Tales of Ugetsu - Tales of Ugetsu

Japanese: 雨月物語 - うげつものがたり

A collection of supernatural stories written by Ueda Akinari. Five volumes and nine stories. It has a preface (Senshikijin) from 1768 (Meiwa 5), but was actually first published in 1776 (An'ei 5). It is a representative work of early Yomihon, and was published several times using the same blocks until the end of the Edo period. It consists of nine stories: "Shiramine," "The Promise of the Chrysanthemum," "The Inn of the Reeds," "The Carp of the Dream," "Bupposo," "The Pot of Kibitsu," "The Lust of the Snake," "The Blue Hood," and "The Theory of Poverty and Fortune."

(1) 'Shiratake' The story is about Saigyo, who visits the tomb of Emperor Sutoku at Shiratake in Sanuki, and gets into a debate with the Emperor's vengeful spirit about the succession to the throne. The Emperor then reveals his true form as a demon king, predicts the realization of his revenge, and disappears.

(2) "The Chrysanthemum Promise" Akana Soemon and Hasebe Samon swore to be blood brothers and promised to meet again on Choyo Day. However, Akana Soemon was imprisoned in Amako Castle and was not allowed to leave. So he committed suicide and became a spirit to fulfill his promise.

(3) "The Reed-Cheddar Inn" Katsushiro, who had come to Tokyo to restore his family fortunes and had spent seven years there, returned to Japan and found his wife Miyagi alone in their dilapidated house, waiting for her husband. After spending the night talking with his delighted wife, he found a piece of Nasunogami paper on which his wife's last feelings had been written in the form of a poem.

(4) “The Carp in a Dream” This is a fantastic tale about Kogi, a master of carp painting, who transforms into a carp and swims in Lake Biwa.

(5) “Bukposo” This is the story of how Muzen, a father and son who are on a pilgrimage to Mount Koya, meet the murderous regent Toyotomi Hidetsugu and his entourage who have fallen into the world of asura.

(6) 『Kibitsu no Kama』 Izawa Shoutayu welcomes Isora, the daughter of the head priest of Kibitsu Shrine, Kasada Kanzan, to his house in order to improve the behavior of his only son, Shotaro. However, Shotaro runs away with the prostitute Sode. Betrayed, Isora turns into a demon, steals Sode, kills him, and then eats Shotaro, who seeks the help of an onmyouji (exorcist).

(7) "The Lust of the Snake" This work depicts the love conflict between Manago, an incarnation of a snake, and Toyoo, a refined young man. Toyoo, who is almost consumed by lust, awakens to his manliness and uses his magical powers to subdue the snake demon.

(8) "The Blue Hood" This is the story of a monk who became a demon after eating the corpse of his favorite boy. However, with a single yell from the Zen master Kaian, he suddenly attains enlightenment and disappears, leaving only his blue hood and his bones.

(9) "Poverty and Happiness Theory" A story in which a golden spirit appears to the eccentric Oka Sanai and talks to him about the logic of money.

It inherited the style of Tsuga Teisho's "Hanabusa Zoushi" and was an adaptation of the Chinese vernacular novels that were popular at the time, such as "Kokon Shosetsu" and "Keisei Tsugen." However, through the layering of classics such as "The Tale of Genji," "The Tale of Konjaku," and Noh plays, it sheds light on the country's climate and the structure of humanity. Combined with the concise, visionary language that combines Japanese and Chinese elements and the intellectual composition, it is a highly refined novel. The sadness and horror of each character's obsession are realistically portrayed, and it goes beyond mere supernaturalness to visualize the depths of human nature. It had a great influence on subsequent writers such as Santo Kyoden and Kyokutei Bakin.

[Hiroyasu Nakamura]

movie

Japanese film. 1953 (Showa 28). Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Adapted by Shotaro Kawaguchi and Yoshikata Yoda based on "The Reed-grass Inn" and "The Lust of a Snake" from the nine stories of Ueda Akinari's "Tales of Ugetsu." Two brothers, poor farmers at the mercy of war, make a profit by selling pottery in town. The elder brother, Genjuro (Masayuki Mori), falls in love with Wakasa (Machiko Kyo, 1924-2019), the daughter of a castle lord who was destroyed by Oda Nobunaga, who is actually a ghost. Meanwhile, his wife, Miyagi (Kinuyo Tanaka), is stabbed to death by a defeated warrior. His younger brother Tobei (Ozawa Sakae, real name Ozawa Eitaro, 1909-1988) dreams of becoming a samurai and rises to success, but his wife Ohama (Mito Mitsuko, 1919-1981), who is left behind, becomes a prostitute. The film depicts the desires and recklessness of men and the suffering of women with the unmistakable realism of Mizoguchi's style while incorporating the dreamlike style of Noh, and became one of the pinnacles of Mizoguchi's work. The film was shot by cameraman Miyagawa Kazuo (1908-1999), and the beautiful shadows in black and white are the highlights of the film, such as the scene of a boat on Lake Biwa. It won the Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and was highly praised by the French director Godard, earning it worldwide acclaim.

[Nobuo Chiba]

"The Complete Collection of Japanese Classical Literature 56: Ueda Akinari Collection, edited by Nakamura Yukihiko (1959, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "Commentary on the Tale of Ugetsu by Uzuki Hiroshi (1969, Kadokawa Shoten)" ▽ "New Edition: The Complete Collection of Japanese Classical Literature 78: Eikōshi, Seizan Monogatari, Ugetsu Monogatari, Harusame Monogatari" by Nakamura Yukihiko, Takada Mamoru, and Nakamura Hiroyasu (1995, Shogakukan)"

[References] | Ueda Akinari | Ghost stories | Mizoguchi Kenji | Yoda Yoshikata

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

上田秋成(あきなり)作の怪異小説集。5巻9話。1768年（明和5）の自序（剪枝畸人(せんしきじん)）をもつが、実際の初刊は1776年（安永5）。初期読本(よみほん)を代表する作品で、幕末まで同一板木によって数版を重ねた。『白峰(しらみね)』『菊花(きっか)の約(ちぎり)』『浅茅(あさじ)が宿(やど)』『夢応(むおう)の鯉魚(りぎょ)』『仏法僧(ぶっぽうそう)』『吉備津(きびつ)の釜(かま)』『蛇性(じゃせい)の婬(いん)』『青頭巾(あおずきん)』『貧福論(ひんぷくろん)』の9話からなる。

(1)『白峰』　讃岐(さぬき)白峰の崇徳(すとく)上皇陵に詣(もう)でた西行(さいぎょう)が、上皇の怨霊(おんりょう)と皇位継承について議論を闘わせる話で、上皇は、魔王の本姿を現じ、復讐(ふくしゅう)の実現を予告して消え去る。

(2)『菊花の約』　丈部左門(はせべさもん)と義兄弟の契りを結び、重陽(ちょうよう)の日の再会を約して別れた赤穴宗右衛門(あかなそうえもん)は、尼子(あまこ)の城に幽閉されて出ることを許されず、自害し、魂魄(こんぱく)となってその約を果たす。

(3)『浅茅が宿』　家運挽回(ばんかい)のために上京、7年を過ごして帰国した勝四郎は、荒れ果てたわが家にひとり夫を待ち続ける妻宮木(みやぎ)の姿を見る。喜ぶ妻と一夜語らったあとみいだしたものは、いまわの心を歌に記した一枚の那須野紙(なすのがみ)であった。

(4)『夢応の鯉魚』　鯉(こい)の絵の名手興義(こうぎ)が、鯉魚に変身して琵琶湖(びわこ)を遊泳する綺談(きだん)。

(5)『仏法僧』　高野山(こうやさん)に参籠(さんろう)した夢然(むぜん)父子が、修羅道(しゅらどう)に落ちた殺生(せっしょう)関白豊臣秀次(とよとみひでつぐ)一行に出会う話。

(6)『吉備津の釜』　井沢庄太夫(しょうだゆう)は、一子正太郎の素行を修めさせるため吉備津神社の神主香央(かんざねかさだ)家の娘磯良(いそら)を迎えるが、正太郎は遊女袖(そで)を伴って出奔、裏切られて物の怪(もののけ)と化した磯良は、袖を取り殺し、陰陽師(おんみょうじ)の助けを借りる正太郎も食い殺してしまう。

(7)『蛇性の婬』　蛇の化身(けしん)真女児(まなご)と文雅な若者豊雄(とよお)の愛の葛藤(かっとう)が描かれている。愛欲におぼれかけた豊雄は、雄々しさに目覚め、法力を借りて蛇妖(じゃよう)を調伏(ちょうぶく)する。

(8)『青頭巾』　寵童(ちょうどう)の屍肉(しにく)を食って鬼となった僧侶(そうりょ)が、快庵禅師(かいあんぜんじ)の一喝(いっかつ)によって頓悟(とんご)、青頭巾と骨のみを残して消じ去る話。

(9)『貧福論』　奇人岡左内のもとに黄金の精霊が現れ、金銭の論理について語る話。

　都賀庭鐘(つがていしょう)の『英草紙(はなぶさぞうし)』の様式を継承、『古今(ここん)小説』や『警世通言(けいせいつうげん)』など、当時流行の中国白話(はくわ)小説に想をとる翻案小説の形がとられているが、『源氏物語』『今昔物語』、謡曲など、古典の撮合重層化を通して、自国の風土と人間の構造に光があてられており、和漢を折衷した簡潔で視幻的な文辞、知的な構成力と相まって、小説として高度な結晶をみせている。いずれの登場人物も、執念の哀(かな)しさと恐ろしさがリアルに描き出されていて、単なる怪異を超えて人間性の深淵(しんえん)が可視化されている。山東京伝(さんとうきょうでん)や曲亭馬琴(きょくていばきん)など、後続の作家たちに大きな影響を与えた。

［中村博保］

映画

日本映画。1953年（昭和28）作品。溝口健二(みぞぐちけんじ)監督。上田秋成の『雨月物語』全9話から、「浅茅が宿」と「蛇性の婬」をもとに川口松太郎と依田義賢(よだよしかた)が脚色。戦さに翻弄(ほんろう)される貧農の兄弟が、焼物を町に売りに行って儲(もう)け、兄源十郎（森雅之(もりまさゆき)）は織田信長に滅ぼされた城主の娘、実は死霊の若狭(わかさ)（京マチ子(きょうまちこ)、1924―2019）に夢中になるが、その間に妻宮木(みやぎ)（田中絹代(たなかきぬよ)）は落ち武者に刺されて果てる。弟藤兵衛(とうべえ)（小沢栄(おざわさかえ)（本名小沢栄太郎(えいたろう)）、1909―1988）は侍になるのを夢見て出世するが、置き去りにされた女房阿浜(おはま)（水戸光子(みとみつこ)、1919―1981）は娼婦(しょうふ)となっていた。男たちの欲望・無謀と女たちの受難を、夢幻的な能の様式も取り入れながら、溝口流の確かなリアリズムで描き、溝口作品の一つの到達点となった。琵琶湖を行く舟のシーンなど、宮川一夫(みやがわかずお)（1908―1999）カメラマンの撮影も、モノクロの陰影美を極めた画面となっている。ベネチア国際映画祭銀獅子賞を受賞し、フランスのゴダール監督も激賞して、世界的な評価を集めた。

［千葉伸夫］

『中村幸彦校注『日本古典文学大系56　上田秋成集』（1959・岩波書店）』▽『鵜月洋著『雨月物語評釈』（1969・角川書店）』▽『中村幸彦・高田衛・中村博保著『新編　日本古典文学全集78　英草紙・西山物語・雨月物語・春雨物語』（1995・小学館）』

[参照項目] | 上田秋成 | 怪談 | 溝口健二 | 依田義賢

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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