The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga : A Hermeneutical Journey

One of Japan's most renowned intellectuals, Motoori Norinaga (1730-1801) is perhaps best known for his notion of mono no aware, a detailed description of the workings of emotions as the precondition for the poetic act. As a poet and a theoretician of poetry, Norinaga had a keen eye for etymologies and other archaeological practices aimed at recovering the depth and richness of the Japanese language. This volume contains his major works on the Yamato region--the heartland of Japanese culture--including one of his most famous poetic diaries, The Sedge Hat Diary (Sugagasa no Nikki), translated into English here for the first time.Written in 1772 while Norinaga journeyed through Yamato and the Yoshino area, The Sedge Hat Diary was composed in the style of Heian prose and is interspersed with fifty-five poems. It offers important insights into Norinaga the poet, the scholar of ancient texts, the devout believer in Shinto deities, and the archaeologist searching for traces of ancient capitals, palaces, shrines, and imperial tombs of the pre-Nara period. In this piece Norinaga presents Yoshino as a "common poetic space" that readers must inhabit to develop the "common sense" that makes them live ethically in the poet's ideal society.Norinaga's ideal society is deeply imbued with the knowledge of poetry and the understanding of emotions as evidenced in the translation of Norinaga's twenty-six songs on aware (pathos) also included here. The rest of the volume offers translations of several essays by the poet that shed further light on the places he visited in Yoshino and on the main topic of his scholarly interests: the sound of the uta (songs) from his beloved Yamato. An introductory essay on Norinaga's poetics serves as a guide through the dense arguments he developed both practically in his poems and theoretically in his essays.The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga is a fascinating look at Norinaga's poetic world as well as a testimony to the intellectual acumen and scholarly learning of one of Japan's most distinguished thinkers. The first major publication of translations from Norinaga's work, it provides readers with an opportunity to hear from a master of Japanese letters. One of Japan's most renowned intellectuals, Motoori Norinaga (1730-1801) is perhaps best known for his notion of mono no aware, a detailed description of the workings of emotions as the precondition for the poetic act. As a poet and a theoretician of poetry, Norinaga had a keen eye for etymologies and other archaeological practices aimed at recovering the depth and richness of the Japanese language. This volume contains his major works on the Yamato region--the heartland of Japanese culture--including one of his most famous poetic diaries, The Sedge Hat Diary (Sugagasa no Nikki), translated into English here for the first time. Written in 1772 while Norinaga journeyed through Yamato and the Yoshino area, The Sedge Hat Diary was composed in the style of Heian prose and is interspersed with fifty-five poems. It offers important insights into Norinaga the poet, the scholar of ancient texts, the devout believer in Shinto deities, and the archaeologist searching for traces of ancient capitals, palaces, shrines, and imperial tombs of the pre-Nara period. In this piece Norinaga presents Yoshino as a "common poetic space" that readers must inhabit to develop the "common sense" that makes them live ethically in the poet's ideal society. Norinaga's ideal society is deeply imbued with the knowledge of poetry and the understanding of emotions as evidenced in the translation of Norinaga's twenty-six songs on aware (pathos) also included here. The rest of the volume offers translations of several essays by the poet that shed further light on the places he visited in Yoshino and on the main topic of his scholarly interests: the sound of the uta (songs) from his beloved Yamato. An introductory essay on Norinaga's poetics serves as a guide through the dense arguments he developed both practically in his poems and theoretically in his essays Cover......Page 1 Front......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Translator’s Introduction......Page 16 The Sedge Hat Diary(Sugagasa no Nikki)......Page 48 Songs on “Aware” (Pathos)Selection from Suzunoya Shù......Page 111 The Province of Ise......Page 120 The Tomb of Emperor Jinmu......Page 121 The Mikumari Shrine in Yoshino......Page 122 The Fire Deity......Page 124 Poems on Deities......Page 125 The Imose Mountains......Page 127 Again on the Imose Mountains......Page 130 The Tatsuta River......Page 131 Again on the Tatsuta River......Page 133 The Tatsuta-Ogura Peak......Page 134 The Minase River......Page 135 The Floating Bridge of Dreams......Page 136 The Meaning of the Poem “Is This Not the Same Moon?”by Lord Narihira......Page 138 The Last Words of Lord Narihira......Page 139 A Debate on Flowers......Page 140 Focusing on Fragrance in Poems on Plum Blossoms......Page 141 The Cherry and Orange Trees at the Stairwayof the Shishinden......Page 142 The Way of Poetry and the Cherry Blossoms......Page 143 The Logic of Priest Kenkõ......Page 144 The Habit of Creating Appearances......Page 145 Again on Paintings, 2......Page 146 Again on Paintings, 4......Page 147 The Beginning of Poetry......Page 151 On Songs (Uta)......Page 153 Again on Songs......Page 161 On Yamato......Page 164 On Mono no Aware......Page 187 On Love Poems......Page 209 Abbreviations......Page 216 Glossary......Page 290 Bibliography......Page 294 Index of First Lines......Page 300 Index......Page 304 About the Author......Page 310 The Poetics Of Motoori Norinaga Is A Look At Norinaga's Poetic World As Well As A Testimony To The Intellectual Acumen And Scholarly Learning Of One Of Japan's Most Distinguished Thinkers. The First Major Publication Of Translations From Norinaga's Work, It Provides Readers With An Opportunity To Hear From A Master Of Japanese Letters.--jacket. Translator's Introduction : Motoori Norinaga's Poetics -- The Sedge Hat Diary (sugagasa No Nikki) -- Songs On Aware (pathos) : Selection From Suzunoya Shu -- The Province Of Ise -- The Tomb Of Emperor Jinmu -- The Mikumari Shrine In Yoshino -- The Asuka Shrine -- The Fire Deity -- Poems On Deities -- The Imose Mountains -- Again On The Imose Mountains -- The Tatsuta River -- Again On The Tatsuta River -- The Tatsuta-ogura Peak -- The Minase River -- The Floating Bridge Of Dreams -- The Meaning Of The Poem Is This Not The Same Moon? By Lord Narihira -- The Last Words Of Lord Narihira -- A Debate On Flowers -- Focusing On Fragrance In Poems On Plum Blossoms -- The Cherry And Orange Trees At The Stairway Of The Shishinden. Translated And Edited By Michael F. Marra. Includes English Translation Of Sugagasa No Nikki. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 279-283) And Indexes. Poems In English And Romanized Japanese ; Essays In English.