A study on Bunmei shōwa in the Meiji period

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  • 明治の漢文笑話集『文明笑話』考
  • メイジ ノ カンブン ショウワシュウ 『 ブンメイ ショウワ 』 コウ

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Since the mid-18th-century, translations and interpretations of joke collections during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as well as the creation of jokes written in classical Chinese, have been all the rage among the Japanese scholars who studied classical Chinese in the Kyoto-Osaka region, the influence of which lasted until the early 20th century. In the Edo period, the collection of classical Chinese jokes is usually discussed in terms of its compilation intention, influence and creative features, such as Yakujun Kaikō Shingo and Yakujun shōwa. However, research on classical Chinese joke collections is not deep enough in the Meiji period, especially the Bunmei shōwa. This paper focuses on the Bunmei shōwa compiled by Fujita Hisamichi in the early Meiji period, exploring its compilation intent, the sources and features of the jokes, and the nature of the humour. Based on the contents of the preface and introduction, it is apparent that the compilation intent of the Bunmei shōwa is to create a playful attitude and emphasize the entertainment of jokes. The jokes in the Bunmei shōwa are not only related to the jokes in Xiao Fu and Xiaolin Guangji of classical Chinese joke collections, Dongpo Zhilin and Wuzazu of essays but also “Jumonji” and “Rōnin” of the Edo brief jokes and Yakujyun shōwa. Meanwhile, the Bunmei shōwa inherits and develops the creative features of modern Japanese-style jokes written by the classical Chinese, which contain Chinese elements such as Chinese classical characters and allusions, and widely use unique language games in Japanese and Japanese elements that reflect the Japanese historical and cultural background. Besides, based on the “Bunmei-kaka” under the background of the Meiji Restoration, the author created various jokes and widened the creative boundary of classical Chinese jokes. This paper also reveals the structural characteristics of the jokes in the Bunmei shōwa, which is that the Chinese elements familiar to Japanese readers constitute the background of the jokes. In contrast, the Japanese elements achieve the core “laugh” effect.

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