Immersed in Voices from Beyond This World: The Fascination of the Novel 'The Book of the Dead'

There is a genre known as 'kiso shosetsu' (fantastic fiction), but sometimes a work becomes one unexpectedly, not because the author intended it to be fantastic, but because its structure is so far removed from the norm.

'The Book of the Dead,' a novella published in 1943 by the Japanese literature scholar and folklorist Shinobu Orikuchi, is a strange and monstrous work in the history of modern Japanese literature, one that wraps its entire narrative in a bizarre texture while incorporating his unique folkloric theories.

The opening is set in a space where one has no idea where they are. Then, there is a call to a beloved person named 'Mimimi no Toji.' One realizes this is likely the soul of a dead person inside a tomb.

Then the scene shifts to a noblewoman, a lady of the Fujiwara Southern House. She lives lonely in a mountain mansion, listening to the old tales of an elderly woman. The name 'Mimimi no Toji' also appears in the old woman's monologue, as if she were possessed by something...

As a story, this work can be described as a communion between a deceased noble prince and a noblewoman that transcends life and death. It is a tale of a woman from the Fujiwara Southern House in the Nara period who senses the spiritual presence of a dead prince named Prince Otsu and tries to draw closer to his spirit through practices like sutra copying and weaving.

However, the bizarre sensation that makes even that plot seem to drift away is the essence of this work.

With onomatopoeia like 'kou kou kou,' 'tsuta tsuta tsuta,' and 'hata hata yura yura,' the writing style feels as if it is clinging and sticking to the reader. The prince's monologue at the beginning fades away in fragments, and the stories of the old women around the lady intermingle, causing time and space to become ambiguous.

This is also due to clever editing. According to Reiji Ando's commentary in the Iwanami Bunko edition, when this work was serialized in a magazine, it proceeded in normal chronological order, but when it was compiled into a book, it was all taken apart and montaged, starting with that opening monologue by the prince. The author himself acknowledged the influence of cinema.

This did not make it easier to understand; rather, it made the work ambiguous and difficult to follow. However, that creates a sensation like a polyphony of mysterious voices echoing in a labyrinth. That sensation has a beauty like 'silk bathed in moonlight,' which also appears in the work.

And the strange scene filled with light that is finally reached—or rather, that descends—is, in a way, no longer what one would call sane.

In a sense, this is top-tier psychedelia, possessing a dizzying intoxication similar to the 20-minute mystical masterpiece 'Echoes' by the progressive rock band Pink Floyd.

Even though mandalas and bodhisattvas appear, it does not feel particularly Buddhist. This strongly reflected the tastes of the author, Shinobu Orikuchi, who was a scholar of Japanese literature, a folklorist, and also a tanka poet.

Shinobu Orikuchi was born in Osaka Prefecture in 1887. From his middle school years, he was devoted to the 'Man'yoshu' and began attempting to compose his own poetry.

Upon entering Kokugakuin University, he lived with the monk Fumuuzen. Influenced by this individual, who advocated for the fusion of Buddhism and Christianity, he graduated from the Department of Japanese Literature. While earning a living as a teacher, he became acquainted with the folklorist Kunio Yanagita, and under his decisive influence, he began to pursue folklore studies.

As a poet, he published under the pen name Choku Shaku in 'Araragi,' a traditional magazine dating back to Shiki Masaoka. He was involved in the establishment of the Folklore Society of Japan and taught at Keio University and Kokugakuin University.

The first appearance of 'The Book of the Dead' was in 1939, and it was published as a standalone book with additions and revisions in 1943. He was a unique individual who balanced literary creation in the distinct realms of tanka poetry and prose with the cultivation of successors at the university level. He passed away in 1953 at the age of 66.

For those looking to decipher 'The Book of the Dead,' I recommend 'A Study of Shinobu Orikuchi' by Juki Matsuura. It is a masterpiece that deconstructs the work and its philosophy as if tracing Orikuchi's own words. The bizarre episodes of Orikuchi written therein somehow give a sense of the history of this work.

Orikuchi was a homosexual, and there is a recollection from a disciple that he would night after night flop down onto the futon of his live-in apprentice. Furthermore, when a disciple who had become a professor gave his first lecture at the university, he made them write down Orikuchi's words in their notebooks word for word and memorize them, forbidding them from uttering any words other than Orikuchi's during the lecture (if it seemed there would be time left over, they had to create notes for that duration). This was behavior that was more than just academic harassment; it was something manic and eccentric.

Words that almost make one feel physical contact. And the persistent transmission of those words. This is likely something that runs through not only 'The Book of the Dead' but also the trickster-like spiritual existence known as the 'marebito,' which is the core of Orikuchi's folklore studies.

However, in a sense, it does not head in a nationalistic direction; it feels too intense and at odds with the nationalism of the modern state. To begin with, it is mysterious that he chose Prince Otsu (Shigatsu-hiko) as the main character of 'The Book of the Dead'.

Prince Otsu was the third son of Emperor Tenmu during the Asuka period. Despite his excellence in martial arts, after his father's death, he was caught up in a power struggle with his eldest brother, Prince Kusakabe, and committed suicide after being suspected of treason. Prince Kusakabe also died of illness, and the Empress, who had held real power since the later years of Emperor Tenmu, ascended the throne as Empress Jito.

Even considering the political climate of 1939, I think it was quite a risky subject matter. Perhaps it was because the strangeness and psychedelic nature of discovering a certain noble power—a power detached from the power of the times—and dreaming of unity while transcending this world were difficult to understand on the surface that he was able to escape the political situation of the time.

According to Reiji Ando's commentary, Orikuchi was also well-versed in the ancient Egyptian 'Book of the Dead,' and in the unfinished sequel, he had also taken into account religions such as 'Nestorianism' (Jingjiao) from when heretical Christianity was transmitted to Asia. What lies there can be said to be a strong yearning for something outside this world, transcending nation and ethnicity.

I hope you will experience the trajectory of light and darkness guided by the voice of that strong desire.

That is all for this time.
Thank you for reading.
Today and tomorrow,
for all of you who have read this,
I hope it is a good day.
In the next essay or work,
let us meet again.

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