Hanako KINOSHITA

Medieval Japanese Literature

1) Kamo no Chōmei

Kinoshita’s main research interests include Hojoki, Mumyo-sho, Hatsushinshu, and other works of Kamo no Chōmei. Japanese literary works are broadly categorized into poetry and prose forms, which are further divided into various genres. Within the framework of current literary history and research, Chōmei is seen as a writer who traversed multiple genres, with his works including Hōjōki (a chronicle of his residence), Mumyōshō (a book on poetry theory and practice), and Hosshinshū (a collection of Buddhist tales), and his numerous waka poems. In fact, many medieval authors, such as Fujiwara no Teika, Kenkō, and Shōtetsu, and not just Chōmei, exhibit this cross-genre versatility. A comprehensive analysis of Chōmei’s works offers significant insights into the language, expression, and literary practices of the medieval period.

2) Waka

The study of waka poetry from the late Heian to medieval periods is another major focus of Kinoshita’s research. In the history of Japanese literature, waka is a literary form that has persisted from ancient times to the present, and the fundamental flow of Japanese literature lies in poetry. Among them, waka has established a firm literacy where the author (the poet) and recipient (the reader) are unified and interchangeable. Waka has influenced various genres, including prose, and continues to do so to this day. It is no exaggeration to say that, especially in the medieval period, the foundation of literature lay in waka. With this perspective, Kinoshita aims to annotate and analyze waka poems from the late Heian to Kamakura periods, capturing the dynamic process of language generation that transcends the boundaries between poetry and prose.

3) Diaries, Travelogues, Essays

Including aspects from 1) and 2), the core focus of this research on this topic is on the kind of world that language creates and what that accomplishes. Recent efforts involve situating works like Minamoto no Ienaga Nikki (The Diary of Minamoto no Ienaga), which reflects the Shinkokin Era, and Kaidōki and Tōkankikō, which are considered among the of medieval travel literature, within the broader history of expression and literature. Similar to 1) Kamo no Chōmei, this research also examines Kenkō as a multifaceted, cross-genre author and studies works such as Tsurezuregusa along with Kenkō Hōshi Kashū (Kenkō Hōshi Poetry Collection) and other waka activities.