagisa mansion (see Maps 2 and 3) was an imperial villa also known as the Nagisa Palace, located on the opposite bank of the Yodo River from Minase.
placed [cherry blossoms] in their hair: All members of the party decorate their hair with sprigs of cherry blossom, making a crown, a practice with its origins in a kind of magical ritual. However, by this time, it was reserved for celebratory occasions.
83
Toiling Through Snow
The pure heart – the heart that remains unchanged in the face of adversity – is one of the central themes of the Tales, and Episode 83 provides an excellent example. Despite being busy with official duties, Narihira makes his way through the snow to show his fealty and love for Prince Koretaka. Episodes 82 and 85 similarly celebrate Narihira’s close friendship with the prince.
In this episode, the hero is referred to as ‘the elderly chief equerry’, continuing the pattern in Episodes 76 and 81, where the main character is a venerable old man (okina), though this could apply to someone in their middle years. In the opening paragraph, the words ‘trying to discover what his true wishes might be’ refers to the equerry’s perplexity about not being given leave to return home. He composes the ensuing poem to ascertain that the prince wants him to stay, assuring him that he has no need to sleep and is willing to sit up with him until dawn. The expression ‘bound grasses’ (kusa hiki-musubu) in the first poem refers to ‘staying away overnight’, in this case, specifically at Koretaka’s residence. When people slept outdoors they would bind grass to make a pillow. The reference to ‘autumn nights’, in both Chinese- and Japanese-language poetry, indicates a relatively long period of time (nights being longer at that time of year). At the time of the tale, it was in fact the last day of spring, so the period of time spent together would be much shorter. This poem appears in two slightly different versions in the late tenth-century Kokin waka rokujō (Six Volumes of Waka Old and New; nos. 2424 and 3242).
As we have seen, the last day of spring (sangatsujin) had been a popular topic of poetry from the time of Bai Juyi (see here) in China (see also Episodes 77, 80 and 91, among others). The equerry invites the prince to join him in lamenting the departure of spring, and both men, understanding its significance, elegantly mourn its passing together. The tale continues with the prince taking ordination as a monk. According to the chronicle Nihon sandai jitsuroku (True History of Three Reigns; 886), Koretaka took vows in the seventh month of 872, when he was in his twenty-ninth year. Illness may have been a reason, but it has generally been interpreted as a consequence of his failure to become emperor (see the commentary to the previous episode).
This part of the tale focuses on the conflict between official duty – that is, attendance on the emperor by members of the nobility – and private matters. The hero must return to the palace to perform his official duties. In the world of the Tales, official duties sometimes intrude on private relationships.
The poem in this section, one of the best known in the Tales, asks whether it is a dream that the man has tramped through deep snow to meet the prince. It is included in the Kokinshū (no. 970, attributed to Narihira), though the headnote there says the poem was composed after Narihira’s return to the city. It is also included in the Kokin waka rokujō (no. 715).
Minase: Minase, which provides the setting for the first part of Episode 82, is described in the commentary to that tale.
Ono at the foot of Mount Hie: Ono refers to a broad area below Mount Hie (see Maps 2 and 3) extending as far as Hase and Ohara, located in what is now the north-west part of Sakyo-ku in Kyoto. It also appears as the name of a village in The Tale of Genji. The prince’s place of retreat was said to be near Ohara, though its exact location is not known; his grave is also there. Mount Hie also features in Episode 9.
weeping bitterly: See otoko naki (crying of men).
84
A Son’s Wish
This episode features an exchange of poems between the hero and his mother, Princess Ito. The fact that Narihira is said in this episode to be the lady’s ‘only son’ means that he had no siblings by her, and that Yukihira (Episodes 79 and 101) was, in fact, his half-brother. By indicating that her letter is urgent, Narihira’s mother warns him that it probably contains bad news, and indeed, her poem tells of her impending death. The hero’s reply is a prayer that his mother might live ‘a thousand years’ (chiyo), expressing his deep love for his mother through a plea that death might disappear from the world.
Both poems are included in the Kokinshū (nos. 900 and 901, attributed to Princess Ito and Narihira, respectively). Sei Shonagon refers to this episode in her eleventh-century Makura no sōshi (Pillow Book; no. 293), saying that the letter was very touching and that she could imagine Narihira’s feelings when he read his mother’s poem.
Nagaoka: Nagaoka (see Map 3) is also the setting of Episode 58.
85
My Heart’s the Snow
In focusing on the deep friendship between the hero and Prince Koretaka (not mentioned here by name), Episode 85 forms a triptych with Episodes 82 and 83. The salient aspect of all three episodes is that the hero remains true to Koretaka despite his downfall. Though we are told that he had been in the service of the prince since childhood (thus implying that he was younger than Koretaka), the historical Narihira was nineteen years his senior. Episode 83 also speaks of Koretaka’s taking Buddhist orders.
In contrasting the body (‘I cannot split myself in two’) with the heart, the poem employs a conceit common at the time: though the man in his heart wishes to remain with the prince, in person he has to return to the capital to attend the emperor.
A similar poem is found in the Kokinshū (no. 373, attributed to Ikago no Atsuyuki), where the headnote states that it was composed for someone ‘travelling to the eastern provinces’. The first two lines are the same, but the last three read: mi ni mienu / kokoro o kimi ni / taguete zo yaru (I will send my heart with you, though it can’t be seen). Thus it is not certain that the poem in this episode is a reworking of the older one.
he removed his robe: Taking off one’s robe to give it to another as a gift was common among aristocrats at the time (see also Episodes 16 and 62).
86
Past Loves
Episode 86 is typical of the kind of tale that is effective in the original Japanese but appears flat in translation. There is too little in the narrative to stir interest, and it is very hard to interpret the real meaning of the poem, if indeed there is one; the plainness of the poem and the tale’s lack of detail also make for an unsatisfactory tale in translation. However, for the Japanese readers of the time, the predicament of a couple who could not be together because of social and family considerations and who later try unsuccessfully to rekindle their relationship would have been a topic of considerable appeal. The poem is included in the late tenth-century Kokin waka rokujō (Six Volumes of Waka Old and New; no. 2917).
87
Travels in Ashiya
Several of the tales pay tribute to the genius of place, and Episode 87 is a good example. A party of visitors from the capital takes a stroll in the village of Ashiya in the province of Settsu (see Maps 2 and 3), in the vicinity of modern-day Ashiya, near Kobe. There, they see the expansive ocean and great waterfalls, which up to that point they had only been able to imagine from the ponds in the gardens of their palaces. The theme of this episode is how excursions and the pleasures of the landscape can fill the heart with delight.
Katagiri argues that the first and second scenes of the episode are like those on a picture scroll, and they are meant to be read as if images accompanied them. In his view, when the Tales was composed, picture-scroll versions would have been in circulation. As evidence for his theory, he cites the numerous episodes in the work that have a strong visual quality and that can be better understood if one thinks of them as being supplemented by illustrations. This theory is not shared by all commentators, but it is certainly true that many of the episodes in the work are
highly visual and suitable for illustration.
The hero, who has taken quarters in Ashiya, goes with his visiting brother and officers from the Imperial Guard to the Nunobiki Falls, where they compose poems. The first poem is similar to one in the Man’yōshū (no. 1777) that was probably reworked for use in this episode. The original poem is a folk song about a salt worker hurrying to visit her lover. (See also the poem in Episode 112.)
The second poem is a complaint by the hero’s brother, Yukihara, about his low position at court. The word nami is a pun (kakekotoba) linking ‘Waiting without [hope]’ (matsu kai no / nami) and ‘tears’ (namida). The falling tears are improbably likened to the towering waterfall. The third poem in the episode uses the metaphor of ‘cascading pearls’, too numerous to contain in a narrow sleeve, to describe the beauty of the falling water. This poem appears in the Kokinshū (no. 923), where it is attributed to Narihira. Though the sleeves are described as ‘narrow’, they would have been much wider than those of a European garment – more like the sleeves of a robe. The narrator’s question about whether those present enjoyed the poem is clearly disingenuous, because we are then told how others praised it highly and refrained from composing their own. See also Episodes 67 and 68 for other instances in which members of a group are so impressed by a poem that they decide not to compose one of their own.
In the beautiful fourth poem, the fires in baskets used for luring fish to the fishermen’s boats are compared to stars and fireflies, as well as providing an echo of the ‘salt fires’ in the first poem. Though common in Chinese poetry, this kind of sustained metaphor was something new in Japanese poetry (waka). A gift of seaweed accompanies the fifth poem, the reference to it being treasured by the ‘god of the sea’ (Watatsumi) indicating what a delicacy it must be. Adorning one’s hair – with a nod to ‘comb in my hair’ of the first poem – is also mentioned in Episode 82. Indeed, it was not uncommon for men to decorate their hair with flowers for dance performances, etc., in the period.