O zgubnym wpływie księżyca w literaturze japońskiej VIII–XII w.

• Authors: Adam Bednarczyk

Title variants

EN

On the Baneful Influence of the Moon in Japanese Literature of the 8th to 12th c.

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

In the Japanese court culture (8th to 12th century), the beauty of the moon was often an object of admiration and inspiration for poets. The magic of moonlit nights (tsukiyo) as ideal scenery for a tryst and amorous elation made the moon to become an inseparable element of courtly love. In this article, however, the author discusses symbolism of the moon in an entirely different meaning, namely a selenophobic aspect of its perception. Ancient Japanese literary works reveal that there existed a faith in a baneful influence of the moon, a kind of taboo forbidding people to gaze on the moon in certain circumstances. An overview and analysis of selected passages allow us to answer the question to whom and when this taboo applied and what were the consequences of breaking it.

Keywords

EN

Heian period; Japanese court literature; Japanese culture; selenophobia

• Publisher: Polskie Towarzystwo Orientalistyczne
• Journal: Przegląd Orientalistyczny
• Year: 2013
• Issue: 1-2(245-246)
• Pages: 72-83

Contributors

author

Adam Bednarczyk

• Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika