Early Modern Japanese Literature - (Translations from the Asian Classics) by Haruo Shirane (Paperback)

About the Book

This unique anthology is the first representative collection of Japanese literature from one of the most creative periods in Japanese culture, known variously as the Edo or the Tokugawa. It includes a wide range of fiction, poetry, and drama, and also essays, literary criticism, folk stories, and other noncanonical works with a number of new translations.

Book Synopsis

This is the first anthology ever devoted to early modern Japanese literature, spanning the period from 1600 to 1900, known variously as the Edo or the Tokugawa, one of the most creative epochs of Japanese culture. This anthology, which will be of vital interest to anyone involved in this era, includes not only fiction, poetry, and drama, but also essays, treatises, literary criticism, comic poetry, adaptations from Chinese, folk stories and other non-canonical works. Many of these texts have never been translated into English before, and several classics have been newly translated for this collection.

Early Modern Japanese Literature introduces English readers to an unprecedented range of prose fiction genres, including dangibon (satiric sermons), kibyôshi (satiric and didactic picture books), sharebon (books of wit and fashion), yomihon (reading books), kokkeibon (books of humor), gôkan (bound books), and ninjôbon (books of romance and sentiment). The anthology also offers a rich array of poetry--waka, haiku, senryû, kyôka, kyôshi--and eleven plays, which range from contemporary domestic drama to historical plays and from early puppet theater to nineteenth century kabuki. Since much of early modern Japanese literature is highly allusive and often elliptical, this anthology features introductions and commentary that provide the critical context for appreciating this diverse and fascinating body of texts.

One of the major characteristics of early modern Japanese literature is that almost all of the popular fiction was amply illustrated by wood-block prints, creating an extensive text-image phenomenon. In some genres such as kibyôshi and gôkan the text in fact appeared inside the woodblock image. Woodblock prints of actors were also an important aspect of the culture of kabuki drama. A major feature of this anthology is the inclusion of over 200 woodblock prints that accompanied the original texts and drama.

Review Quotes

Haruo Shirane's Early Modern Japanese Literature will serve as the standard anthology for some time to come.-- "Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies"

Shirane has given us so many angles from which to view this unique society that before long we almost feel we have joined it.-- "Asahi.com"

This anthology stands alone. It is the first comprehensive anthology of early modern literature. The richness of content allows it to fulfill many different purposes...This volume provides a wealth of material.--Robert N. Huey "Monumenta Nipponica"

This book will become an indispensable reference, not only for students of Edo literature but also for those who have an interest in Japanese culture in general.--Hiroko Kobayashi "Asian Studies Review"

This single volume from Columbia University Press has the bulk and the breadth to introduce to the full scope of Edo literature to the English-speaking world.--Haruko G. Iwasaki "The Journal of Asian Studies"

This volume has much to offer both students and scholars of Japanese theatre.--Julie Iezzi "Asian Theatre Journal"

About the Author

Haruo Shirane is Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature and Culture at Columbia University. His publications include The Bridge of Dreams: Poetics of the Tale of Genji and Traces of Dreams: Landscape, Cultural Memory, and the Poetry of Basho.