Son Goku

The protagonist of the Chinese Ming Dynasty novel Journey to the West. Born from a mystical stone on Mount Huaguo, Monkey Goku masters the art of shape-shifting and uses his magic wand, which can stretch and shrink at will, to stir up trouble in the Heavenly Palace, but is captured by the Buddha at the foot of Mount Five Elements. Monkey Goku is rescued by becoming the attendant of Tripitaka Master Xuanzang, and together with Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, protects the master from 9981 difficulties and successfully completes his mission to retrieve the sutras. Xuanzang's journey to retrieve the sutras had already become a legend in the Tang Dynasty, but Monkey first appears as a monkey-runner in the Southern Song Dynasty's Poetry of Retrieving the Sutras from the Tripitaka of the Great Tang Dynasty. As the story continues to grow and develop, Goku begins to perform a variety of feats. There are various theories about Goku's origins, some of which trace it to Buddhist scriptures, others to ancient Chinese tales, and others to the Indian Ramayana, but there is no definitive theory. This Goku, who possesses the three qualities of man, monkey, and god, bravely fights monsters, but he is also simple-minded, short-tempered, and easily flattered. Goku's wildness, an incredibly cheerful character, strongly appeals to readers beyond the bounds of ethics, and he has completely replaced the indecisive Tripitaka as the main character.

[Sakurai Yukie]

"The Birth of Son Goku - Monkey Folklore and Journey to the West" by Nakano Miyoko (1980, Tamagawa University Press)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、明(みん)代の長編小説『西遊記』の主人公。花果山(かかざん)の仙石から生まれた石猿の悟空は、変化(へんげ)の術を身につけ、自由自在に伸び縮みする如意棒(にょいぼう)を振るい天宮を騒がすが、如来(にょらい)によって五行山下に取り押さえられる。三蔵法師玄奘(げんじょう)の従者となることで救い出された悟空は、猪八戒(ちょはっかい)、沙悟浄(さごじょう)とともに九九八十一難(くくはちじゅういちなん)から法師を守り無事取経の目的を果たす。玄奘の取経旅行は唐代にすでに伝説化されるが、悟空は南宋(なんそう)の『大唐三蔵取経詩話』のなかに猴行者(こうぎょうじゃ)として初めて登場する。その後の物語の成長発展に伴い、悟空は縦横無尽の活躍をするようになる。悟空の起源については種々の説があり、仏典に、あるいは中国の古い説話のなかに、あるいはインドの『ラーマーヤナ』に起源を求めるが、まだ確定的な説はない。この人・猿・神の三性を兼ね備えた悟空は勇猛果敢に妖怪(ようかい)どもと闘うが、単純・短気で、おだてにものりやすい。底抜けに明るい悟空の野性味は、倫理の枠を超えて読者に強く迫り、優柔不断な三蔵法師にかわり完全に主人公化している。

［桜井幸江］

『中野美代子著『孫悟空の誕生――サルの民話学と「西遊記」』（1980・玉川大学出版部）』

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