AN ASPECT OF THE HISTORICAL NARRATION OF EIGA MONOGATARI: THE EVALUATION OF AKIMITSU FUJIWARA’S FAMILY STYLE AND POLITICAL BEHAVIOR

Back to Page Authors: Qin Peng

Keywords: Japanese literature, Eiga Monogatari, historical narration, aristocratic society, “Kotai”

Abstract: Eiga Monogatari, written in the late Heian period, is Japan’s first historical tale (the work based on real historical events and written in the style of a narrative). Before it, the Japanese recorded history by imitating Chinese history books and using Chinese characters. As a new genre of work written by women in kana (Japanese syllabary characters), Eiga Monogatari does not record the political affairs of the Imperial Court like the traditional historical books written by men. Instead, it mainly describes the prosperity of the Fujiwara clan through the narration of the Imperial Harem. The central figure is Michinaga Fujiwara, whose three daughters were empresses and three grandsons were emperors. This paper aims to explore the unique perspective and specific methods adopted in the narration of Michinaga’s glorious history in Eiga Monogatari through the analysis of the descriptions of noble women’s marriage into the Imperial Harem from the reign of Emperor Ichijo to the reign of Emperor Go-Ichijo. The analysis shows that by depicting the specific changes of the Imperial Harem from the time when Michinaga was not in power to the time when Michinaga created the heyday of Sekkan politics, Eiga Monogatari reflects a process of Michinaga’s gradual monopoly on the Imperial Harem, thus achieving the purpose of narrating Michinaga’s glorious history. In depicting the specific changes of the Imperial Harem, Eiga Monogatari adopts the narrative methods of chiaroscuro, changing the sequence of historical events, establishing typical tragic characters, and introducing public opinion.