Tales of Uji - Tales of Uji

A collection of tales from the early Kamakura period. Author unknown. Probably written around 1221. According to the preface, the title is either a sequel (Shuui-hen) to the Tales of the Great Minister of Uji, or is said to refer to the official position of chamberlain (Chinese name Shuui) involved in the compilation. From the first story at the beginning, which tells of the love affair between Domyo Ajari and Izumi Shikibu, to the final story, 197, in which the wise Confucius is defeated by a master thief, the collection is filled with long and short tales written with free association. Characters from all walks of life, from emperors and aristocrats to monks, warriors, and thieves, appear in the stories, each of which is a story of success, failure, strange, mysterious, or funny. There are also stories set in foreign countries such as China and India, and folklore-style stories similar to old tales such as "The Old Man Who Removed the Lump" and "The Straw Millionaire," and compared to other collections of tales, the range of material and content is remarkable, from which one can see the author's free and flexible thoughts and feelings about human beings and society. It begins with a gentle opening, "Once upon a time," and "This is also once upon a time," and is told in a simple and easy-to-understand Japanese style, but many of the stories contain sharp criticism of human beings, satire, and irony, making it a work of deep flavor. It is thought to have been created under the influence of the now-lost "Uji Dainagon Monogatari" (origin unknown), and contains many stories with nearly identical text to "Kohon Setsuwashu" (perhaps created around 1131), "Kojidan" (perhaps created before 1215), and "Yotsugi Monogatari" (origin unknown), so it can be inferred that they are closely related to each other; however, no direct written relationship can be found with "Konjaku Monogatarishu" (origin unknown), which shares over 80 stories.

[Kazuhiko Asami]

"Japanese Classical Literature Series 27: Tales of Uji, edited by Tsunaya Watanabe and Koichi Nishio (1960, Iwanami Shoten)" "Japanese Classical Literature Collection 28: Tales of Uji, edited and translated by Tomoaki Kobayashi (1973, Shogakukan)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鎌倉初期の説話集。作者不詳。1221年ごろ成立か。序文によれば、書名は『宇治大納言(だいなごん)物語』の続編（拾遺編）の意とも、編著にかかわる侍従（唐名拾遺）という官職にちなむものともいわれている。道命阿闍梨(どうみょうあじゃり)と和泉式部(いずみしきぶ)との情事を伝える巻頭第1話に始まり、聖哲孔子が大盗賊にやりこめられるという末尾の第197話に至るまで、長短の説話が自在な連想のもとに書き継がれている。天皇、貴族から僧侶(そうりょ)、武士、盗賊に至るまでのあらゆる階層の人物が登場し、それぞれ、成功談、失敗談、あるいは奇妙な話、不思議な話、笑い話など、さまざまな内容の話が載せられている。また中国、インドなど異国を舞台とした話や、『こぶ取り爺(じじい)』『わらしべ長者』などの昔話に通じる民話風の話もみられ、他の説話集と比べて、素材や内容の面で広がりは著しく、そこには作者の人間や社会に対する自由で柔軟な思考や感覚といったものをうかがうことができる。「今は昔」「是(これ)も今は昔」といった穏やかな語り出しに始まり、全体に平易でわかりやすい和文脈の語り口で語られてはいるが、その内容には鋭い人間批評や風刺、皮肉がきいているものも少なくなく、味わい深い作品である。散逸した『宇治大納言物語』（成立不詳）の影響の下に成立したと考えられ、『古本説話集』（1131ころ成立か）、『古事談』（1215以前に成立か）、『世継(よつぎ)物語』（成立不詳）などとほぼ同文の類話を多く載せ、相互の密接な関係を推定することができるが、80余の共通話をもつ『今昔(こんじゃく)物語集』（成立不詳）とは直接の書承関係は認められない。

［浅見和彦］

『渡辺綱也・西尾光一校注『日本古典文学大系27　宇治拾遺物語』（1960・岩波書店）』▽『小林智昭校注・訳『日本古典文学全集28　宇治拾遺物語』（1973・小学館）』

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