Emergence of Antiquity: On Orikuchi Shinobu’s Scholarship
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6918/IJOSSER.202505_8(5).0058Keywords:
Orikuchi Shinobu, Japanese folklore, Kodai Kenkyū, The Book of the Dead.Abstract
Orikuchi Shinobu (1887-1953, with the penname Shaku Chōkū), as both a scholar and a creative writer, left a lasting impact on the fields of folklore studies, Japanese literature, and literary history. At the core of his work lies the concept of “antiquity (kodai),” understood as a continually emerging and evolving process, manifesting through language and ritual practices. Through an analysis of his major works, such as Kodai Kenkyū and The Book of the Dead, this paper examines how Orikuchi’s antiquity was constructed through an “inverted” modern lens: it initially emerged as a reaction against modernity, imagined through language and folklore, yet it is simultaneously an antiquity shaped by modern consciousness, with his imagination of the ancient ultimately circling back to modernity itself. The central argument posits that Orikuchi sought to uncover an absolute, timeless archetype of antiquity through “non-antiquity”—both written records and contemporary folklore practices as phenomena. However, this vision of communal antiquity ultimately created a “discourse space” deeply intertwined with the ideological landscape of modern Japan.
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