earticle

영어

Nonakanoshimiz is a well-known Utamakura derived from the 887th Whoaka of Kokinshu volume 17. Although the theme of this Whoaka is a journey, the first phrase starting with “いにしへの” calls forth one's reminiscences on folklore and fairy tales, resulting in the progress of traditional literature. This study introduced a variety of hypotheses regarding the birthplace of Nonakanoshimiz and then investigated the interpretational aspects of the books for Whoaka introduction and Whoaka annotation which were published between the end of Heian period and the Middle age. The results showed that the books for Whoaka introduction published during the Heian period interpreted Nonakanoshimiz as “a legal wife” while the annotated books of Whoaka published during the Middle age translated Nonakanoshimiz into “water with healing power”, “a lover”, “freedom from all thoughts and ideas” and so on. This study also reported that Nonakanoshimiz might be used to represent a changeable relationship such as relationships between men and women or a human relationship after examining the way how Nonakanoshimiz was actually recited since Kokinshu was published.