Ueda Akinaras Bewitched - Research Paper Example

Full Department: Ueda Akinara’s “Bewitched The Japanese like most Asian cultures have a long history of belief in the supernatural. Their religious beliefs also tend to lean on the spiritual. Buddhism in South East Asia views it’s Gods and Goddesses as spirits rather than the human form that most other Asian and Western cultures give to their Gods. Ueda Akinari, the eminent Japanese writer shows many elements of the supernatural in his stories. While most events in his stories also show a very close relation to his own life, they take a lot of influences from Japanese and Chinese beliefs and societal norms. Japanese culture in the 18th century were enamoured by the supernatural. They believed that spirits and ghosts were the cause for plague and disease. Calamities caused by supernatural powers were equated to viruses and germs as seen in the Western world. People died from long-term illnesses and disease due to this. Akinari in his own life was crippled with disease. Though he was a practising medical doctor, his short stories how a much more emotional side which were influenced by his own misfortunes in life as well the beliefs of society at that time. His short Story, “Bewitched” is a prime example of the beliefs of Japanese society in the supernatural. We will examine this short story of Ueda Akinari on the basis of: 1. Influence of ancient Shinto spirituality. 2. Ueda Akinari’s works and Western Gothic elements Influence of ancient Shinto spirituality To understand the spirituality of the Japanese culture it is necessary to understand the ideologies of Shinto beliefs in the society. Ancient Japanese culture is based on rich mythology and religious beliefs that is mixed with rich Oriental history of the people of Japan. Shinto believes that the Universe is beyond the understanding of human beings and that spirits and the supernatural live among us. According to Shinto beliefs, Japan was created by the hand of God much similar to the Adam and Eve concept of Western culture except for the fact that here Eve is a separate entity and did not come from Adam. The male and female Gods Izanagi-no-Mikoto (male) and Izanami-no-Mikoto (female) came down to earth and created Japan and its islands. According to ancient Shinto, the creation of the many islands of Japan did not happen correctly when initially the female God initiated procreation. This feeling is initiated into the reader right from the very beginning when Manago makes the first move towards Toyo-o. The mood is already set when Toyo-o mentions that he was on his way back home from a visit to the Shinto priest. Yesterday, while seeking shelter from the rain, I enjoyed the blessings of your hospitality and friendship. I felt certain that you were a sincere man, and that I should devote the rest of my life to you. If you do not dislike me and are willing to accept my love, please drink the wine in this cup to seal our eternal pledge as husband and wife. (Akinara, …) At this juncture itself Akinara creates a suspicion in the minds of the reader without making any other obvious remark about Manago being a demon. Japan before the 20th century was also predominantly a Shinto State, which regaled the Emperor as divine and therefore looked up to the Samurai, the warrior clan that was ordained to protect the Emperor. We can see this reverence in Akinara’s story when Toyo-o is convicted of committing a heinous crime because he had a sacred Samurai sword in his possession. This influence could also be because of Akinara’s suspected lineage as being the illegitimate son of a Samurai. Shinto culture also has the belief that the human world is not too disconnected from the spiritual world. The concept of the unseen and mysterious is not alien to the people in Akinara’s story. When Toyo-o is convicted of stealing a Samurai sword, he explains the events of the past few weeks and his meeting of Manago and the circumstances. Toyo-o leads them to the mansion where he claims he was led into deception and where their romance supposedly blossomed. The law enforcement officers or the Samurai have no trouble believing his story despite the dilapidated state of the supposedly beautiful mansion that Toyo-o describes to them. We also see similar reactions when Manago later explains this to Toyo-o’s sister and brother-in-law when she follows him to Tsubaichi. She explains the whole scene as a plan devised by her,  I cannot blame you entirely for denouncing me. But please listen to what I have to say. I felt very sorry for you when I heard you were arrested and taken to the government office. So I discussed the matter with an old man in the neighborhood whom I had befriended and had him quickly reduce the house to its hideous state. The thunder that seemed to have rolled when I was about to be seized was a trick played by Maroya. (Akinara) Again we are given the impression that it is a very normal happening and nothing to be suspicious about. Her choosing of this particular trick also explains how easy it was to fool the people and even the law enforcement into believing in the supernatural. Throughout the story we see references to the demon and ghost. Tomiko, the wife of Toyo-o dies from ill health, which is attributed to her body having been possessed by the spirit of Manago. The serpent as a symbol has found use in many European and Asian traditions and while its exact significance in Japanese traditions is not clearly known. The serpent is always regarded with some fear and holds an exotic symbolism, which relates more to the dear of the unknown. The snake is also seen as a symbol of lust as we have seen in the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden as well. Shinto beliefs lend symbolism to emotions of human beings. There is an abundance of use of animals in the symbolism of emotions like fear, evil, death and lust among others. Akinara uses the symbolism to depict a creature of extreme beauty that bewitches Toyo-o. Manago is shown as a woman of extraordinary beauty while creating an underlying imagery of the lustful nature of men. The snake is therefore seen as a thing of beauty while also being a symbol of the demon. Akinara subtly reiterates how in the imagery of how the weakness of man is the root cause of evils in the human world while lending lust a spiritual and demonic aspect. The old man in Mount Yoshino thus exclaims to Toyo-o, " You must develop a more manly, a more determined spirit, which you now lack, in order to repulse it. By so doing you will not need to rely on my powers to cast off the devil. You must never yield to temptations of passion and lust." (Akinara) The strong Japanese belief in the After-lie states that ghosts and spirits roam the earth because they have some unfinished business with someone or unfulfilled emotional involvements with the human world even after death. It may seem that Manago spirit roams the earth in search of unrequited love or lust. Ueda Akinari’s works and Western Gothic elements Akinara’s works although rooted deep in Japanese symbolism and religious beliefs also follows very closely the elements of gothic literature. Gothic elements always use elements of nature to create a scene of supernatural presence. Every time Manago appears or disappears in Toyo-o’s life the skies turn dark and rain pours down on the earth. This happens on the first day that Toyo meets Manago, the day when he leads the samurai to the mansion; she disappears in a bolt of lightning. Even when the old man in Mount Yoshino discovers who she really is, Akinara describes the scene as “The swirling waters suddenly shot up into the air and the two vanished from sight. At the same time a jet black cloud appeared over the spot like a splash of ink, and rain fell in a torrent, rattling noisily like thin bamboo slats.” Most ghost or demonic elements in a Gothic novel takes place in a castle or in magnificent dream like settings, which in reality is haunted or dilapidated. Manago’s mansion is shown as lavish, magnificent and very richly decorated when Toyo-o goes there to meet her on the first day and their romance blossoms in this beautiful setting. The same mansion is shown as a dilapidated mansion with almost haunted manifestations when Toyo-o leas the Samurai there in order to prove his innocence. The classic reference of the woman in distress who is the root cause of untold distress, which is very common in Gothic stories, is seen in Akinara’s story as well. Manago portrays herself as a woman abandoned by her husband in death, thus creating a sense of sympathy in Toyo-o and indirectly to the reader. This element along with her remarkable beauty clouds all his judgment in life and we see his life and the lives of people close to being tormented as a result of it. Conclusion From the above we can conclude that Akinara’s story, Bewitched” is a culmination of the beliefs in Japanese society in his time while also taking some modern influences from the west. Akinara’s stories were prone towards pathos and a morbidity, which as influenced by his own life experiences. He however expresses his morbidity with beautiful imagery of nature imbibed with extreme symbolism taken from Japanese religious philosophies. Works Cited Davis, F. Hadland. Myths and Legends of Japan. Dover Publications (1992) Ueda Akinari. Bewitched. Trans. Kengi Hamada. March 11, 2012. http://nzr.mvnu.edu/faculty/trearick/english/rearick/readings/manuscri/short_wo/ shortsto/Ueda%20Akinari.htm Dr. Theresa Thomson. Ueda Akinari (1734-1809): Bewitched. 2009. March 11,2012. http://www.valdosta.edu/~tthompson/ppts/2130/fall09/akinari.pdf D.B. Picken, Stuart. Historical Dictionary of Shinto. Scarecrow Press. (2002). Robert Harris . Elements of the Gothic Novel. November 22, 2011. March 11,2012. http://www.virtualsalt.com/gothic.htm Read More