Urashima Tarō’s Narrative Life: Born from Chinese Temporal Myths, Developed in Japan, and Rewritten in Europe

Ruan Xiancheng

Monash University

Abstract：

This essay examines the narrative evolution of "Urashima Tarō" in the context of China, Japan, and Europe, and focuses on how its time structure and symbolic meaning change in the process of cross-cultural communication. The article points out that the story originates from the time dislocation motif of Lan Ke Ren (the story of the rotten axe handle, 烂柯人) in the early Chinese supernatural text Shu Yi Ji (Records of Strange Accounts, Shu Yi Ji), in which the difference of time flow rate between different worlds is used to express the impermanence of life and the change of things. This narrative framework was later introduced into Japan and found in the texts of Man’yōshū (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves, 万叶集) and Tango no Kuni Fudoki (Fragmentary Records of Tango Province, 丹后国风土记). In this process, it gradually developed into a complete narrative of "Urashima Tarō" and obtained a new dimension of psychology and mythology.

Key Words：

Urashima Tarō; temporal myths; cross-cultural transmission; folk narrative