Miscellaneous songs - Zouka

Along with "Love Song" and "Elegy," this is one of the three major sections in the Manyoshu. It covers poems that do not fall under "Love Song" or "Elegy," but it includes poems written on the occasions of court life such as viewing the country, hunting, and imperial visits, and in the compilation, "Miscellaneous Songs" takes precedence over the other two sections. In the Manyoshu, the "Miscellaneous Songs" section is found in volumes 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, and 16. The name of this section is believed to have been based on the Monzen, and it can be said that the "Miscellaneous Songs" section is mainly based on the occasions of the poems, whereas "Love Song" and "Elegy" are based on the content of the poems. It seems that the section was intended to be a collection of poems written on the occasions of court life, and was a public, serious collection of poems. However, after the Heian period, although it has the same name, there is a category called "miscellaneous songs" that is completely different in nature. It is seen as a section in the Kokinshu and other works, but it contains a wide variety of poems that would not fit into other sections. In addition to the four seasons and love, it has come to encompass a wide range of content.

[Kanno Shitaka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

「相聞(そうもん)」「挽歌(ばんか)」と並ぶ、『万葉集』における三大部立(ぶだて)の一つ。「相聞」「挽歌」に含まれない内容の歌を総括するが、国見(くにみ)、遊猟(ゆうりょう)、行幸(ぎょうこう)など宮廷生活の晴の場でなされた歌などを収め、編纂(へんさん)にあたっては「雑歌」が他の二つの部に優先する。『万葉集』では、巻1、3、5、6、7、8、9、10、13、14、16の諸巻に「雑歌」の部をたてる。その部立の名称は、『文選(もんぜん)』に典拠を求めたと認められ、歌の内容からする「相聞」「挽歌」に対して、主として歌の場に基づくのが「雑歌」の部立だといえる。宮廷生活の晴の歌の集合として、表だった本格的な歌という意識があったものとみられる。ただ、平安時代以後、同じ名称ではあるものの性格はまったく異なる「雑歌」がある。『古今集』などの部立としてみられるものであるが、他の部立には入りがたい多様な歌が収められる。四季、恋に対して、それ以外の幅広い内容を包括する部となっていったものである。

［神野志隆光］

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