Kishōtenketsu (起承転結, Kishōtenketsu?) describes the structure and development of Chinese and Japanese narratives. It was originally used in Chinese poetry as a four-line composition, and is also referred to as 'kishōtengō' (起承転合, 'kishōtengō'?). The first Chinese character refers to the introduction or 'kiku' (起句, 'kiku'?), the next: development, 'shōku' (承句, 'shōku'?), the third: twist, 'tenku' (転句, 'tenku'?), and the last character indicates conclusion or 'kekku' (結句, 'kekku'?).
The following is an example of how this might be applied to a fairytale.
- Ki (起, Ki?): Introduction, what characters appear, era, and other important information for understanding the setting of the story.
- Shō (承, Shō?): Follows on from the introduction and leads to the twist in the story. Major changes do not occur.
- Ten (転, Ten?): This is the crux of the story, which is also referred to as the 'yama' (ヤマ, 'yama'?) or climax. It has the biggest twist in the story.
- Ketsu (結, Ketsu?): Also referred to as the 'ochi' (落ち, 'ochi'?) or ending, it wraps up the story by bringing it to its conclusion.
A more specific example:
- Ki (起, Ki?): Daughters of Itoya, in the Motomachi of Osaka.
- Shō (承, Shō?): The elder daughter is sixteen and the younger one is fifteen.
- Ten (転, Ten?): Throughout history, generals killed the enemy with bows and arrows.
- Ketsu (結, Ketsu?): The daughters of Itoya kill with their eyes.1
The same pattern is used to arrange arguments:
- Ki (起, Ki?): In old times, copying information by hand was necessary. Some mistakes were made.
- Shō (承, Shō?): Copying machines made it possible to make quick and accurate copies.
- Ten (転, Ten?): Traveling by car saves time, but you don't get much impression of the local beauty. Walking makes it a lot easier to appreciate nature close up.
- Ketsu (結, Ketsu?): Although photocopying is easier, copying by hand is sometimes better, because the information stays in your memory longer and can be used later.2
References
- ^ Maynard, S. K. (1997). Japanese communication: Language and thought in context. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai'i Press, 33-34.
- ^ Maynard, 1997.
See also
