Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika –
Зарубежная лингвистика и
лингводидактика – Foreign
Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Journal home page:
https://inscience.uz/index.php/foreign-linguistics
Characteristics of Japanese folktales and their significance
in Japanese literature
Rukhshona ERKINOVA
1
Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received February 2025
Received in revised form
10
March 2025
Accepted 25 March 2025
Available online
25 April 2025
The unique characteristics of Japanese folktales – such as
their public viewpoint, animal interactions, supernatural
components, and succinct narration – are explained in this
study, along with how these characteristics have impacted
Japanese literature, especially contemporary works. This study
examines representative folktales such as "Momotaro,"
"Urashima Taro," and "The Crane of Gratitude," utilizing
Vladimir Propp’s structural analysis and the folkloristic studies
of Kunio Yanagita and Kizen Sasaki. It also looks at how they
relate to the writings of authors like Kenji Miyazawa, Osamu
Dazai, and Haruki Murakami. According to the study, folktales
continue to have new meanings through reinterpretation and
reconstruction in modern literary representations and are
essential in forming Japanese cultural identity.
2181-3701/© 2024 in Science LLC.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol3-iss4
This is an open-access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru
Keywords:
Japanese folktales,
folklore literature,
cultural identity,
Kunio Yanagita,
Haruki Murakami,
Osamu Dazai,
popular culture,
symbolism,
oral literature,
narrative structure.
Yapon xalq ertaklarining o‘ziga xos xususiyatlari va
ularning yapon adabiyotidagi ahamiyati
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar:
yapon xalq ertaklari,
folklor adabiyoti,
madaniy o‘zlik,
Kunio Yanagita,
Haruki Murakami,
Osamu Dazai,
ommaviy madaniyat,
ramziylik,
og‘zaki adabiyot,
hikoya tuzilmasi.
Ushbu tadqiqot yapon xalq ertaklarining o‘ziga xos
xususiyatlarini – jamoaviy nuqtai nazar, hayvonlar bilan
muloqot, g‘ayritabiiy unsurlar va ixcham bayon uslubini
tushuntiradi hamda bu xususiyatlarning yapon adabiyotiga,
xususan zamonaviy asarlarga ta’sirini ko‘rsatadi. Tadqiqotda
Vladimir Proppning strukturaviy tahlili hamda Kunio Yanagita
va Kizen Sasakining folkloristik izlanishlariga tayanib,
“Momotaro”, “Urashima Taro” va “Minnatdor turna” kabi
namunaviy ertaklar o‘rganiladi. Shuningdek, bu ertaklarning
1
Student, Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 4 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
342
Kenji Miyazava, Osamu Dazai va Haruki Murakami singari
yozuvchilar ijodiga aloqadorligi tahlil qilinadi. Tadqiqot
natijalariga ko‘ra, xalq ertaklari zamonaviy adabiy talqinlarda
qayta tushunish va qayta yaratish orqali yangi ma’nolar
kasb etishda davom etmoqda va yapon madaniy o‘zligini
shakllantirishda muhim rol o‘ynamoqda.
Особенности японских народных сказок и их значение
в японской литературе
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
японские народные
сказки,
фольклорная литература,
культурная идентичность,
Кунио Янагита,
Харуки Мураками,
Осаму Дадзай,
популярная культура,
символизм,
устная литература,
структура повествования.
В данном исследовании раскрываются уникальные
особенности японских народных сказок, такие как их
общественная точка зрения, взаимодействие с животными,
сверхъестественные элементы и лаконичное повествование,
а также рассматривается влияние этих характеристик на
японскую
литературу,
особенно
на
современные
произведения.
В
исследовании
анализируются
репрезентативные народные сказки, такие как «Момотаро»,
«Урасима
Таро»
и
«Журавль
благодарности»,
с
использованием структурного анализа Владимира Проппа и
фольклористических исследований Кунио Янагиты и
Кидзэна Сасаки. Также рассматривается их связь с
произведениями таких авторов, как Кэндзи Миядзава,
Осаму Дадзай и Харуки Мураками. Согласно исследованию,
народные сказки продолжают обретать новые смыслы
благодаря переосмыслению и реконструкции в современных
литературных интерпретациях и играют важную роль
в формировании японской культурной идентичности.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
For a very long time, Japanese folktales have been passed down orally, and they
represent the social structures, values, and daily lives of the average person. These stories
have a strong psychological foundation in Japan and have had a big impact on literature and
early education. They were traditionally transmitted through elder storytelling among
village groups, frequently displaying regional variances and distinctive expressions. Even
though folktales have been shared in recent years via new media platforms, including
picture books and animations, the oral tradition is still very important.
However, folktales are becoming less and less common as industrialization and
globalization progress. There are fewer opportunities for storytelling in household and
educational contexts, and worldwide entertainment content is endangering folktales'
cultural standing. To explore the importance of reassessing and conserving folktales, this
study attempts to elucidate the distinctive qualities of Japanese folktales and investigate
their impact on Japanese literature.
PREVIOUS RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGY
There is a wide range of research on Japanese folktales. In "Tono Monogatari,"
Kunio Yanagita made an effort to organize folk traditions and emphasized the importance
of folktales as oral culture. His method laid the groundwork for Japanese folklore studies
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 4 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
343
by viewing folktales as reflections of life lessons and beliefs rather than just amusement.
Kizen Sasaki is renowned for gathering a large number of folktales and categorizing them
according to regional traits and genres, thereby exposing the variety and recurrent
themes in Japanese folklore.
Structuralism, as demonstrated by Vladimir Propp's "Morphology of the Folktale,"
semiotics, and psychological evaluations, are some of the techniques that have been
presented in recent years. Notably, research has looked at how folktales affect kids’
cognitive development from the standpoint of developmental psychology, as defined by
Jean Piaget.
In this study, the content, structure, characters, and storytelling style of
representative Japanese folktales – including "Momotaro," "Urashimataro," "The Crane of
Gratitude," and "Kachi-Kachi Yama" – are examined. Additionally, the study contrasts
these folktales with certain literary works by authors such as Haruki Murakami and
Osamu Dazai in order to investigate their impact on contemporary Japanese literature.
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF JAPANESE FOLKTALES
Japanese folktales exhibit the following characteristics:
1.
Stories from the Viewpoint of the Ordinary Person:
In "Momotaro," the peach-born hero sets out on a mission to vanquish demons in
order to protect the people's safety and tranquility. The narrative prioritizes the good of
the community over individual aspirations. The cooperative connections with the dogs,
monkeys, and pheasants that are encountered along the way represent mutual aid and
are consistent with the core principles of Japanese society, which place a high priority on
peace and order.
2.
Relationships with Animals:
“The Crane of Gratitude” illustrates the significance of generosity and honoring
commitments via emotional interactions between people and animals. The crane shows
the unseen bonds and appreciation between people and the environment by giving back
to the person who rescued its life. Anthropomorphizing animals helps to humanize the
stories and make them instructive.
3.
Acceptance of Supernatural Elements:
In order to illustrate the disparities in time flow and the interaction between
reality and fiction, "Urashimataro" presents an otherworldly place called the Dragon
Palace. Reflecting Buddhist and Shinto worldviews as well as Japan's distinct concept of
life and death, the protagonist’s quick aging after opening the forbidden box serves as a
warning against curiosity and taboos.
4.
Short Narration and Symbolism:
Although many folktales are narrated concisely, they can include important lessons
and insights about human nature. For example, "Kachi-Kachi Yama" illustrates the ideas
of good overcoming evil and the notion of cause and effect by telling the story of a
mischievous tanuki who receives punishment. The morals and ethics of society have been
effectively taught through these kinds of stories.
Furthermore, recurrent phrases (such as "Once upon a time, there lived an old man
and an old woman") draw in listeners and promote memory recall, demonstrating the
usefulness of oral literature.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 4 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
344
Significance of Japanese folktales in Japanese literature
Modern literature still makes references to and reinterprets Japanese folktales.
By combining concepts like "otherworldly realms" and "transformations," for instance,
Haruki Murakami's "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" blurs the lines between reality and
fiction. His writings successfully captivate readers' imaginations and senses by
resonating with the symbolic patterns present in folktales.
"Otogizoshi" by Osamu Dazai includes satirical reimagining of folktales, including
"Urashimataro," "Kachi-Kachi Yama," and "The Tongue-Cut Sparrow," fusing them with
modern human representations. His writings give folktales a new literary dimension by
including human frailties, irony, and hopelessness.
Additionally, works of Kenji Miyazawa, such as "The Life of Budori Gusuko" and
"The Restaurant of Many Orders," are structured in ways influenced by Japanese folktales
and have strong allegorical elements. These tales show the sophisticated use of folktale
tropes in literary expression, going beyond simple children's fables to incorporate moral
and philosophical issues into the plot.
CONCLUSION
Japanese folktales are important cultural resources that represent the spirituality
and cultural values of the Japanese people; they are not just children's fables. Modern
literature has acquired its traits in many ways, including its emphasis on everyday
people, coexistence with nature, acceptance of the supernatural, and succinct storytelling.
Folktales are reinterpreted and recreated by modern authors as a way to
strengthen cultural identity and give their stories more nuance and universality.
Folktales' innate symbolism and structural universality give them the capacity to speak
to readers of all ages and backgrounds, guaranteeing their lasting relevance.
Future studies should examine how folktales have changed geographically and
how they have managed to preserve their distinctiveness when compared to narrative
cultures around the world.
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Murakami, Haruki. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Shinchosha, 1995.
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Miyazawa, Kenji. The Restaurant of Many Orders. Shincho Bunko, 2000.
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Propp, Vladimir. Morphology of the Folktale. Serika Shobo, 1983.
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извлечено от https://inlibrary.uz/index.php/foreign_philology/article/view/1784
