宮崎駿の『千と千尋の神隠し』における＜伝統＞ = Tradition in Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away”

국문 초록 (Abstract)

본고는 미야자키 하야오의 애니메이션 영화 『센과 치히로의 행방불명』에 나타난 ‘전통’의 요소를 중심으로 고찰한 것이다. 작품 속 ‘전통’을 세 가지 관점에서 분석하였다. 첫째, ‘서사적 전통’으로서 고전 설화와의 관련성을 검토하고, 둘째, ‘공간·시각적 전통’으로서 주요 무대인 온천장의 건축물과 거기에서 일하는 이들의 의상이 지닌 상징성을 분석하였다. 셋째, ‘윤리적 전통’으로서 신들과 인간의 상호부조적 관계와 노동관을 고찰하였다. 특히 ‘서사적 전통’과 관련하여, 미야자키가 언급한 고전 설화적 요소가 작품 속에서 어떻게 재구성되었는지에 대해 ‘이계(異界) 표상’, ‘설화 모티프’, ‘통과의례적 구조’라는 관점에서 살펴보았다. 그 결과, 본 작품은 개인의 성장 서사인 동시에 현대 사회에서 ‘전통’을 재획득하는 과정으로도 해석될 수 있음을 확인하였다. 아울러 이 작품에서의 ‘전통’이라는 것은 과거의 문화를 단순히 보존하는 것이 아니라, 재편하고 현재와 연결하는 역동적 실천으로 형상화되고 있음을 밝혔다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper examines the concept of “tradition” as depicted in Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away”. Situating the film within its historical and socio-cultural context, it first analyzes the relationship between contemporary society and the characters, arguing that Chihiro’s parents and No-Face embody the materialism, moral ambiguity, and spiritual vacuity characteristic of late modern consumer culture. In contrast to the monotheistic worldviews often associated with modern nationalism and civilizational conflict, “Spirited Away” articulates an alternative cosmology grounded in animism—an understanding of the world that recognizes the vitality of all living beings and the interconnectedness of existence.
Building on this framework, the paper investigates how elements of traditional folktales, to which Miyazaki has explicitly referred, are reconfigured within the film. Focusing on representations of the otherworld, recurrent folktale motifs, and a rite-of-passage narrative structure, the analysis demonstrates that “Spirited Away” draws upon traditional narrative forms while simultaneously transforming them. The bathhouse functions as an otherworldly space analogous to the liminal realm of traditional folktales, where the protagonist undergoes trials, encounters supernatural beings, and ultimately experiences symbolic rebirth. Through this process, Chihiro’s journey may be interpreted not only as an individual coming- of-age narrative but also as a cultural allegory of re-engagement with tradition under contemporary conditions.
The study further argues that “tradition” in “Spirited Away” should not be understood as the static preservation of the past. Rather, it emerges as a dynamic and creative practice: a continual act of reinterpretation and reconnection that enables cultural memory to remain meaningful in the present. By reconstructing animistic sensibilities and folktale structures within a modern cinematic medium, Miyazaki proposes a model of tradition that is neither nostalgic nor reactionary, but dialogical and regenerative. In this sense, the film offers a critical reflection on modernity and suggests the possibility of reimagining cultural continuity through narrative and imagination.