The genesis of Shunkan: examining the evolution of the portrayal of the Shunkan setsuwa sequence in the Heike, nō, jōruri, and kabuki traditions

UnrestrictedOf all the different variants of the Heike Monogatari, only the Kakuichibon has a chapter dedicated to the exiled Shunkan under the title of “Ashizuri.” Although this chapter of the Kakuichibon is named “Ashizuri,” it is only recently that several scholars have begun to question why this is the only chapter that is named after an action and not a character or plot related event. This study will trace the ashizuri phenomenon in pre-modern literature and suggest possible readings of Shunkan’s ashizuri in the Heike Monogatari. This study will show that ashizuri is not unique to the Shunkan sequence, but that similar displays of grief can also be traced back to earlier Japanese texts such as Ise Monogatari and the Man’yōshū. In addition to the physical movements of ashizuri, I will also discuss and ultimately reject the claims for a supernatural explanation for the act of ashizuri. Lastly, I will examine the evolution of Shunkan’s depiction and the modification of the ashizuri action in the performing arts of the nō, jōruri, and kabuki theater