Monoawase - Monoawase

Japanese: 物合 - ものあわせ

In this game, players are divided into two groups, left and right, and compete by putting items up against each other, with a judge judging the winner and deciding which side wins based on the total score. Monoawase is a type of "competition" along with utaawase, sumo, horse racing, and noriyumi, but it is often used to refer to a wide range of different types of awase, including utaawase and shiawase. It was played mainly in the aristocratic court during the Heian period, and has since spread to the general public and continued into later generations. Sei Shonagon wrote in the section on "Ureshikimono" in The Pillow Book, "How could I not be happy if I won against all challenges?"

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

左方，右方に分かれ，たがいに物を出し合って優劣を競い，判者（はんじや）が勝敗の審判を行い，その総計によって左右いずれかの勝負を決める遊戯。物合は歌合，相撲（すまい），競馬（くらべうま），賭射（のりゆみ）などとともに〈競べもの〉の一種であるが，歌合，詩合などをも含む広範囲に及ぶ各種の合わせものを一括していうことも多い。平安時代に宮廷貴族社会を中心に行われ，一般にも普及し後世に及ぶ。清少納言は《枕草子》の〈うれしきもの〉の条に〈物合，なにくれといどむことに勝ちたる，いかでかはうれしからざらむ〉と記している。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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