Contained in:
  • Il dono dell’airone
  • Edited by Luca Capponcelli, Diego Cucinelli, Chiara Ghidini, Matilde Mastrangelo, Rolando Minuti
Book Chapter

Volare nella notte su ali rilucenti. L’airone (sagi) nel Giappone premoderno tra letteratura, folklore e bestiari

  • Diego Cucinelli

The heron (sagi) holds a cherished place among avian figures in Japanese culture, although it has received less scholarly attention compared to other birds. Its significance can be traced back to some of the oldest surviving texts. References to white herons are present in the Man’yōshū (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves, second half of the 8th century) and the Kokin waka rokujō (Six Quires of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poetry, late 10th century). Additionally, the docile bittern appears in the Heike monogatari (Tale of the Heike, 13th century), and the nō drama Sagi (The Heron) is another noteworthy example. Depictions of herons with long legs are found in the verses of Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694) and Yosa Buson (1716-1784). In the extensively studied cases mentioned above, the heron often emerges as an elegant motif set against aquatic landscapes, frequently associated with themes of solitude. However, in less explored areas of folklore and bestiaries, the heron takes on a supernatural dimension. It becomes linked to both water and fire, as well as concepts of life and death. To provide a comprehensive understanding of the representations of herons in premodern Japan, this essay will adopt a structured approach. It will commence by offering a summary of existing literature on the subject, establishing the groundwork. Subsequently, the essay will delve into the analysis of sources that have received relatively less attention, particularly focusing on folklore and bestiaries.

  • Keywords:
  • Heron,
  • Bestiaries,
  • Poetry,
  • Folklore,
  • Yōkai,
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Diego Cucinelli

University of Florence, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-3773-2921

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  • Publication Year: 2024
  • Pages: 31-45
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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  • Publication Year: 2024
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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Chapter Information

Chapter Title

Volare nella notte su ali rilucenti. L’airone (sagi) nel Giappone premoderno tra letteratura, folklore e bestiari

Authors

Diego Cucinelli

Language

Italian

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0422-4.06

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2024

Copyright Information

© 2024 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

Book Title

Il dono dell’airone

Book Subtitle

Scritti in onore di Ikuko Sagiyama

Editors

Luca Capponcelli, Diego Cucinelli, Chiara Ghidini, Matilde Mastrangelo, Rolando Minuti

Peer Reviewed

Number of Pages

390

Publication Year

2024

Copyright Information

© 2024 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Publisher Name

Firenze University Press

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0422-4

ISBN Print

979-12-215-0421-7

eISBN (pdf)

979-12-215-0422-4

Series Title

Connessioni. Studies in Transcultural History

Series ISSN

2975-0393

Series E-ISSN

2975-0261

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