モラエスの庭 : (1)日記文学・随筆文学ということ 

This paper is a part of Moraes’s Studies launched in July 31, 2010. The members of Moraes’s Studies, Takayoshi Miyazaki (English Literature), Masaya Satoh (Plant Physiology), Motohiro Sakai (Clinical Psychology), all at the Institute of Socio-Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokushima, are now continuing to try to analyze Moraes’s works and to approach a new facet of Moraes’s biographical aspects. Moraes was fascinated by the far-east Japan, and fell in love with Oyoné, who died soon after the marriage. After her death Moraes decided to live in Tokushima, which was Oyoné’s hometown. He lived with Koharu, Oyoné’s niece, for a while until she died from tuberculosis. His life until his death in Tokushima was a kind of hermit, disregard of his fame as Consul General and Navy high-rank Officer, and other financial merits entailed with them.
Moraes published Tokushima no Bon-odori in 1913 after Oyoné died. This work might be regarded as based on the forms of diary and essay, apparently as reports from Tokushima to Bento Carqueja, editor of Porto Commercial Newspaper in Portugal. He admired the form of diary and essay, especially Japanese type essay like those of Ki no Tsurayuki, Sei Shonagon, Kamo no Chomei and Yoshida Kenko. With this in his mind, Moraes seems to express his inner world via this form of diary and essay. Though this work can be read as written documents of things and events in Tokushima in those days, which aspect is in itself very important and interesting, we should take notice that his innermost world is very meticulously veiled. This tentative paper intends to open a new perspective in a rather fixed image of Moraes and studies about him.