Tang Xianzu - Toukenso

A Chinese Ming Dynasty playwright and poet. His pen name was Yi Zheng. His pen name was Young Scholar, and he was also known as Qingyuan Daoren. He was from Linchuan (Jiangxi Province). He passed the Jinshi examination at the age of 33. He served as a doctor of Nanjing Taichang and a chief clerk in the Ministry of Rites. He was demoted to the governor of Xuwen County in Guangdong after writing a petition criticizing the current administration, and later became the governor of Suichang County in Zhejiang before retiring at the age of 49. He was the most prominent playwright of the Ming Dynasty, and wrote "Record of the Purple Hair Clip," "Record of Returning Souls," "Record of the Southern Ke," and "Record of Handan." As dreams are deeply involved in the composition of each work, they are called "The Four Dreams of Yuming Hall" after Tang Xianzu's study. He placed great importance on prose, and the verses in "Return of the Soul" in particular were praised for their beautiful words. However, Shen Jing and others who placed importance on rhythm revised the words as they did not match the melody of Kunqu, which infuriated Tang Xianzu and led to a debate. He was strongly influenced by Li Zhi and Danguan in terms of ideology, and in terms of poetry, he criticized the school of ancient prose led by Wang Shizhen and others who only respected the prose of the Qin and Han dynasties and the poetry of the prosperous Tang dynasty, and led to the anti-ancient prose led by Yuan Hongdao and others. His poetry and prose collection is the "Complete Works of Yuming Hall."

[Hideo Iwaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、明(みん)代の劇作家、詩文家。字(あざな)は義仍(ぎじょう)。号は若士(じゃくし)、また清遠道人。臨川（江西省）の人。33歳で進士に及第。南京太常(ナンキンたいじょう)博士、礼部主事を歴任。時政を非難した上疏(じょうそ)が災いして広東(カントン)の徐聞(じょぶん)県の知事に左遷され、のち浙江(せっこう)の遂昌(すいしょう)県の知事となり、49歳で退隠した。明代におけるもっとも傑出した劇作家で、『紫釵記(しさき)』『還魂記』『南柯記(なんかき)』『邯鄲記(かんたんき)』を書いた。いずれも構成に夢が深くかかわっているので、湯顕祖の書斎の名をとって、「玉茗堂(ぎょくめいどう)四夢」とよぶ。文辞を重視し、ことに『還魂記』の歌辞は美辞麗句を連ねて賞賛された。しかし曲律を重んずる沈璟(しんえい)らは、崑曲(こんきょく)の調べにあわないとして字句を修改し、ために湯顕祖は激怒して、論争が展開された。思想的には李贄(りし)や達観の影響を強く受け、詩文の面では、秦漢(しんかん)の文と盛唐の詩のみを尊重する王世貞らの古文辞一派を批判し、袁宏道(えんこうどう)らの反古文辞を導き出した。詩文集に『玉茗堂全集』がある。

［岩城秀夫］

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