Step inside the arena and grab a seat. We have a great show for you tonight! Prepare yourself because the most anticipated fight in Edo era Japan begins immediately. This fight will involve the supernatural, in one corner, and societal norms, in the other. Tonight, the term supernatural refers to anything that exists beyond scientific understanding or natural laws. Furthermore, the term, “myth,” interchanges with the term, “supernatural,” throughout the night. The setting of this bout occurs within the context of Ueda Akinari’s Ugetsu Monogatari; and specifically, within the tales: The House Amid the Thickets and The Lust of the White Serpent. So, are you comfortable? Well, hopefully not because you need to know one more important thing—the
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In this tale, the evil serpent demon represents the supernatural. Much like how societal norms eliminate ghosts in The House Amid the Thickets, societal norms also eliminate these serpent demons: “Abbot Hokai removed the robe, and there lay Tomiko, unconscious, with a white serpent more than three feet in length coiled motionlessly on her breast” (183-184) and “Abbot Hokai ordered a deep pit to be dug in front of the main hall, and he commanded that the urn be buried for all time to prevent the spirits’ further appearance on earth” (184). Here, Abbot Hokai represents the societal norm of religion, and in this example, we learn that his orders leave the demon “unconscious” and “motionless.” Additionally, we learn that he buries the serpent “for all time,” so it never appears on earth again. Accordingly, Akanari concludes one of his tales with a scene of some representative of a societal norm banishing some demon or ghosts, which represents the …show more content…
This calls back to the Greater Learning association of men to heaven and women to earth, and the proclivity to associate people with nature. Lastly, returning to the conclusion of A house Amid the Thickets, which includes the merchants, Constantine Vaporis’ essay, To Edo and Back: Alternate Attendance and Japanese Culture in the Early Modern Period, makes a key observation about art: “Masana’s purchasing activity in Edo and while traveling to and from that city reveals the high degree to which art had become commercialized…” (49). Again, societal norms placed merchants in position to both consume and sell art, so the commercialization of Katsushiro and Miyagi’s story demonstrates the influence of societal norms on the Ugetsu Monogatari. Amidst the evidence and analysis drawn from the conclusions of both tales, the first-round victory must go to societal
In this tale, the evil serpent demon represents the supernatural. Much like how societal norms eliminate ghosts in The House Amid the Thickets, societal norms also eliminate these serpent demons: “Abbot Hokai removed the robe, and there lay Tomiko, unconscious, with a white serpent more than three feet in length coiled motionlessly on her breast” (183-184) and “Abbot Hokai ordered a deep pit to be dug in front of the main hall, and he commanded that the urn be buried for all time to prevent the spirits’ further appearance on earth” (184). Here, Abbot Hokai represents the societal norm of religion, and in this example, we learn that his orders leave the demon “unconscious” and “motionless.” Additionally, we learn that he buries the serpent “for all time,” so it never appears on earth again. Accordingly, Akanari concludes one of his tales with a scene of some representative of a societal norm banishing some demon or ghosts, which represents the …show more content…
This calls back to the Greater Learning association of men to heaven and women to earth, and the proclivity to associate people with nature. Lastly, returning to the conclusion of A house Amid the Thickets, which includes the merchants, Constantine Vaporis’ essay, To Edo and Back: Alternate Attendance and Japanese Culture in the Early Modern Period, makes a key observation about art: “Masana’s purchasing activity in Edo and while traveling to and from that city reveals the high degree to which art had become commercialized…” (49). Again, societal norms placed merchants in position to both consume and sell art, so the commercialization of Katsushiro and Miyagi’s story demonstrates the influence of societal norms on the Ugetsu Monogatari. Amidst the evidence and analysis drawn from the conclusions of both tales, the first-round victory must go to societal