Utamakura

Definition

ja is a category of poetic words, often involving place names, that allow for greater allusions and intertextuality across Japanese poems.

ja enables poets to express ideas and themes concisely—thus allowing them to stay in the confines of strict ja structures.

Some scholars see the use of geographical allusion as the evidence for a restricted scope of poetry writing. Although the poets' "true" meaning was true because the essence was initially pre-established, the poems were written within fixed topics (ja). The poet could inhabit a subjective position or persona and write about the topic, but not necessarily about their personal feelings; therefore, ja could have restrained the scope of topics a poet could write about.

ja include locations familiar to the court of ancient Japan, such as:

• particularly sacred Shinto and Buddhist sites,
• places where historic events occurred, and
• places that trigger a separate mental association through a pun.

Aesthetic function

ja serve as a significant tool to achieve ja (mystery and depth) in Japanese poetry by adding profound and indirect beauty in poems. It can be used as a source for identifying significant figures and places in ancient Japan.

History

The history of ja is found in documents on the study of poetry such as the ja of Noin, by the poet and monk of the late Heian period, and lists of places in the ja (Utamakura reference book).

ja were first used by traveling priests. They collected stories from the towns they traveled to. Since they saw many places, it was easier to remember the details of a story by using a single, consistent reference point for each recurring event in their tales. Over time, the people across the Japan came to identify ja place names by the psychological feelings associated with the references made by the wandering priests.

After ja place names and people had become well established, eager ja poets went sightseeing to the sites of ja. Beyond becoming familiar with the scenery of the poems, entering the locale of a poem or story deepened one's understanding of it.

ja was also used in ja, a form of Japanese collaborative poetry that is the ancestor of ja and haiku poetry.

Examples

There are numerous instances of ja in Japanese literature, one of which is the ja. The source of this particular ja example is poem #3 in the "Spring" section. tateru ya izuko Miyoshino no Yoshino no yama ni yuki wa furitsutsu}} Where are the promised mists of spring? In Yoshino, fair hills of Yoshino, snow falling still|attr2=Translated by Lewis Cook}}

In the poem above, Yoshino refers to a place in the Yamato region in the nearby of the capital. Yoshino is known for having both heavy snowfall and an abundance of cherry blossoms.

Poem #1 in "Spring 1" of Shin Kokin Wakashū also uses Yoshino for depicting the beginning of spring. yama mo kasumite shirayuki no furinishi sato ni haru wa kinikeri}} (Kujō Yoshitsune)| Fair Yoshino, mountains now wrapped in mist: to the village where snow was falling spring has come.|attr2=Translated by Lewis Cook}}

Another instance of poetic place name comes from Tales of Ise, a piece titled "In the Provinces" (#15). shinobite kayou michi mogana hito no kokoro no oku no miru beku}} | I long to find a path to the depths of Mount Shinobu that I might fathom the secrets of another's heart.|attr2=Translated by Jamie Newhard and Lewis Cook}}

Mount Shinobu is a pun on the verb shinobu, meaning "to conceal," "endure," "long for," and "remember".

Contemporary examples

Utamakura are also used outside of poetry, for example menu items named after their visual appearance with a reference to a well-known Japanese scenic area. Tatsuta age, deep-fried fish or chicken that has a dark reddish-brown color as a result of being marinated in soy sauce, is named after the Tatsuta River, known for its maple trees, the leaves of which turn a deep red color in autumn.

Notes

References

• Kamens, Edward. Utamakura, Allusion, and Intertextuality in Traditional Japanese Poetry. Yale University Press, 1997.
• Raud, Rein. "The Lover's Subject: Its Construction and Relativization in the Waka Poetry of the Heian Period". In Proceedings of the Midwest Association for Japanese Literary Studies, vol. 5, summer 1999, pp. 65–79.
• Shirane, Haruo (editor). Traditional Japanese Literature. Columbia University Press: New York, 2007.
• Wright, Ichabod C (Translator). The Inferno of Dante. Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green and Longman: London, 1833.

References

1. (2004). "Kokin Wakashū". University of Virginia Library.
2. (1 August 1999). "Shinkokinshu". University of Virginia Library.
3. Carter, Steven D.. (1993). "Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology". Stanford University Press.
4. (11 November 1998). "Ise Monogatari". University of Virginia Library.
5. McCullough, Helen Craig. (1968). "Tales of Ise: Lyrical Episodes from Tenth - Century Japan". Stanford University Press.
6. Andoh, Elizabeth. (8 November 1997). "Japanese Menu Names". Daily Yomiuri.