『今昔物語集』에 등장하는 異界로서의 樹木에 관한 고찰

Abstract

This article examines tree-related tales found in the Japanese section of "Konjaku" in relation to foreign worlds, and summarizes the results as follows. First of all, regarding the appearance of a god in Volume 19, Episode 33, serves as a passage and entrance to a different world where God dwells, while the tree in Volume 13 and Episode 34 serves as a landmark for Doshin to be enshrined, and it can be said that the surrounding tree is alienated with "night". Secondly, regarding the appearance of Amitabha Buddha, the person in "On the Tree" in Volume 15, Episode 25, and Gen-Daio in Volume 19, Episode 14, respectively, died at "Big Pine Tree" and "On the Tree on the Mountain Peak." The tall tree away from the ground is closest to the sacred space (=another world) where Buddha Bodhisattva comes to greet the departed. Third, regarding the appearance of Tengu, for example, in Volume 20 Episode 3 and Volume 20 Episode 12, all have something in common that the sacred space spread over the tree dramatically which turns into an everyday reality. This can be said to be due to the anti-illegal nature of Cheongu, where the space of "sacred" is reversed into an anti-Buddhist space. Finally, regarding the appearance of spirits with relatively little religious character, Volume 28 Episode 40 and Volume 27 are common in that both episodes are based on the belief that spiritual beings reside in trees.