Abstract
Adapting and remixing cultural concepts generate their different variants. In order to examine the ways in which cultural and literary derivations develop, this paper focuses on conceptual representations of the magical relic sword in Japanese mythology across the ages. It is of great importance here to note that derivations are not hierarchical but equivalent, without making any distinction between original and copy. Initially, a sword trope appeared in an ancient imperial myth depicting a heroic emperor with a magical sword. This mythical trope has engendered a variety of popular and artistic counterparts. Among other variants, of great importance are the 16th-century noh play The Swordsmith and its kabuki adaptation, which premiered in 1939. It can be argued that each of these variants preserves the Japanese traditional—Shinto-related—belief in an ancient deity. The 21st century, however, saw a new provocative remixing of the traditional relic sword trope in which characters personify different types of the magical sword. First, an online strategy game was produced in 2015, which led to a musical performed by young athletic actors, and to a new kabuki by young kabuki actors in 2023. These spinoffs do not share the traditional belief in a deity of the original, but instead fetishize relic swords. William Pietz and Bruno Latour serve as theoretical guides for understanding the concept of fetishism that plays a key role in these postmodern adaptations.
Presenters
Yukihide EndoRetired Teacher, English, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Shizuoka, Japan
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Traveling Concepts: The Transfer and Translation of Ideas in the Humanities
KEYWORDS
Remix culture, Traveling mythology, Fetishism, Magic sword
