Tsurezuregusa - Tsurezuregusa

Japanese: 徒然草 - つれづれぐさ

Essays from the late Kamakura period. 2 volumes. Written by Kenkō. Date of completion unknown. It was once believed to have been completed after November 1330 (Gentoku 2) and before October of the following year (Genkō 1), but this is now doubted. It is said that he began writing in his twenties, or that he continued writing until his final years, and there are various theories about the writing and editing process, with no conclusion being reached. The title comes from the opening words of the prologue, "Tsurezure naru mamani." The old movable type edition edited by Karasuma Mitsuhiro from the early modern period is generally used, but many copies and printed versions from the medieval and early modern periods remain.

[Norihito Miki]

Contents and characteristics

It was written as the thoughts came to his mind and as ideas flowed. It is customary to read it in 244 sections, of various lengths. The prologue contains a brief article that touches on the purpose and content of the book as an essay. From the first section, which touches on the things that a man born into aristocratic society wishes for, to section 243, which recalls a conversation he had with his father about Buddhism, the themes and content of each section are extremely diverse. In other words, the contents can be broadly divided into criticism, narratives, notes about fragmentary knowledge, memoranda, recollections, and others, but the breakdown is also very diverse. For example, the criticisms are written in a harsh tone, such as "All things are wrong. Not worth saying. Not worth wishing for" (section 38), and there are also humorous writings that just happen to come to mind, such as "There are three good friends. One is a friend who is crazy..." (section 117). The subject matter is also varied, with a Buddhist section that denies the present world and preaches hoshintonsei (a retreat from the world of thought), a section that discusses human character, psychology, and behavior patterns while sketching out typical types, and a section that touches on hobbies, culture, and ways of living. Each of these diverse contents is discussed and depicted in a way that is appropriate to the subject and subject matter, and although the book has the feel of a collection of example sentences from various genres, Kenko's unique unification tightens the whole and does not give the impression of being fragmented. In terms of ideology, the book is characterized by a reverent attitude toward antiquity, imperial and urban values, and is critical of modern things, but it also tries to broaden its horizons to include samurai and merchants who will lead the new era, and there are many articles that introduce the wisdom of local people and unknown experts and show sympathy. The idea of impermanence, which captured the hearts of people in the Middle Ages, flows through this book, and views derived from it appear throughout. In particular, paragraph 137, which suggests a reassessment of things through a sense of impermanence, and paragraph 155, which uses the changing seasons as an example to illustrate the multi-layered nature of creation and decay, are particularly impressive, and in each of the paragraphs leading up to these, there are clear signs of the development and evolution of Kenko's idea of impermanence. Overall, there are many parts that seem to have been written based on real feelings rooted in everyday life, rather than a full-scale consideration of academic or philosophical matters. The writing style, which does not shy away from dogmatism and prejudice, is extremely stimulating, and reading it while nodding in agreement or opposition should be, so to speak, a mental exercise in flexibility.

[Norihito Miki]

source

The structure is modeled after "The Pillow Book" from the Heian period, and many individual chapters are imitated. However, the breadth of attention to detail and the flexibility of the argument are greater than those of "The Pillow Book". This may be due to Kenko's spirit, but it is also thought to owe a great deal to the Japanese and Chinese classics that nurtured him. There are many parts of this work that were inspired by a wide range of previous works, from Buddhist and Confucian texts and various Chinese poetry to Japanese poetry, stories, diaries, tales, military chronicles, literary theories, and legal terms.

[Norihito Miki]

Benefits and Impact

It appears that Tsurezuregusa was not heard or seen for some time after it was written, and there is not a single reference to it in documents from Kenko's lifetime. The first confirmed reader was the poet Shotetsu, who copied it a century later, and it appears to have only been known to a select few intellectuals during the Muromachi period, but it became famous during the Enlightenment period at the beginning of the Edo period, and its readership rapidly increased thereafter. However, depending on which aspect of the content one focuses on, it can be interpreted in a variety of ways, and can be seen as a moral text, a treatise on hobbies, or a philosophy on life. This is perhaps an indication of the book's ability to respond to the interests of a wide variety of readers.

[Norihito Miki]

"Complete Commentary on Tsurezuregusa, Volumes 1 and 2, by Yasusaku Yasuoka (1967, 1968, Kadokawa Shoten)" ▽ "Complete Translation and Annotation of Tsurezuregusa, Volume 4, by Norito Miki (Kodansha Academic Library)" ▽ "Reading Tsurezuregusa, by Yasuaki Nagazumi (Iwanami Shinsho)"

"Tsurezuregusa"
Old type edition (Sagabon) by Yoshida Kenko, published during the Keicho and Genna periods (1596-1623), owned by the National Diet Library

"Tsurezuregusa"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

鎌倉後期の随筆。2巻。兼好著。成立年時不明。かつては1330年（元徳2）11月以後、翌年（元弘1）10月以前成立とする説が信じられたが、いまは疑問視されている。20代の起筆かとも、最晩年まで書き継がれたかともいい、執筆、編集の過程についてもさまざまに考えられており、決着をみていない。題名は、序段の「つれづれなるままに」の冒頭の語によったものである。一般に近世初頭の烏丸光広(からすまみつひろ)校訂古活字本が用いられるが、中近世にわたる多数の写本、版本などが残る。

［三木紀人］

内容・特性

心に浮かぶまま、連想の赴くままに書きつづったものである。長短不ぞろいの全244段に分けて読む習わしになっている。そのうち、序段には、随筆としての本書の趣旨・内容に触れる簡潔な記事がみられる。以下、貴族社会に生まれた男が願う物事に触れる第1段から、仏について父と問答を交わしたことを回想する第243段まで、各段の主題、内容はきわめて多岐にわたる。すなわち、その内容は、評論的なもの、説話的なもの、断片的な知識についての聞き書き、覚え書き的なもの、回想的なもの、その他と大別できようが、その内訳はまた多種多様である。たとえば評論的なもののなかには、「万事は皆、非なり。言ふに足らず。願ふに足らず」（第38段）のような手厳しい口調のものもあり、「よき友三つあり。一つには物くるる友。……」（第117段）のような、ふと心に浮かぶままをユーモラスに書き流したものもある。また、主題においては、現世を否定して発心遁世(ほっしんとんせい)を説く仏教的な段、人間の性格・心理・行動様式などについてその類型の素描を交えつつ論ずる段、趣味・教養・処世法などに触れる段などと変化に富む。それら多彩な内容をそれぞれの主題、素材にふさわしく論じ分け、描き分けており、本書は、各ジャンルの例文集のような趣(おもむき)もあるが、兼好による個性的統一が全体をよく引き締めており、分裂した印象を与えない。思想的には尚古的姿勢、王朝的・都会的価値観が目だち、当世風の事物に批判的であるが、新時代を担う武士、商人などに視野を広げようとする一面もあり、地方人や無名の専門家たちの知恵を紹介して共感を示す記事が多い。中世人の心をとらえた無常思想は本書にも流れており、それから導かれた見解が随所に出ている。とくに、無常感による物事への見直しを示唆する第137段、四季の変化を例に引きながら生成と衰亡のさまを重層的に指し示す第155段などは圧巻で、それらに至る各段のなかに、兼好の無常思想の発展、進化の跡が著しい。全体として、学問、思想などに関することを本格的に考察したものではなく、むしろ日常生活に根ざす実感のままに書いたとおぼしき部分が多い。独断と偏見をはばからない筆致はすこぶる刺激的で、これにうなずいたり反発したりして読むことは、いわば精神的柔軟運動となるはずである。

［三木紀人］

源泉

構成は平安時代の『枕草子(まくらのそうし)』に倣っており、個々の段にもそれを模したものが少なくない。ただし、目配りの広さ、論じ方の柔軟さは『枕草子』以上である。そのことは兼好の精神のあり方にもよろうが、彼をはぐくんだ和漢の古典に負う面も大きいと思われる。本書には、仏書、儒書、各種の漢詩文から、わが国の詩歌、物語、日記、説話、軍記、文学論、法語などに至るさまざまな先行書に触発された部分が目だつ。

［三木紀人］

享受・影響

成立後しばらくは人の耳目に触れなかったらしく、兼好の生存時の文献で『徒然草』に言及したものは一例もない。確認できる最初の読者は1世紀後にこれを書写した歌人正徹(しょうてつ)にすぎず、室町時代には一部の知識人に知られるにとどまったようであるが、江戸初頭の啓蒙(けいもう)期に有名になり、以後急速に読者が増大した。ただし、内容のどの面に中心を置くかにより読み方はさまざまで、教訓書とも、趣味論、人生論などともみなされる。それは、多様な読者それぞれの関心にこたえるだけのものを本書がもっていることの現れであろう。

［三木紀人］

『安良岡康作著『徒然草全注釈』上下（1967、68・角川書店）』▽『三木紀人著『徒然草全訳注』4冊（講談社学術文庫）』▽『永積安明著『徒然草を読む』（岩波新書）』

『徒然草』
古活字版（嵯峨本）　吉田兼好著　慶長・元和年間（1596～1623）刊国立国会図書館所蔵">

『徒然草』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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