「和刻三言」採錄篇に見える小說の評價について --施訓者の序を手掛かりに

Abstract

“Wakoku Sangen” 和刻三言, that is, Shôsetsu seigen 小說精言 (published in 1743), Shôsetsu kigen 小說奇言 (1753), edited by Oka Hakku 岡白駒, and Shôsetsu suigen 小說粹言 (1758) edited by Sawada Issai 澤田一齋, are put guiding marks for rendering Chinese into Japanese on short stories selected from “Sanyan Erpai” 三言二拍. “Sanyan Erpai” greatly contributed to the development of Japanese literature, and “Wakoku Sangen” is recognized as an early example of its acceptance. This article, based on the preface of Shôsetsu seigen and Shôsetsu suigen, seeks to explore selection criteria for “Wakoku Sangen” recording and the method of evaluating novels by editors. First, I point out that the beginning of Hakku's preface was based on the preface of the Jingu qiguan 今古奇觀, selection of “Sanyan Erpai”, and examine the possibility that the work selection criteria of Jingu qiguan influenced “Wakoku Sangen”. From the preface and the nature of the collected works, it can be confirmed that when choosing a work from “Sanyan Erpai”, the editor of Jingu qiguan focuses on whether the work is realistic or not. It is also presumed that he tried to educate his readers using works depicting the world close to his readers. When analyzing Hakku's preface and the works in Shôsetsu seigen and Shôsetsu kigen, it is guessed that Hakku placed great importance on the reality of the work, as in Jingu qiguan. It is probable that Hakku sympathized with the novel's evaluation by the editor of Jingu qiguan, but it is presumed that he had been influenced by Wenxin diaolong 文心雕龍. Wenxin diaolong, which places Confucian scripture at the top of the writing, does not approve of drawing supernatural things; unnatural phenomena; spirits and demons. Hakku, who read this book from an early age and worked on many commentaries on the scriptures, was probably greatly influenced by this idea. Next, judging from the preface of Shôsetsu suigen and the nature of the works, it is presumed that Issai evaluated unrealistic works. Comparing the end of the preface to Hakku and Issai, it seems that Hakku thought Chinese colloquial novel as things to learn, Issai thought it as things to enjoy reading. Finally, I turn our attention to Hanabusa sôshi 英草紙, the first adaptation of “Sanyan Erpai”. This was published at the same time as “Wakoku Sangen”. It is presumed that the author, Tsuga Teishô 都賀庭鐘, evaluated the unrealistic work as well as Issai. It is probably at this time that the novel written in colloquial Chinese, which have begun to be used as teaching materials for Chinese, turned into something that can be enjoyed. I think that “Wakoku Sangen” can be evaluated as a signal of changes in the acceptance of Chinese colloquial novel in the Edo period.