Abstract

“Useless elderly people should pass away sooner rather than later.” In today’s super-aging society, are there signs of a renewed call for a modern-day form of “abandoning the elderly”(Ubasute)?　Drawing on Japanese folk traditions surrounding the practice of abandoning the elderly, as well as literary and cinematic portrayals such as Tōno Monogatari, Narayama Bushikō, and Warabi no Kō, this work explores the relationships among family, community, the state, and old age. A philosophy for gently bridging the gap between generations.

Author’s Information

Norio Akasaka was born in Tokyo in 1953. He graduated from the Faculty of Letters, University of Tokyo. He is a folklorist. While traveling around Japan, he has developed a study field for Tohoku studies and Japanese cultural theory. His works include: "Introduction to the Theory of the Outsider", "Kings and Emperors" (Chikuma Gakugei Bunko), "The Emergence of Boundaries", "Associations and Royal Power" (Kodansha Gakujutsu Bunko), "Phenomenology of Exclusion", "The Narrative of the Symbolic Emperor", "Tohoku Studies/Forgotten Tohoku", "Japan as Seen by Taro Okamoto" (Iwanami Gendai Bunko), "East and West/North and South Studies", "Reading Musashino" (Iwanami Shinsho), "Studies on Sex and Food", "Studies on Nausicaä", "To Many Musashinos" (Iwanami Shoten), and many others.