The Tale of Toshishun

A legendary novel from the Tang Dynasty in China. Included in the collection of legends "Zokugen Kairoku" compiled by Li Fuyan. The story is about Du Zichun, who was originally a prodigal child, who is recognized by a certain immortal and undergoes training to become one, successfully casting away one by one the passions of the mundane world, but in the end is unable to cast away his love for his family, and is returned to the mundane world once again. There is no biography of the editor, Li Fuyan, but he is said to have lived from the Taihe period of Emperor Wenzong (827-835) to the Dachu period of Emperor Xuanzong (847-859). In those days, it was popular to compile anthologies of short stories, such as Niu Sengru's "Xuanhuai Lu," so "Continued Xuanhuai Lu" was compiled in line with this trend, and this novel may not have been the creation of Li Fuyan. Akutagawa Ryunosuke also wrote a work based on this, "Du Zichun."

[Minoru Takahashi]

"Chinese Classics 32: Six Dynasties and Tang Novels" (translated by Minoru Takahashi and Haruhiko Nishioka) (1982, Gakken)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、唐代の伝奇小説。李復言(りふくげん)の編んだ伝奇集『続玄怪録(ぞくげんかいろく)』に収録。初め放蕩児(ほうとうじ)であった杜子春が、ある仙人に認められ、仙人になるための修行をし、俗界の情念を一つ一つ捨て去ることに成功するが、結局、肉親に対する愛情だけは捨てきれず、ふたたび俗界に戻されるという物語。編者李復言の伝記は伝わらないが、文宗(ぶんそう)の太和(たいわ)年間（827～835）から宣宗(せんそう)の大中(だいちゅう)年間（847～859）にかけて在世した人らしい。この時代は、牛僧孺(ぎゅうそうじゅ)の『玄怪録』をはじめとして、短編小説を集めて小説集を編むことが流行していたから、『続玄怪録』もこの風潮にのって編まれたもので、この小説も李復言の創作ではないかもしれない。芥川龍之介(あくたがわりゅうのすけ)にも、これに基づいた作品『杜子春』がある。

［高橋　稔］

『高橋稔・西岡晴彦訳『中国の古典32　六朝・唐小説集』（1982・学習研究社）』

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