Kinuginu - dawn songs in the Japanese court society of the Middle Ages : some aspects on reality and fiction

Kinuginu

北海道大学大学院教育学研究院

北海道大学大学院教育学研究院紀要

　Dawn songs, in which a man visits a woman, spends the night with her, and the next morning they sing of the pain of separation, are a form of literature that exists in many cultures around the world. They have always been a popular genre in the German-speaking world as well, but it is almost impossible to find a connection with the real world in the earlier surviving songs from the 12th to 15th centuries. 　In contrast, in Japanese court society historical records show that dawn songs, referred to as Kinuginu, were a phenomenon rooted in real customs. Not only were the poems exchanged between real people, but they were also sung on themes given in singing contests in court society. The exchange of these poems was part of the wedding ritual. It should be noted, however, that much of what is considered common knowledge today is based on descriptions in literary works. Cases are also known from historical sources in which the woman visits the man, contrary to the generally accepted idea that the man visits, and the woman waits. 　While these examples do not directly change the study of the dawn songs, we argue that it is worthwhile to look at the society that produced these literary works from a different angle.