Description
Book SynopsisThe Ballad-Drama of Medieval Japan delves into the kowaka, a ballad-drama genre that flourished during Japan's tumultuous Medieval Era, a period shaped by samurai culture and the heroic values of loyalty and chivalry. Emerging in the 16th century, kowaka captured the martial exploits and epic struggles of the early Medieval Era, including the famed Genji-Heike conflict. Despite its initial popularity among samurai, the kowaka faded into obscurity during the Edo Period, only to be rediscovered in modern times. This study aims to reconstruct the history, artistry, and literary significance of kowaka, drawing on Japanese scholarship, field observations in Kyushu's Oe Village (where the tradition endures), and textual analysis. The book is divided into two parts. The first examines kowaka as a performing art, detailing its historical development, influences, and stylistic elements while highlighting the author's original fieldwork and critiques of prior research. The second part focuses
