Monogatari (The Ria): of Tale Ria Adaptation Japanese Tale of Chinese A a Nakagawa Masako University Villanova ?•- •- •3• ,•J• • • •7•= otogizrshi • Japanese medieval monogatari short Ria or an 5•_ ff•, •. tale, adaptation chuan Japanese that tells the tale of Chinese Li Wa is story, a a family prestigious and from in the between As of courtesan. young a a romance a man 2 determined. be definitive author monogatari ofRia Yet of this stories other cannot era, a likely composition of the late sixteenth examination, is that find its century most upon we •c: • literary Tsurezuregusa works, such influences of earlier the textual inasmuch as as 3 •z readily • -]• 1370), • (c. 1330) (c. and Taiheiki apparent. are original, relationship with the Chinese this analyzing of monogatari the Ria In similarities origins and then discusses and of the stories the t"trst article two compares chuan is said be plot, The Chinese tale Li Wa and theme. differences in to structure, • •• longer folktale remains Certain that "I-chih hua" based extant. a no on original Japanese adaptation which omitted in the Chinese in the components are are adopted possibly tales, fairy hua." from "I-chili When the first of elements young man girl's follows: is described house, the interior visits the as dazzlingly bright hangings, blinds couches and the toilet- and Curtains to eye; were quilts pillows elegant. likewise articles, and and sumptuous were ofLi 125) Dudbrige, Wa, (Glen The Tale p. phenomenon place miraculous after takes end of the Chinese Toward the story a if_. Ling-chih • auspicious plant of the funeral of the An the parents grows young man. front of where the and the of bud in the bloom flowers and three out young man area one study Dudbridge, have used Glen English available. this I of chuan In Li Wa translations are from (Ithaca of the ninth Study Chinese of critical edition g/a: and The Tale Li century story a critical section. also follows this See Y. W. Ma ofRia monogatari translation 1983). My Press, (New and York: ed., Traditional Chinese Stories: Themes Variations Joseph Lau, and S. M. University 1978), 163-71. Press, Columbia pp. • dx • t•I • (Tokyo: • 2 Nihon • l]g, • kaidai I•g Dai Kenjir6 shrsetsu Kinko Hiraide • 1909), tosho, 455-56. pp. • •]5 zJ• • Kojima by priest composed named in the said Taiheiki is have been The to a military depicts their and the historical battles between It fourteenth government century. aristocratic opponents. 45 girl mourning their period. descriptions, spent These Japanese found in the version, not show the influence of"I-chih hua." Still, doubts surrounding remain alleged authorship the Hsing-chien •1 {• of Po • (773?-826), claimed within author 4 body the the of Chinese fact, In it is as text. more likely Hsing-chien that Po revised "I-chih hua," popular literary in tale language the of a the skepticism time. This arises number of grounds. alleged The in which Po on a year Hsing-chien the tale, during 765, fell period wrote mourning of Hsing-chien's for Po a father. It also in which the putative author would was been have year a about twenty old, whereas Li Wa is chuan well written years hint of writer who had to attained so as a a mature more age. There historical is evidence of differences length in between the works. In two "Ch'ou Han-lin hstieh-chih Po i-pai •j• tai-shu • • • yiin" • • • •t2 I• ]•" (A Poem in Couplets Hundred written in the Hanlin [804-806]), scholar a Po to response YiJan • ;• Zhen that fi'iend's recitation the of wrote "I-chih hua" lasted four hours, indicating a that hua" "I-chih could simple have been folkloric tale. not a So that while number of scholars believe that "I-chih hua" and Li chuan Wa a are identical, only infer others they that both based the material. When Hwa Yu are on same Walkenstein, 'Chi" in her "Hui-Chen Chuan "Li-Wa Study of Contrasting ": A Love vs Themes, origin examined the chuan, ofLi Wa offered she 5 following the refutation: help One inspired wonder what literary in him cannot that different from taste a was so of that his And what for accounted exceptional craftsmanship the peers. writing in fiction that literary of his training? questions part These not exist was when Li to cease chuan Wa be retold popular of turns story to out tale. did It the of a not a out come author's experience understanding real and of life. typical is It popular that story a momentarily his attracted attention, which he counched elegant in the language. classic The main of the is the of work structure doubtless story storytellers who made many successive modifications. Among comparative the issues, textual of significant the Japanese most one to as influence is the reaction of father the when learns he of lowly his son's occupation and deeds. original, the In Chinese father the hits him whip with faints, the and whereas a son Japanese the in version, the father intends kill his family's his to good to preserve son In latter the the father him: ancient "From rarely times name. to verson, has says parent a killed child. his Yet, things believe I would be better if dead than alive in you were your plight." shameful strikes He the hundreds by of using times the back side of his son sword until the falls. this In medieval act, morality. samurai son may we see addition, In Japanese scholars pointed have influence the of Taiheiki out Ria on 6 style, monogatari. The mixture of classical Japanese Japanese and the reading a of 4 Victor Mair, H. "Scroll T'ang Presentation in the Dynasty," of Harvard Journal Asiatic Studies XXXVIII.1 (June 1978), 38. p. thesis in M.A. the Oriental Department, Studies University Pennsylvania, of 1975. • • Tanji •, See Got6 • Senki kenkyd _• • • monogatari • • •'• (Tokyo: or) Isobe no k6y6d6, 1944), 227-45. pp. 46 • 7•. Y-•, •1[ • Taiheiki, of Chinese kanbun called is close that classical kundokutai to a Likewise condemned and tale of warriors. encounters occupy are women a amorous revealing: following secondary position of section narration is in the The the narrative. • • King dynasty of the started of Li qz disturbance Yu Chou Mt. at era an • •.2. • • T'ang hardships of Hstian-tsung because of the in his suffered Pao-szu • • flight Yang •. king and his Szechwan lost due Kuei-fei of The Wu country to to •j•, • ]j•. j• b%:, kings his lost these Fu-ch'a life Hsi Shih of All brave their to saw they lives and countries when became infatuated with vanish women. teachings quotation This reminds of of the in the Taiheiki said have to us some by priest. Quite quotations history, written often reference from been and Chinese to a 7 proverbs, Futhermore, and included Taiheiki. classics in the instances of direct are description borrowing girl from that cited. be While the Chinese of her the text at can meeting style dress, Japanese with of her hair the the hero and first tells author writes that •: girl •lJ peerless beauty of Yasunod about sixteen Her "saw and charm seemed years. a emerging flower of She the blinds that like fresh lotus seated behind out water. a was • •-• high, playing question (biwa )." Why does lute The arise: she rolled may up a were particular Taiheiki, play in that scene? lute within the in be sixteen and But have to a an •" prince, Ichinomiya girl situation, in house identical he or) young a a a saw high. happened girl follows: blind rolled The is described "The A to up pass. was as playing composition Separation girl beautiful of about sixteen the called Autumn was on ''8 singing. the lute while Japanese Japanese classics. influences in from the Ria Other monogatari stem by exchanges is between other recited the the There two young man, poems; are one are morning exchange girl the after their affair. The of in him such and the poetry on a 9 especially commonly Japanese stories. found in classics and in is love old situation exchange practiced Furthermore, this aristocrats. real life in And poetry among was early sketchy original, of affair is in love the love the Chinese the the whereas treatment given literary detail, typical Japanese version characteristic of is with the older in story a Japanese tales. endings. also in stories' of differences chuan the Evidence is Li Wa can seen a happy eventually successful and due who becomes her virtue. of At to story courtesan a prestigious family. closing from Such she marries the young occurrence man a an a happened time, life of that therefore reflects rarely world in the and it the would of have Also, based. is chuan of monogatari which Wa love Ria folklore Li upon was more a of Japan (New Craig McCullough, Taiheiki: Chronicle Medieval The A York: See trans., University 1959), 384-87. Press, Columbia pp. {• 7• • •r, q• • bungaku • )• fig, F• (Tokyo: • Eijir6 ed., Nihon taikei Nakatsuka Kokumin tosho, 1925), 17, volume 595-96. pp. 9 •C preface, time). • (at with that koro After monogatari brief word the Ria • •- starts sono a of typical expression beginning Genji. stories after Tale The is for short written This a 47 than the of story faithful heroine story focuses since it both heroine; indeed, hero and a on spite in title, of its in the half latter the of Yasunori draws story central attention. In Japanese medieval literature, translated literary Chinese works not were a rarity.