The “Monstrous” Nun in <i>Nihon-ryōi-ki</i>

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Other Title
  • 「外道」なる尼
  • 「外道」なる尼 : 『日本霊異記』下巻第十九縁をめぐって
  • 「 ゲドウ 」 ナル アマ : 『 ニホン リョウイキ 』 ゲカン ダイジュウキュウエン オ メグッテ
  • ――『日本霊異記』下巻第十九縁をめぐって――

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Abstract

<p>The nineteenth chapter of the third volume of Nihon-ryōi-ki is a religious fable about the fate of a “monstrous” nun who, in spite of persecution for her unnatural birth from a lump of flesh, finally became a saint called Shari-Bosatsu by means of the demigod's protection and her own efforts. This article will focus on the three narrative elements; unnatural birth, monstrosity, and a divine guardian. Gyōki's guardianship of the persecuted nun follows the plot of Kōsō-den and Bikuni-den where a priest assumes sainthood under the guidance of a demigod. Interestingly enough, however, it is not a priest but a nun that receives divine protection in this fable. Thus in the episode of Nihon-ryōi-ki the preceding mythical and religious discourses were “monstrously” reworked to give “unnatural birth” to the story of a woman saint.</p>

Journal

  • Japanese Literature

    Japanese Literature 65 (2), 1-11, 2016-02-10

    Japanese Literature Association

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