On The Study Of "I Am In Beautiful Japan"

When Kawabata Yasunari accepted the Nobel Prize in Literature in1968, he delivered alecture entitled “Japan, The Beautiful and Myself”. In this speech, he, through exploring theclassical tradition in waka of Zen Dogen, Myoe, Saigyo and Ryokan, poems of Ikkyu, novelsof Akutagawa Ryunosuke and Dazai, Kokin Wakash, Isemonogarari, Genji monogatari (TheTale of Genjji) and Pillow Book as well as the spirit of oriental paintings, ikebana and teaceremony, deeply introduces and analyzes the “the tradition of beauty in Japan”. So far, mostprevious studies on Japan, The Beautify and Myself are from the perspective of aesthetics,focusing on several classics of Kawabata Yasunari. But there are few theories starting withmonk’s waka. At the beginning, Kawabata quotes from waka of Dogen, Myoe and Ryokan.Dogen. Both Dogen, the founder of Caodong School and Ryokan, who is famous forcalligraphy are well-known monks and have works of waka. Comparatively, Myoe active inearly Kamakura peirod, was not as famous as Dogen and Ryokan, although he foundedKozan-ji temple and was ordained in Kegon School and has waka The Venerable Myoe thatcompiled by his disciples. But Kawabata specially cited his waka and called it “Japanese songof mind”, which merits our attention. This paper, by analyzing Myoe’s idea and waka view,makes an analysis of Myoe’s waka that Kawabata quoted in Japan, The Beautiful and Myself,with an attempt to deepen our understanding of Myoe’s waka and the content Kawabata wantsto convey through Myoe.