General Thoughts Regarding Funeral Songs : On Selections from Man'yōshū
抄録
In ancient Japanese literature, songs related to death are generally called "banka," (elegies.) I take position that there exists a genre of funeral songs among them. I considered selections in this category from Man'yōshū, the oldest Japanese anthology, and tried to define and sum up their characteristics. In the process, I was able to discern another feature of these songs. In many cases, it can be conjectured that the deceased persons depicted in this type of song have something in common. That is to say, there must have been some obstacles preventing survivors from expressing their grief or lamenting the deaths openly. This can be explained from the unique style of expression of these funeral songs, which focuses on the description of the sorrow of the bereaved family rather than on the glory of the deceased.
葬歌概論 : 万葉集を中心に
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