「切腹的美學」

Abstract

日本文化的研究，應非僅局限於歌舞伎、浮世繪、相撲、茶道、花道等藝術或藝能方面領域之介紹，亦當對道德、思想、宗教等精神局面做更深入之探討。日本自古以來對死亡即有切腹、殉死及所謂心中的特殊形式表現，這些死亡方法在現今的日本社會雖然並不常見，但在文學作品、戲劇與藝術中卻仍有其極重要之份量，且為探討日本人心靈深處時不可忽視之因素。日本人到底為何要切腹？切腹究竟為何讓日本人感受到有魅力？本文自切腹的起源開始闡述，並以中世代表性之軍記物語「保元物語」、「平家物語」、「義經記」、「太平記」等作品為主，探討其中所表現之切腹的意義以及死的美學，期盼經由此一研究，能對日本人的死生觀有進一步的認識，進而對於日本文化，有更深層之理解。

The study of Japanese culture should not be confined to introducing such arts and crafts as kabuki, ukiyoe, sumo, tea ceremony, and flower arrangement. It should also explore in depth Japanese morality, ideology, and religion. Japan has, since ancient times, developed special manifestations of death including seppuku (belly cutting), martyrdom, and the so-called shinjiu (love suicide). Although these special ways of dying do not occur very often in modern Japan, they still play an extremely important role in literature, theater, and the arts, essential to the exploration of the Japanese soul. Why do the Japanese want to seppuku? Why does it hold a peculiar fascination for the Japanese? This article begins by tracing the origin of belly cutting, and proceeds to examine the significance of seppuku and the aesthetics of death as expressed in such representative medieval military literature as Hougen Monogatari (The Tale of Hougen), Heike Monogatari(The Tale of the Heike), Gikeiki, and Taiheiki. It is hoped that through this study we can gain a better understanding of the Japanese view of life and death, and ultimately of Japanese culture in general.