Nine Clouds Dream - Kyuunmu

Japanese: 九雲夢 - きゅううんむ

This novel was written by Kim Man-jung, a writer and official of the Yi Dynasty. In 1690 (the 16th year of King Sukjong's reign), the author was exiled to the South Seas in connection with the issue of the establishment of a prince. It is said that he wrote the novel to comfort his aged mother in his hometown during his exile. The novel is set on Lotus Peak in Hengshan, China, and describes the process by which the hermit Rokukan Daishi, in order to help his disciple Seishin realize the impermanence of life and the idea of reincarnation, helps him realize the principle of karma through his encounters with eight fairies in this world and the next. The title of the novel expresses the idea that the conduct of one man and eight women in this world is ultimately nothing more than a floating cloud and a dream. The work expresses a clever rationalization of polygamy, a perfect harmony between Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and an optimistic idea of enjoying life.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

李朝の文臣，作家，金万重（きんまんじゆう）の小説。作者は晩年の1690年(粛宗16)，王子冊立問題に関連して南海に島流しになったが，その間，郷里にいる老母を慰めようとして作ったといわれる。小説の舞台は中国の衡山にある蓮花峰で，隠者の六観大師が弟子の性真に人生の無常，輪廻思想を悟らせるために，現世と来世にかけて8人の仙女との出会いにより因果応報の理を悟得させてゆく過程を描いている。1人の男性と8人の女性との現世での行状は，つまるところ浮雲のごときであり夢にすぎないという思想を表題としたもので，作品には一夫多妻の巧みな合理化と，儒･仏･道三教の渾然たる一致境，それに楽天的な人生の享楽思想が表現されている。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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