The function of the moon in TAKETORI MONOGATARI ~The world on the moon and the world of human beings~
The function of the moon in TAKETORI MONOGATARI ~The world on the moon and the world of human beings~
Introduction
The moon can be found in many literary works, and it is an element full of literary and narrative quality. The moon in the Taketori Monogatari, which is considered the ancestor of Japanese Narratives by the Japanese renowned writer Murasaki Shikibu, is without exception an indispensable part. According to NI, Jin-Dan, in literature, the concept of foreign land, which is a relative space to the world of human beings, has always been emphasized. Through this foreign land, we can penetrate the underlying truth around us deeply. In Taketori Monogatari, the moon in the sky, in contrast to the world of humankind on the ground, presented an image of an ideal world. Taketori incorporated materials and ideas from the Buddhist scriptures or the Chinese classics and thus is strongly influenced by the images and characteristics of the moon in these masterpieces. What kind of roles does the moon play in this literary work? What important view does the author intend to convey to readers through comparing the moon and the world of mankind? These are the main themes I want to explore in this essay.
The Main Subject The image of “the capital of the moon” varies in different literary works. In Taketori, the world on the moon is a land of immortal life, or heaven, and is yearned for by people.On the other hand, the world on the ground is often portrayed as dirty and impure, these counterparts reveal that the moon world is a symbol of the Pure Land on the basis of Taoism or Buddhism related thoughts. There are many legends related to the moon, and specifically I want to talk about the one in The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, written by the famous Buddhist priest Xuanzang, in which a story of a rabbit burning itself was mentioned. In order to test the virtue of a rabbit, a fox and a monkey, Śakra was under the disguise
Introduction
The moon can be found in many literary works, and it is an element full of literary and narrative quality. The moon in the Taketori Monogatari, which is considered the ancestor of Japanese Narratives by the Japanese renowned writer Murasaki Shikibu, is without exception an indispensable part. According to NI, Jin-Dan, in literature, the concept of foreign land, which is a relative space to the world of human beings, has always been emphasized. Through this foreign land, we can penetrate the underlying truth around us deeply. In Taketori Monogatari, the moon in the sky, in contrast to the world of humankind on the ground, presented an image of an ideal world. Taketori incorporated materials and ideas from the Buddhist scriptures or the Chinese classics and thus is strongly influenced by the images and characteristics of the moon in these masterpieces. What kind of roles does the moon play in this literary work? What important view does the author intend to convey to readers through comparing the moon and the world of mankind? These are the main themes I want to explore in this essay.
The Main Subject The image of “the capital of the moon” varies in different literary works. In Taketori, the world on the moon is a land of immortal life, or heaven, and is yearned for by people.On the other hand, the world on the ground is often portrayed as dirty and impure, these counterparts reveal that the moon world is a symbol of the Pure Land on the basis of Taoism or Buddhism related thoughts. There are many legends related to the moon, and specifically I want to talk about the one in The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, written by the famous Buddhist priest Xuanzang, in which a story of a rabbit burning itself was mentioned. In order to test the virtue of a rabbit, a fox and a monkey, Śakra was under the disguise