The language of flowers in the NO theatre

概要

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What does it mean in a Nō play when a flower achieves buddhahood? Is such an event feasible, even necessary, on philosophical grounds? Or is it merely used as a pretext for a picturesque drama meant only to illustrate the beauty of nature? Building on earlier studies by Shively, Lafleur, and Tyler, this article focuses on a body of Nō plays that deal with the idea of sōmoku jōbutsu, arguing for a serious consideration of the religious and dramatic significance of this theme. Plays of this type highlight traditional Japanese views of nature and humanity's place in it. But no art form can render nature 'as it really is'; the process of turning nature into an aesthetic (not so say, religious) subject is as much a form of acculturation as any other kind. This truism needs emphasis and qualification.
International Research Center for Japanese Studiesの論文