Abstract
In the Heian period, poems in the zōtōka (exchange poem) style strengthened social bonds and supported the court-centered polity, while Buddhist poetry (shakkyōka) was extolled for its religious expression and ability to assist the composer achieve a positive rebirth. Contrary to what is often argued, therefore, private poetry (hare no uta) wielded as much power as public poems (ke no uta). This article will show that these points also apply to fiction of the time. In The Tale of Genji, the “Suma” chapter contains the highest number of poems. All are private and are lauded for the ways they reveal a character’s true nature and depth of feeling. The Suma love poems extol Genji’s virtues to those still in the capital and lay the groundwork for his eventual pardon. However, the bonds maintained through these Suma-themed poetic exchanges become an obstacle when Genji is about to leave the tale, since clinging to earthly attachments hinders a good Buddhist rebirth. I argue that through the “proxy reply” to a “Suma” poem given in the “Maboroshi” chapter, the tale’s author points to the release of this impediment and facilitates Genji’s positive rebirth, a sign of the religious power of private poems. With a nod to the lyrical beauty of the “Suma” zōtōka, this article reveals the ways in which these poems simultaneously participate in the sociopolitical and religious worlds of the tale.
