Qualia of Rain in Ancient Japanese Literary Works

Abstract

Qualia is often translated as 'quality' or 'sense' in Japanese. In this paper 'qualia' is basically defined as the feelings or emotions that arise when readers try to comprehend literary works. According to Kenichiro Mogi's theory, it is of great possibility that 'qualia' be interpreted as numbers, because it is believed that people could acquire a vivid sense of tableau produced via information processing when they see clear images on the screen. Referring to the theory of Masaru Wada from Tokyo Medical and Dental University, numbers are not the information itself but the interface that creates qualia in human brains. For a long time, there has been debate over how to define 'qualia'. This paper discusses this topic through literature studies, using representative works of 'rain' in Nara Period as examples.