From Translation to Adaptation: Chinese Language Texts and Early Modern Japanese Literature

From Translation to Adaptation: Chinese Language Texts and Early Modern Japanese Literature Nan Ma Hartmann Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2014 © 2014 Nan Ma Hartmann All rights reserved ABSTRACT From Translation to Adaptation: Chinese Language Texts and Early Modern Japanese Literature Nan Ma Hartmann This dissertation examines the reception of Chinese language and literature during Tokugawa period Japan, highlighting the importation of vernacular Chinese, the transformation of literary styles, and the translation of narrative fiction. By analyzing the social and linguistic influences of the reception and adaptation of Chinese vernacular fiction, I hope to improve our understanding of genre development and linguistic diversification in early modern Japanese literature. This dissertation historically and linguistically contextualizes the vernacularization movements and adaptations of Chinese texts in the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries, showing how literary importation and localization were essential stimulants and also a paradigmatic shift that generated new platforms for Japanese literature. Chapter 1 places the early introduction of vernacular Chinese language in its social and cultural contexts, focusing on its route of propagation from the Nagasaki translator community to literati and scholars in Edo, and its elevation from a utilitarian language to an object of literary and political interest. Central figures include Okajima Kazan (1674-1728) and Ogyû Sorai (1666-1728). Chapter 2 continues the discussion of the popularization of vernacular Chinese among elite intellectuals, represented by the Ken’en School of scholars and their Chinese study group, “the Translation Society.” This chapter discusses the methodology of the study of Chinese by surveying a number of primers and dictionaries compiled for reading vernacular Chinese and comparing such material with methodologies for reading classical Chinese. The contrast indicates the identification of vernacular Chinese as a new register that significantly departed from kanbun. Chapter 3 provides a broader view of the reception of Chinese texts in Japan in the same time period, discussing Hattori Nankaku (1683-1759), a kanshi poet and Ogyû Sorai’s successor in literary criticism. Nankaku’s contributions include a translation and annotation of the Tang shi xuan (J. Tôshi sen), an anthology of Tang poetry compiled by Ming poet Li Panlong (1514-1570). Such commentaries in accessible Japanese prose reflected the changing readership of Chinese texts, as well as the colloquialization of literary Japanese. Chapters 4 and 5 focus on literary translations and adaptations of Chinese narrative texts in different language styles. Chapter 4 analyzes kanazôshi (“kana booklet”) stories by Asai Ryôi (1612?-1691) in comparison to their source text, the Ming Chinese anthology of supernatural stories New Tales Under the Lamplight (Jian deng xin hua). For a comparative perspective on translation style, this chapter also addresses adaptations of the same source story by Korean and Vietnamese authors. Chapter 5 looks into the literati genre of yomihon (“reading books”) and focuses on Tsuga Teishô’s (1718?-1794?) adaptations of Ming vernacular fiction by Feng Menglong. Teishô, a prolific author considered to be the inventor of this important genre, has been grossly understudied due to the linguistic complexity of his works. His adaptations of Chinese vernacular stories bridged different narrative traditions and synthesized various language styles. This chapter aims to demonstrate Teishô’s innovative prose style and the close connections between vernacular Chinese and the development of early yomihon as a sophisticated, experimental genre of popular literature. This dissertation illustrates the inextricable relationships between language transformation and genre development, between vernacularization and narrative literature. It departs from the long-standing paradigm of Sino-Japanese (wakan) literary study, which treats Sinitic writing as an integral part of Japanese literary discourse, emphasizing rather a comparative linguistic approach that addresses Chinese and Japanese linguistic and literary movements in parallel. Within this framework, this project is intended as a platform for further explorations of issues of cultural interaction and translation literature. Table of Contents Acknowledgements iii Introduction 1 Chapter 1. The Vernacular Chinese Movement in The Early Edo Period: A Historical Overview 13 Nagasaki Translators: Cultural and Linguistic Background — Okajima Kanzan and Popularization of Vernacular Chinese Outside of Nagasaki — Ogyû Sorai and Kanzan: Conceptualization of Chinese as a Foreign Language — The Society of Translation and The Ken’en School: Main Figures, Achievements, and Influences Chapter 2. Ogyû Sorai and the Study of Chinese as A Foreign Language 39 Sorai and Kanzan: Reconceptualization of Chinese — The Translation Society and Ken’en School: Main Figures, Achievements, and Influences Chapter 3. Influences of the Ken’en School on Classical Chinese Aesthetics: Hattori Nankaku and the Literati Culture 59 Overview of Hattori Nankaku’s Literary Thought — Poetic Commentary in Tôshisen — Prose Narratives: Stories of the East Chapter 4. Adaptation of Supernatural Tales: New Tales under the Lamplight and Its Derivative Narratives 84 New Tales Under the Lamplight and Its Influence Outside of China — The Lore of the Underwater World: The Dragon Palace in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Tales — The Afterlife of A Ghost Story: “The Peony Lantern” and Its Adaptations Chapter 5. Early Yomihon and Translation of Chinese Vernacular Fiction: Tsuga Teishô and His Adaptation Stories 119 Tsuga Teishô and the Reception of Chinese Vernacular Literature — “How Kurokawa Gendanushi Abandoned the Material World” — “The Courtesan from Eguchi”: Didacticism and Reversal of Gender Stereotypes — “Different Accounts on The Sought-for Tombs: An Conversation With the Tomb Spirit” from Hitsujigusa: Pedanticism and Pastiche in Structure, Language, and Intertextuality Conclusion 155 Bibliography 161 i Appendix I Jiandeng Xinhua: Story of the Peony Lantern 168 Appendix II The Courtesan of Eguchi Sinking Jewels to Denounce Her Heartless Lover ii Acknowledgments In the process of completing this dissertation, I simply have no words to express my gratitude to my advisors Haruo Shirane and Tomi Suzuki. Without their incredible generosity with their time and expertise, tireless support and supervision, inspiration, encouragement and mentorship, this project would have never taken shape. I am deeply indebted to David Lurie for his detailed advice, which was instrumental to the completion of this dissertation. During my graduate school years, I benefited greatly from Shang Wei’s encouragement and brilliant insights, which helped to shape the outlook of this project. I am grateful to Peter Flueckiger, who served on my defense committee and shared his inexhaustible knowledge of the subject. While conducting research in Japan I was fortunate to have the opportunity of studying with Tokuda Takeshi. His encyclopedic knowledge on the reception of Chinese in early modern Japan and his generosity with time spent training me were far beyond what I deserved. I would like to thank Kôno Kimiko and Ikezawa Ichirô for making it possible to conduct research and meet other scholars, as well as training me in the fields of their expertise. Toeda Hirokazu and Tanaka Yukari have been inspiring role models over the years and have made incredible efforts to ensure that visiting junior scholars like myself are well situated and oriented while doing research in Japan. Kurokawa Momoko, Kozai Yôhei, and Kanda Masayuki enthusiastically shared their scholarship and gave invaluable advice. It is no ordinary luck that I was able to work on this project alongside a group of close friends who were the ideal discussion partners and constant sources of encouragement. I would like to take this chance to thank Shiho Takai, Daniel Poch, Jenny Guest, Christina Yi, Hitomi Yoshio, David Atherton, Chi Zhang, and Linda Feng for their advice, suggestions and sharing of invaluable sources. Charles Wooley, Tom Gaubatz, Yurou Zhong, Nate Shockey, Nina Duthie, Greg Patterson, Pau Pitarch, Ariel Stilerman, Tyler Walker, and Robert Tuck were the most supportive cohorts I could ever have asked for, whose friendship means a great deal to me professionally and personally. I also would like to thank Tom Hare, Jim Reichert, John C. Y. Wang, and John Wallace for early inspiration in classical Japanese and Chinese literature. My research in Japan was funded by the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program, and Weatherhead East Asian Institute summer grants enabled short trips to Japan to visit libraries and archives. I also need to express my thanks to the C. V. Starr librarians who patiently helped me to locate and access material over the years. Last but not least, I thank Arthur Mitchell for his understanding and support, and for sharing his enthusiasm for literature. iii Introduction This dissertation examines the reception of Chinese language and literature during the Tokugawa period Japan. By analyzing the localization of Chinese texts of different genres and language registers with particular attention to the process of translation, adaptation, and language transformation, I hope to further understanding of

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