The Confessions of Lady Nijo

2022年09月08日

『とはずがたり』は、鎌倉時代の中後期、後深草院二条という女性が書いた、日記文学および紀行文学です。作者の実在性や、その内容にどこまで真偽を認めるかについては諸説あるようです。1938年に再発見された「新しい古典」。タイトルは問はず語りとも表記され、「（他人に）問われなくても話し出してしまう語り」の意味です。そのショッキングな内容を味わうことにしましょう。(English) The Confessions of Lady Nijo is a diary and travelogue written by a woman called Nijo in the mid-to-late Kamakura period (1185-1333). It is a 'new classic,' rediscovered in 1938. The title is also spelled Questionless Telling. It means "a narrative that starts to speak without being asked (by others)." Today we will enjoy this tale of a woman's confession.

The Confessions of Lady Nijo

The Confessions of Lady Nijo is an example of Japan's traditional women's literature: the diary.

Her father was the head of the Minamoto clan: Major Counselor Masatada, who served the Emperor from 1228-1272.

Her mother was the niece of an Honorary Empress. Nijo herself was a lady-in-waiting and the concubine to the Retired Emperor Go-Fukakusa (1243-1304).

The Imperial family was complicated at the time. Retired Emperors still held authority, but they didn't have to observe the formal rituals the Emperor had followed.

Confessions is Lady Nijo's diary covering the years 1271-1306. She started the journal when she was 13 years old.

Her father died when she was 14, leaving her in the care of Go-Fukakusa. But unfortunately, the teen had earned the ire of the Retired Emperor's principal wife.

The teen also failed to prove as fertile as the principal wife, which she discusses in Confessions.

The last mistake, which cost her status in court, was to take on a lover: Go-Fukakusa's brother Emperor Kameyama.

Confessions contain Lady Nijo's observations of the court and her experiences as a concubine (or wife.

Her status wasn't entirely clear), and later, her journeys as a nun.

The early part of the diary feels fresh and personal.

Lady Nijo's direct writing style intimately conveys her emotions and thoughts.

As with other well-read writers, she makes many allusions to other works, such as The Tale of Genji and Tales of Ise.

She also collects poetry, such as the love poems Go-Fukakusa sent to her and her responses.

Lady Nijo was made the Retired Emperor's concubine against her will.

I will be quoting her accounts of this event, so you should stop reading if this is a troubling subject for you.

Her account is valuable for understanding how the Imperial court of the time functioned and women's place within it.

I will add that Lady Nijo seems to have developed a love for the Retired Emperor, but survival also played a role in this.

After all, she lost her father in the same year. A fatherless, unmarried young woman had few options in medieval Japanese society.

Furthermore, her father arranged for the honor of being the Retired Emperor's favorite concubine.

That status did lend her special privileges women otherwise couldn't enjoy, such as gaining an education and the ability to have some autonomy, as Confessions illustrates.

However, after becoming pregnant, the Retired Emperor stopped visiting her often.

His principal wife demanded more of his attention.

Lady Nijo felt the isolation and guilt that jealousy makes you feel for her.

While the status of a teen didn't exist at the time she wrote, her prose reminds you of how young she was.

It's hard not to feel angry when reading Lady Nijo's account.

She was 14.

Yet, when looking at history, we can't apply our modern morality as much as we would like to condemn such events.

I failed at this idea when I read this section.

Her father, no doubt, did what he thought would be best for her and the family.

10)

After all, Go-Fukakusa would have pursued her regardless of what Lady Nijo's father did.

He was the power behind the Imperial throne.

11)

The Retired Emperor's sight on her since she was a little girl.

At the same time, because of her father's arrangement, Lady Nijo enjoyed life and the quality of material comfort few could achieve at the time.

She was well-educated and gained independence a commoner would not have had when she became an aristocratic nun.

12)

Confessions of Lady Nijo are fascinating, troubling, and human-readable.

It offers insight into a period dominated by male voices and gives an insider-female view of the Imperial court.

Her later travels are also interesting.

Even through the English translation I read, her voice and personality shine through.

13)

I would recommend at least reading sections of The Tale of Genji, Tales of Ise, and other older literature so you can understand some of Lady Nijo's references.

She isn't as oblique as some writers, so the references are easier to understand.

She also doesn't rely solely on them to get her point across.

14)

She is quite a direct writer compared to other Japanese writers.

Diaries like Confessions prove invaluable for understanding the personal lives behind the facts and political accounts that usually dominate history.

When you read history, it is easy to forget that the people you read about hurt, loved, hungered, and laughed. Confessions remind us of how human history is.

Ref）

Nijo was forced to deal with men at the emperor's behest.

Each time she did so, she was repeatedly driven to the depths of despair.

"I wanted to die. Is the Imperial Household going to hand me over to that middle-aged man?"

I sighed and thought," I have nowhere to escape, I am left to his devices, and this is what the world of sorrows is like."

But in the end, she traveled on her parents' money, became a nun, and wrote this book of essays.

I would like to pay tribute to her resilience.