Attempts of 〈narrative〉 in Kenji Nakagami's "Jōtokuji Tour"

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Kenji Nakagami, who was born in Kumano, a land which inherited various traditions, and was brought up by an illiterate mother in his young age, was a writer with a strong conscious of the <narrative> aspect of the oral tradition. In the short work series from 1974 to 1976 compiled later into the short story collection "Kesho", <oral literature> such as Noh, Noh songs and sermons are used as motifs. There are several prior studies on <oral literature> in the "Kesho" work group, and the relationship between specific concrete classic works as <oral literature> and the short stories of "Kesho" has already been pointed out. Although there are no consideration on the reception of such <oral literature> about other Nakagami works produced at the same time than "Kesho". For other works as well, we must consider the relationship with <oral literature>. Looking at the "Jōtokuji Tour" ("Bungei Tenbou" written in April 1975) written at the same time that the "Kesho" work group, Nakagami was trying to express <narrative>. In the "Jōtokuji Tour", the hero, who is a tour operator, guides guests including old women participating in a tour around Jōtokuji. Under these circumstances, the old women surround him and talk a lot about their own experiences of the past. The distinctive narratives of old women showed a new horizon as Nakagami, caused <narrative> to express through the work group of the same period. I analyze <narrative> appearing on "Jōtokuji Tour" in detail, while clarifying the importance of "Jōtokuji Tour" which was rarely mentioned until now. I will reexamine the attitude of <narrative> and <oral literature>, and want to show a new direction in the Kenji Nakagami's research.