Tales of Heichu - Heichu Monogatari

A song story from the Heian period. The author is unknown. It is also called "Sadafumi Nikki" or "Heichu Nikki" and written as "Heichu Monogatari." It was compiled around the same time as "Gosenshu," probably around 950 (Tenryaku 4). The story is a song story with Taira Sadafumi (?-923) as the main character, and consists of 39 sections, 150 short poems, one choka poem, and two linked verse poems. Taira Sadafumi was the son of Ukon Chujo Taira Yoshikaze (great-grandson of Emperor Kanmu), and was first appointed as Udoneri in 891 (Kanpei 3), after which he held the titles of Uma Gon no Shojo, Uhyoe no Shojo, Mikawa no Suke, Chamberlain, Uma no Suke, Sahyoe no Suke, and, as the highest rank, Mikawa no Gon no Suke, reaching the rank of Jugo no Jo. He followed the military career path and was a close aide to Emperor Daigo as a chamberlain, which is very similar to the official career of Ariwara no Narihira from a generation earlier. "Heichu" was often written as "Taranaka" in the Middle Ages and early modern times, and there is a theory that it was Sadafumi's nickname, but there is no evidence. The title "Heichu" is also an ancient one, and there are various theories about its meaning, such as that it comes from his father Yoshikaze's official title of Chujo, or that it was inspired by Narihira's title of "Zaichujo," but the conclusion has yet to be reached.

Although Sadafumi held a low-ranking government position, he was well-known as a poet, with nine of his poems included in the Kokinshu. Three poetry contests were held at his residence, and he was also friends with the compilers of the Kokinshu. He also had relationships with the daughter of the head carpenter Ariwara (the wife of Fujiwara Tokihira) and the Ise no Go, and was apparently well-known as a lecher. This story clearly follows the earlier Tale of Ise, but there is a considerable difference in the portrayal of the protagonist. The protagonist in the Tale of Ise has a strong, unrestrained and unbridled character, while Heinaka is portrayed as a timid man who worries about the ups and downs of worldly success, is abandoned by a woman, and cries over unfortunate love. It could be said that his everyday, down-to-earth sweetness gives him a certain charm.

The only surviving copy is a copy said to have been written by Fujiwara no Tamesuke, housed at the Seikado Branch of the National Diet Library, and its contents were only made known in the Showa era. There are also some parts mixed into the Mikanagi and Suzuka versions of the "Tales of Yamato," and a few stories included as appendices at the end of the "Tales of Yamato" Shusuisho series, but the texts differ greatly.

[Gen'ei Imai]

"The Complete Heinaka Lectures by Hagiya Boku (1978, Dohosha Publishing)" ▽ "The Revised Edition of the Heinaka Monogatari Theory by Mekada Sakuo (1958, Musashino Shoin)" ▽ "The Complete Collection of Japanese Classical Literature 77: Heinaka Monogatari and Others, annotated by Endo Yoshiki et al. (1964, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "The Complete Collection of Japanese Classical Literature 8: Heinaka Monogatari and Others, annotated and translated by Shimizu Yoshiko et al. (1972, Shogakukan)" ▽ "The Heinaka Monogatari, translated and annotated by Mekada Sakuo (Kodansha Academic Library)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

平安時代の歌物語。作者不明。『貞文(さだふん)日記』『平中日記』ともいい、『平仲物語』とも書く。成立は『後撰(ごせん)集』と相前後し、950年（天暦4）ごろであろう。内容は平貞文（？―923）を主人公とする歌物語で、39段よりなり、短歌150首、長歌一首、連歌(れんが)二首を含む。平貞文は右近(うこん)中将平好風(よしかぜ)（桓武(かんむ)天皇の曽孫(そうそん)）の子で、891年（寛平3）内舎人(うどねり)に初任、以後、右馬権少允(うまのごんのしょうじょう)、右兵衛少尉(うひょうえのしょうじょう)、三河介(みかわのすけ)、侍従、右馬助(すけ)、左兵衛佐(さひょうえのすけ)、さらに極官では三河権介(ごんのすけ)を兼ね、従(じゅ)五位上に達した。武官コースを歩き、その間、侍従職として醍醐(だいご)天皇側近にあるなど、一時代前の在原業平(ありわらのなりひら)の官歴によく似ている。「平中」は、中世・近世では「平仲」と書くことが多く、貞文の字(あざな)とする説があるが、根拠はない。また「平中」の称も、古来のものであるが、その意味につき、父好風の中将の官職によるとか、業平の「在中将」に引かれたものとか、種々の説があるが、なお決着をみない。

　貞文の官職は低かったが、歌人としては名があり、『古今集』に九首入集(にっしゅう)。その邸宅で催された歌合(うたあわせ)は三度あり、『古今集』撰者(せんじゃ)らとの交遊もあった。また在原棟梁(むねやな)の娘（藤原時平室）や伊勢御(いせのご)たちとの交渉もあって、好色者(すきもの)としても名高かったらしい。この物語は明らかに、先行する『伊勢物語』を倣った跡があるが、主人公の人間像にはかなりの差がある。『伊勢物語』のそれには奔放不羈(ふき)の強さがあるが、平中像は、世俗の栄達浮沈に心を労し、女に逃げられて、不如意の恋に泣く小心者である。そのいわば日常的で卑近な甘さが一種の魅力を生んでいるともいえる。

　伝本は国立国会図書館静嘉堂(せいかどう)分館所蔵の伝藤原為相(ためすけ)筆本が唯一の孤本であり、その内容が知られたのは昭和年代に入ってからであった。ほかに『大和(やまと)物語』御巫(みかなぎ)本・鈴鹿(すずか)本に混入した部分や、同じく『大和物語拾穂抄(しゅうすいしょう)』系統本巻末付載説話として若干あるが、本文の異同が甚だしい。

［今井源衛］

『萩谷朴著『平中全講』（1978・同朋舎出版）』▽『目加田さくを著『増訂　平仲物語論』（1958・武蔵野書院）』▽『遠藤嘉基他校注『日本古典文学大系77　平中物語他』（1964・岩波書店）』▽『清水好子他校注・訳『日本古典文学全集8　平中物語他』（1972・小学館）』▽『目加田さくを訳注『平仲物語』（講談社学術文庫）』

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