Japanese literature: history, themes, and major works

Japanese Lit

The most salient motif connecting Basho's "Oku no Hosomichi" with Kyoka's "The Holy Man of Mount Koya" is the journey. A journey provides the pivotal experience for the hero, who is personally transformed by the journey. The hero's journey is more than one of self-discovery, for through the journey, they hero touches upon deeper metaphysical issues. The heroes on their respective journeys in these two stories undergo similar emotional experiences and transformations. For example, both struggle to face and overcome their own fears. Both Basho and the narrator of "The Holy Man of Mount Koya" need to go through extreme weariness during the process of the journey, for from their point of exhaustion a new type of energy may arise. Sexuality and erotic imagery is present, albeit in subtle and symbolic ways, in these two journeys. Thus, issues related to temptation become important lessons for the heroes. Finally, the heroes of these stories encounter themselves and the world around them through the essential and unquestionable beauty of nature. There are elements of the supernatural permeating the natural in both stories, too. Throughout all the individual and ancillary elements, though, the hero's journey remains the central thing that "The Holy Man of Mount Koya" shares with Basho's "Oku no Hosomichi."

Nature evokes a paradoxical reaction in both the travelers in these two stories. On the one hand, natural beauty is a source of emotional passion and uplifting feelings, but on the other hand, the individual needs to transcend nature in order to reach a place of peace. In "The Holy Man of Mount Koya," the monk exhibits a perfect equanimity that becomes a source of admiration and respect. When it starts to snow, the narrator exclaims that it is snowing, but the monk, "not even bothering to look up at the sky," simply observes it and states, "so it is," (p. 23). Basho's journey in "Oku no Hosomichi" is likewise a spiritual one. He admires what he sees along the way, describing in rich detail things like the moon and Fuji mountain (p. 5). Elements in nature become powerful anchors for the mind, signals that tell the hero-traveler where they are vs. where they have been and where they are going.

Along their travels, both Basho and the hero of "The Holy Man of Mount Koya" meet other people on the way who become instrumental in their quest. Some of these people are likened to nature. For example, Basho recounts a little girl who inspired verse to compare her to a pink flower with "double petals," (p. 15). This description offers subtle erotic temptations, as well as showing how nature impacts one's perception of people and of the journey. In "The Holy Man of Mount Koya," the narrator struggles at first against nature, and then later must surrender to learn the lessons that the wilderness teaches. Central to the message is the role that the old woman plays. She is at one with the mountain and the wilderness. The narrator is inexplicably drawn to her powers, which symbolize the powers of nature. Moreover, the narrator encounters temptation just as Basho describes. He is drawn to the woman sexually, but must resist giving into temptation because of having taken vows. Resisting temptation is part of the hero's journey.

Fear is an emotion that the hero-travelers must encounter along their respective journeys. From the very beginning of their travels, the heroes address fears related to the power of nature, the power of their own desires, and wondering about things like food, shelter, and clothing. The two stories address the fact that the journey is designed to strengthen the individual and make him or her stronger and able to withstand the elements as well as fear. Fear cannot become an impediment to growth or to movement, and without courage, the hero could not continue on the journey. Courage is needed to persist until the goal is reached. When that goal is reached, moreover, there are successive goals on the horizon. For example, Basho writes about walking through the "pine forest so thick the sunlight could not penetrate at all," (p. 39). Not being able to perceive the light becomes a metaphor for spiritual darkness: the fear that can too easily grip a person. The person must continue walking. A similar motif of light and darkness is evident in "The Holy Man of Mount Koya," especially in the early scene in which the narrator was left in semi-darkness by the monk.