FEMALE EXPERIENCE OF RECLUSE TRAVEL IN NIJO’S “TOWAZUGATARI”

Abstract

Background. The article examines the Japanese novel “Towazugatari”, a memoir of the ‘nikki’ genre written circa 1307 by Nijo, former court lady turned Buddhist nun. This literary work can be divided into two parts, where the first part (scrolls 1 to 3) describes the life of Nijo at court, and the last part (scrolls 4–5) is devoted to her travels and pilgrimages to Buddhist monasteries and Shinto shrines after taking the tonsure. A significant amount of attention paid to reclusion in the text raises the question of whether this novel can be counted among the representatives of recluse literature, a medieval Japanese literary movement that includes works written by Buddhist monks focusing on the reclusive experience. However, it is first necessary to examine how prominent reclusion really is in the novel. The aim of the article is to establish the role and place of reclusion in the “Towazugatari” narrative, how the recluse experience is described, and how Nijo perceives her own experiences of reclusion and solitude, to evaluate the relationship between «reclusion» and «freedom», and elucidate the role of travel as the main reclusive practice of the author. The сhosen methods are the textual and contextual analyses of the “Towazugatari” in the original Old Japanese versions and in translation. The scientific novelty of the article arises from the lack of previous research on the subject of reclusion and recluse literature as pertaining to “Towazugatari”. This novel holds an important place in the Japanese literary canon, and recluse literature played a key role in medieval Japanese culture, therefore producing the need for a comprehensive study of both. Conclusions. Reclusion is the central theme of “Towazugatari”, and not only of its fourth and fifth scrolls, but also of the first three. The manner of depiction and perception of reclusion transforms over time – from the idealized symbol of freedom in the first three scrolls to the more mundane reality of the last two. However, the main function of reclusion – ensuring creative freedom – is preserved throughout the novel and is fundamental to its understanding.