A Study on the Problem of Poverty Implied in Japanese Folklore Binbogami

Abstract

This study is to investigate the narrative implications of Japanese Ｂinbogami stories that have not yet been fully addressed in Korea. Binbogami, handed down as the god of poverty in the story, can be said to be a condensed image of the archetypal consciousness of the people who enjoy the story about the problem of poverty, which is considered a great obstacle to human life. What is interesting is that Binbogami appears in a very humanized form in the stories. This means that the poverty perceived by those who enjoy this tale has the same texture as the object of human relationships that are given to our lives as fate. There is a recognition that it is not good to deny and reject the object of a human relationship given to him even if he doesn't want it, and just as how he relates to him is important, how he responds to it is important in a relationship with poverty that is given as fate. The core of the response method concretely revealed through the narrative is internalization of the principle of symbiosis. The folklore of Ｂinbogami emphasizes that the establishment of a symbiotic relationship where they look back on each other's needs and solidarity is the basis of the story's principle of salvation, which turns poverty into blessing. In addition, the folklore of Ｂinbogami reminds us of the precious truth of life that it is okay to be poor. The plain but often forgotten truth that poverty is not unhappiness and that happiness can be found in poverty is revealed to the fore of the narrative.