ラフカディオ・ハーン『中国怪談集』「瓷神譚」について

――忠の精神の重視――

抄録

　Lafcadio Hearn was a writer and folklorist who came to Japan during the Meiji era. Prior studies have focused on the supernatural tales he wrote after his arrival in Japan in 1890, including the famous Kwaidan (1904). However, his collection of fantastic tales written in America, Chinese Ghost Stories (1887), has not received much attention.

　This paper analyzes one of the stories in Chinese Ghost Stories, “The Tale of the Porcelain-God”, about a porcelain craftsman who sacrifices himself to make a beautiful vase for the emperor. The story about human sacrifice is derived from a Chinese folk legend Hearn found in the records of French missionaries. This paper examines Hearn's rewriting of “The Tale of the Porcelain God”, especially Hearn's changing of the theme̶from the celebration of the spirit of rebellion in the original to the emphasis on loyalty in his rewrite. At the same time, Hearn demonstrates the porcelain craftsman's commitment to artistry by the dialogue between the porcelain craftsman and the Spirit of the Furnace. This act demonstrates loyalty to the art and this paper also examines Hearn's view of art by this changing. I argue that commitment to artistry is a central factor in its realization and the “loyalty” praised by the emperor is only the result. We can glimpse a part of Hearn's ideal of society in seeking conformity between the “individual” and the “group”.