CHŪSHINGURA AND THE SAMURAI TRADITION

Transcription

1 HSZ 320 TOPICS IN JAPANESE HISTORY: CHŪSHINGURA AND THE SAMURAI TRADITION Sophia University Summer Session 2018 Instructor: Haruko Wakabayashi Lecture: M-Th 7/2-7/27 (9:15-10:45) Course Description: This course introduces students to some of the major themes in medieval and early modern Japanese history, with a primary focus on its samurai tradition, through the reading of Chūshingura (commonly known in the Western world as the Tale of the 47 Samurai ) and other war tales and primary sources (in translation). By looking at the social, political, and cultural developments in premodern Japan, the course will not only help students better understand the historical background of Chūshingura but also aims to illuminate the historical context in which this canonical tale of vengeance was produced and appreciated. Requirements: Classes will consist of lectures and discussions. Students must complete all readings and come to class prepared for discussion. Students must submit a short response (1/2-1 page) for the readings before classes marked with * and two field trip reports (1-2 pages). A final paper (5-7 pages) is due on the last day of class. Grading: Class participation (25%) Response (10 %). Field Trip Reports (20 %) Final Paper (45%) Required Book for Purchase: Chūshingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers): A Puppet Play by Takeda Izumo, Miyoshi Shōraku, and Namiki Senryū, trans. Donald Keene (New York: Columbia University Press, 1971).

2 Tentative Schedule: (Subject to change) 7/3 Introduction: What is Samurai? Hiroaki Sato, Legends of the Samurai (New York: The Overlook Press, 1995), Introduction, pp. xiii-xxxiii. PART 1: BEFORE CHŪSHINGURA 7/4 The Rise of the Warriors: A Historical Background Karl Friday, Dawn of the Samurai, Andrew E. Goble, The Kamakura Shogunate and the Beginnings of Warrior Power, and Goble, Go-Daigo, Takauji, and the Muromachi Shogunate, in Karl F. Friday, ed. Japan Emerging: Premodern History to 1850 (Westview Press, 2012), pp , /5 Before Heike: The Tales of Hōgen and Heiji The Early Medieval War Tales, in Paul Varley, Warriors of Japan as Portrayed in the War Tales (University of Hawaii Press, 1994), pp The Tale of Heiji Scrolls [ *7/9 Warrior Heroes in The Tale of the Heike I: The Battles The Tales of the Heike, The Bells of Gion Monastery, The Death of Lord Kiso, The Attack from the Cliff, Nasu no Yoichi, The Lost Bow, The Battle of Dan-no-ura, Far-Flying Arrows, and The Drowning of the Former Emperor, in Haruo Shirane, ed. Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600, pp , , What are some of the important features of a warrior, as depicted in the Tale of the Heike? Choose two warriors/episode and explain how it portrays an ideal image of a warrior. *7/10 Warrior Heroes in The Tale of the Heike II: Atsumori and Naozane The Death of Atsumori, in Haruo Shirane, ed. Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600, pp Atsumori (Nō Drama), in Traditional Japanese Literature, pp Compare the Heike version and the Noh play version of the tale of Atsumori and discuss

3 the different ways in which the tale is told. From whose perspective is the story told? For what purpose? **7/11 Warrior Heroes in The Tale of the Heike III: Yoshitune Minamoto no Yoshitsune: A Hero Hounded, in Legends of the Samurai, pp Yoshitsune is perhaps the most popular warrior hero of all times. What do you feel makes him such a popular hero? Cite examples from the Heike that we have read so far, as well as from the episodes in The Story of Yoshitsune that was written later. PART 2: JAPAN DURING THE TIMES OF CHŪSHINGURA 7/12 Sengoku Period and the Establishment of the Tokugawa Rule David Eason, Warriors, Warlords, and Domains, Lee Butler, The Sixteenth-Century Reunification, and Philip Brown, The Political Order, in Japan Emerging, pp , *7/16 Samurai Culture and Thought Begin Reading Chūshingura Sections on Yamaga Sokō in Theodore de Bary, et al., eds. Sources of Japanese Tradition, Vol. 2 <abridged edition>(columbia University Press, 2006), pp ; Yamamoto Tsunetomo: Hagakure, in Legends of the Samurai, pp After reading the assignments, how would you define bushido? Choose one or two elements that are important and explain why. *7/17 Family, Gender, and Sex in Tokugawa Society Denis Gainty, Family, Gender, and Sex in Early Modern Japan, in Japan Emerging, pp ; Kaibara Ekiken, Women and Wisdom of Japan (Greater Learning for Women), trans. Shingoro Takaishi (London: John Murray, 1905), pp What was the role of women during the Tokugawa period? How were they defined according to Confucianism, and how was this similar and/or different from men (samurai)? Cite a couple of examples from "Women and Wisdom of Japan." *7/18 Edokko and the Culture of the Common People

4 Frank Chance, Urban Arts and Entertainment in Early Modern Japan, in Japan Emerging, pp ; Edokko: The Townsperson, and Iki: The Aesthetic of Edo, in Nishiyama Matsunosuke, Edo Culture: Daily Life and Diversions in Urban Japan, (University of Hawaii Press, 1997), pp How would you define "Edokko" and their culture of iki? 7/19 Field Trip to the Edo-Tokyo Museum Hidenobu Jinnai, The Spatial Structure of Edo, in Chie Nakane, ed. Tokugawa Japan: The Social and Economic Antecedents of Modern Japan, trans. ed. Conrad Totman (University of Tokyo Press, 1990), pp WEEK 3: THE AKŌ INCIDENT AND CHŪSHINGURA *7/23 The Akō Incident The Forty-Seven Samurai: An Eyewitness Account, with Arguments, in Legends of the Samurai, pp **Field Report #1 Due. Each museum has its own purpose and ways of telling a "story" or "narrative." As for the Edo-Tokyo Museum, its purpose is to tell the history of the city of Tokyo. From what you have seen in the museum, how do you feel "Edo" and "Edo period" are represented within the context of the museum's narrative? How is "Edo" and "Edo period" defined? Provide some specific examples from the exhibit. 7/24 Introduction to Chūshingura Introduction, in Chūshingura, pp. 1-26; The Aesthetics of Kabuki, in Edo Culture, pp What were the different arguments that supported or criticized the acts taken by Oishi and the former retainers of Asano? What would your opinion be? Support your opinion using some of the contemporary views of the incident. 7/25 Field Trip to Sengakuji Finish reading Chūshingura. 7/26 Discussion of Chūshingura

5 Finish reading Chūshingura. **Field Report #2 Due. What is the image of Asano and the 47 former retainers that is presented at Sengakuji? How are the historical and fictional images juxtaposed?