Analysis of “BIRDS” in Manyōshū

Abstract

Abstract

Manyōshū is Japan’s oldest anthology of poetry that consists of 4,516 poems, most of which contain natural subjects including moon, haze, florae, fauna, insects, and so on. The purpose of this research is to study the presence of birds, in which they are considered as a visible component of nature and found in nearly 600 poems from Manyōshū, to study the symbolic meaning of birds, to analyze the author’s particular circumstances, living, state of mind as well as his feelings and emotions, and to investigate the ways of life and society in that period of time through the bird symbolism based on the idea of the Japanese and nature within literatures in order to understand the Japanese people’s relationship to nature. The findings indicate that the people of Manyōshū are able to sensibly notice the unique features and natural behaviors of each bird among more than 30 species mentioned in the anthology, especially the top four most frequently cited species: (1) Hototogisu (2) Wild Goose (3) Uguisu and (4) Crane, respectively. They acknowledge the surrounding habitat, migration season to Japan and life cycles  of  each  bird  species.  They also address the bird species relating to specific situation aswell as their feelings and emotions through poetry. Bird sometimes appeared in the depiction of scenery such as wild goose in the autumn landscape, and in the description of locale such as Chidori on the gravel riverbank. The bird’s singing is occasionally related to the state of mind such as a feeling of agitating passion perceived when a crane sings. The findings thus bring about an understanding that the Japanese mind has not only received the blessing of natural features, but it also perceived, learned, and coexisted with nature since ancient times. These significant values  are, therefore, consistently passed down to the present generation’s thoughts and way of living.