Detail of Grant Awarded General Researches
| Project |
|---|
The Edo-Tokyo Folklore of “Word-play Illustrated Paper Lanterns” Travels Upstream along the Tama River” |
| General Research |
No.211 |
|---|---|
| Principal Investigator |
Satoru Okazaki |
| Affiliation | Hamura Kyodo Kenkyukai |
| Research Summary |
Although a river flows downstream, man-made culture tends to flow upstream. In order to show this, we examined how far Edo expressions and customs have traveled upstream into the Tama River basin through the folk activities called "festivals." We observed the changes in festivals with word-play illustrated paper lanterns as we traveled through the Tokyo wards to Fuchu City, Tachikawa City, Hamura City, and then to Akiruno City and Ome City. The fruits of this study were that we found many illustrated papers still remaining and being passed down in the West Tama region such as in Hamura City and the cultures of Edo and Meiji still remaining, not in books or bound materials, but on the single pages of word-play illustrated paper lanterns. Moreover, we were able to see in the culture of Hino City a glimpse of how the use of illustrated paper lanterns has changed through different periods. Since people to today do not understand the meaning of the words, not to mention how to read those words on the lanterns, we added explanatory text for clarification. It would be fortunate if this could play a role in passing on the verbal culture and the invaluable cultural folk treasures from our ancestors to future generations. The word-play illustrated paper lanterns have been forgotten and are left out of large festivals that have evolved into events. However, they remain in small-scale festivals held in small villages from the Edo era, or in festivals for the guardian gods of villages. This legacy flows upstream of the Tama River and becomes stronger as it reaches the tributaries. We would like to increase the opportunities to protect, utilize and convey to readers that the verbal culture of Edo and Meiji continues unbroken. We have seen various activities for conservation such as the Light Festival of Kodaira City, the West Tokyo Cultural Treasure Preservation Society, the Toro (Garden Lantern) Illustration Conservation Society of Totohara, Akiruno City, and the Word-play Illustrated Paper Lantern Exhibition by the Aso Shrine in Hamura City. We hope these activities are preserved and carried out, not simply as “festivals” but rather as important folk cultural treasures of each area that are to be passed on in that region. With this expectation, we researched the meanings of the expressions on the paper lanterns so that the modern person can understand who the writer was and what they meant, by providing meaning and historical background. By introducing the verbal culture from the Edo era, from puns and word play to Senryu (short poems), we expect that the merits of paper lanterns illustrated with clever word play will be revisited and will become opportunities for growth. |
| Collaborators | Kunihiko Torimaru |
| Full Text | Download (Japanese Only) |
