The Tale of the bamboo cutter: a study in contextualization : an annotated translation and critical examination of the Taketori monogatari with special attention to Tanaka Ōhide’s Monogatari kai commentary

• Main Author: Behr, Maiko R.
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/7822

Inspired by Joshua Mostow's recent work in reception history and the historicized translation of classical Japanese literature, this thesis focuses on a translation of the tenth century Taketori Monogatari, or Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. In contrast to previous English-language translations of the Taketori Monogatari, the present work offers a reading of the tale as it was understood at a particular historical moment, in the commentary of Tanaka Ohide, an early nineteenth century National Learning scholar. The first chapter of the thesis examines the historical reception of the Taketori Monogatari and its place among other Heian period narratives, showing that the tale was neglected by scholars for a considerable period between its mention in the Tale ofGenji in the eleventh century and the appearance of the first written commentaries on the tale at the end of the eighteenth century. Chapter Two discusses the actual process of translation and the sources for variant interpretation in such a text, revealing the potential for a complexity of meaning that is denied by translations claiming to present a single "correct" version of the tale. The third chapter then contextualizes the particular commentary used as the basis for this translation. Here, a study of the author's education and training as a National Learning scholar serves to clarify further the motivations behind his interpretation. This also discloses the historical significance of his interpretation to the study of the Taketori Monogatari through an analysis of its role in canon-formation. Chapter Four consists of a summary translation of the introductory sections of Tanaka Ohide's commentary, the Taketori no Okina no Monogatari Kai, including his personal analysis of textual issues, as well as longer passages cited from related sources, both Japanese and Chinese. The final chapter constitutes the body of my translation of the Taketori Monogatari, with extensive endnotes indicating problematic portions of the text and citing alternative interpretations proposed by other scholars. It is the overall aim of this thesis to emphasize the fluid and evolving nature of the literary text resulting from the various contexts in which it is read.