Orthographic Styles, Discourse Types, and Narrative Functions in Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige

Abstract

This study examines the orthographic styles, discourse types, and narrative functions in Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige, a comic fiction (kibyōshi) by Jippensha Ikku, and clarifies the interrelations among these elements. The findings reveal the following three points:

1. Four distinct orthographic styles are identified. Of these, nearly 80% consist of single-line horizontal writing in regular script, beginning with open quotation marks. Although the text is a work of prose fiction, this style closely imitates a theatrical script centered around dialogue.

2. With respect to discourse types, the text comprises three categories: dialogue, narrative (non-dialogue prose), and kyōka (comic waka poetry). Each corresponds to specific orthographic conventions: dialogue is written in single-line horizontal script with open quotation marks; narrative passages appear not only in the same single-line format but also in a two-line split format using smaller script—typically interpreted as stage directions; and kyōka poems are marked by a two-character indent at the beginning of a new line followed by single-line horizontal writing.

3. As for the narrative functions of these discourse types: narrative passages in single-line horizontal writing often serve to open new scenes; kyōka poems tend to signal the end of a scene; two-line split narratives in small script convey not only scene transitions but also authorial annotations; and dialogue depicts the nature of encounters with a wide range of characters appearing throughout the scenes.