In the mid-13th century, a letter from Abutsu (1225–1283), who had built a career as a court attendant, was left behind to her daughter, telling her how to flourish as a court lady. We welcomed Kumiko Tabuchi, who published an annotation of Abutsu no Fumi (Abutsu no Fumi (Menoto no Fumi, Niwa no Oshie) Chushaku, collaboratively produced by Kumiko Tabuchi, Yuri Yoneda, Hiroyuki Ikuura and Ruka Saito, Seikansha, 2023), and Christina Laffin, who is currently working on an English translation of Abutsu no Fumi, for a talk, dialogue, and discussion on the theme “How to Read Women’s Literature in Medieval Japan Today?”
Kumiko Tabuchi, in her presentation entitled “Considering Court Ladies in the Middle Ages: From Abutsu no Fumi,” shared her findings and difficulties in preparing annotations and modern translations of Abutsu no Fumi and stated that Abutsu no Fumi is an extremely valuable book for conveying the reality of court society and the court women within it, and that through Abutsu no Fumi it is possible to think and reflect on various areas such as literature, culture, society, and education across the ages. Next, Christina Laffin, in her presentation titled “On the English Translation of Abutsu no Fumi,” positioned her own efforts in translating classical Japanese literature overseas in the context of examples and achievements, and presented specific issues such as how to consider and select the style of writing in English translations, and how to view and explain the work of a female courtly writer, Abutsu no Fumi, from a global perspective.
In the ensuing conversation, they exchanged a variety of perspectives including the appeal of Abutsu no Fumi, how to translate the abstract psychological descriptions, and the meaning of the message left by Abutsu no Fumi for modern readers. The ensuing discussion, encompassed the form of the letter in Abutsu no Fumi, as well as comments from Hiroyuki Ikuura and Ruka Saito, co-authors of the commentary, on their innovations in preparing the commentary and modern translation.
The workshop focused on a single work, Abutsu no Fumi, but by confronting and delving deeply into discourses and legacies that resonate into present times, we were able to understand and share the significance of women’s literature in medieval Japan and the expanding possibilities of reading, interpreting, and transmitting it today.
Event Overview
- Event Title：Medieval Japanese Women’s Writing and Abutsu’s Letter: Approaches to English Translation and Japanese Commentary
- Date and Time：July 24, 2024 16:00-17:30(JST)
- Format：Face to face
- Venue：Conference Rm. 1, Bldg. 33, 3rd Fl., Toyama Campus
- Speaker：Kumiko Tabuchi（Professor of Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences,Waseda University）and Christina Laffin（Associate Professor of UBC）
- Closing Remarks：Hidenori Jinno（Professor of Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University）
- Moderater：Kimiko Kono（Professor of Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University）
- Subject Title：Kumiko Tabuchi：”Considering Court Ladies in the Middle Ages: From Abutsu no Fumi,” 、Christina Laffin：”On the English Translation of Abutsu no Fumi,”
- Number of Participants：40
- Sponsored by：Ryusaku Tsunoda Center of Japanese Culture
