DOCSLIB.ORG

EARLY MODERN JAPANESE LITERATURE Paul Clark, Ph.D

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
EARLY MODERN JAPANESE LITERATURE Paul Clark, Ph.D HUMANITIES INSTITUTE EARLY MODERN JAPANESE LITERATURE Paul Clark, Ph.D. Early Modern Theatre Overview. In the year 1600, the final battle of the decades-long unification project ended with a victory by Tokugawa Ieyasu and his allies. Tokugawa Ieyasu then took the title of shogun and ushered in a period of peace and stability not seen in Japan for two centuries. This time is called the Tokugawa (or Edo) period and lasted until the year 1868. The military government of Japan under the Tokugawa was authoritarian, but it was also decentralized. As long as the lord of each domain kept the peace in his fiefdom and was not responsible for famine or other events which threatened social or political disruption, he was able to govern more or less as he wished. This allowed for civilian society to carve out a space for itself in the artistic realm even though warrior aesthetics were still the ideal. In the dramatic arts, the theatre thrived, both live action Kabuki and the puppet form Bunraku—particularly in the large cities of Tokyo and Osaka. Kabuki. In the Edo era, the Genroku years (between 1688 and 1704) are considered by scholars to have produced some of the greatest works of art (visual, dramatic and literary) of the age. Included among the great artists was the dramatist Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1725), who is often compared to Shakespeare. Kabuki theatre was the most popular of the dramatic arts in the Tokugawa period. It is distinguished (even today) by the prohibition of women on the stage, a ban that took effect in 1629. Bunraku. Bunraku is best described as puppet theatre. It is believed to have originated in Osaka in the 17th century, a city in which it thrived in the Tokugawa period and still thrives today. Chikamatsu also wrote for this genre. Indeed, some of his best known works were written for Bunraku. Bunraku was surprisingly popular and allowed Chikamatsu and other dramatists greater control of the presentation of their works (in addition to the narrative). Like modern anime, Bunraku frees characters from the constraints of the physical human condition and allows for more stylized, fanciful elements of a narrative to find expression. Bunraku requires two or three artists/actors to manipulate the doll. It is accompanied by a chanted narrative, and various instruments such as the samisen and drums. Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Chikamatsu is well known for bringing Kabuki to the masses. In particular, his narratives were written to appeal to the average man. Stories about the pleasure districts of Tokyo (Yoshiwara) or Osaka (Shinmachi) were particular favorites, as were stories of unrequited love and suicide. Kabuki can be rather bawdy, is colorful, fast moving and sometimes brash. It is always interesting and fun to watch. Chikamatsu is very well known for tragedy, for creating a setting in which duty is set against the extremes of human feelings. It is this conflict that produces such a poignancy and intensity of feeling that Chikamatsu excelled at—and it also appealed to a very broad audience. Chikamatsu’s ability to move an audience was unrivaled for his time. He occasionally ran afoul of the authorities because he had a tendency to address contemporary issues (something the authorities frowned upon) but placed them in historical settings. Love Suicides at Amijima. Chikamatsu’s masterpiece is Love Suicides at Amijima. It was written (likely) in 1720 and was reportedly based, in part, on a real love suicide which took place at the Amijima Daishō Temple in Osaka. The Bunraku puppet play opened in early 1721 (it also later found success as a Kabuki play) and was an immediate success. Indeed, it was so successful that there were reports of numerous love suicides after it premiered—so many that the authorities later banned any play with the phrase “love suicide” in the title. Different versions of love suicide themes existed before Chikamatsu’s work premiered and other authors wrote works on the same theme in the years after the premier. However, none achieved the success of Chikamatsu’s Love Suicides of Amijima. Love Suicides was an urban story and was designed to appeal to the largest audience possible: the working man and woman. It is a story of forbidden love between Koharu (a prostitute) and Jihei (a family man). It also follows Jihei’s wife, Osan as she tries to navigate her husband’s turbulent affair. In the end, Osan asks Koharu to give up her husband so that he may return to the family and his duty. Of course, reconciliation was not possible. Readings Primary Source Reading The Love Suicide at Amijima: A Study of a Japanese Domestic Tragedy, Donald Shively, trans., Harvard University Press Secondary Source Reading “Tragedy and Salvation in the Floating World: Chikamatsu’s Double Suicide Drama as Millenarian Discourse,” Steven Heine, Journal of Asian Studies, Vo. 53. No 2, May 1994, pp. 367-393 Suggested paper topics Can one compare anime and bunraku? What are some similarities and differences? Why do you think so many stories were written about prostitutes or set in brothels? Does this seem to be a trend in literature in other parts of the world? What is so compelling about suicide? Why does it seem to find expression in so many works? Censorship Overview. The government of Japan in the Tokugawa period was authoritarian. Though much of the Japan was governed by daimyō (feudal lords) within semi-autonomous domains, the central government in Edo maintained the right to intervene in any place, at any time. In particular, the Tokugawa authorities sought to control public speech and had a long history of censorship—starting from the earliest days of the 17th century. Criticism (of any sort) of the authorities was strictly prohibited, as were books on other banned topics, such as Christianity. Contemporary or political events were also off limits. Punishment for running afoul of these censorship laws was a real possibility and could result in anything from a fine, to confiscation of property, to imprisonment and in extreme cases, to execution. However, by the 18th century, restrictions were applied less uniformly. In the theatrical arts, dramatists, producers and theatre owners had learned to successfully navigate these rules, and also other sumptuary laws designed to restrict the lifestyle and consumption of the non-samurai, urban elite. Even the depiction of conspicuous consumption on the stage could result in warnings if not outright censorship. And then there were rules restricting depictions of narratives which were considered by the authorities as deleterious to public morals. Nonetheless, artists found a way to obliquely communicate their message, as is always the case in military dictatorships. Censored Plays. A number of Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s plays were censored. The most well-known example was Love Suicides at Amijima. However, self-censorship was practiced more often than actual censorship. Chikamatsu’s political satire entitled The Sagami Lay Monk and the Thousand Dogs is one such example. This was a dangerous work which criticized the policies of a shogun soon after his death. Nonetheless, the audience seemed to understand that the work was critical of an ordinance issued by the shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1646-1709) that forbad the killing of any beast. When there was actual censorship, it occurred most often when a dramatist had slightly overstepped the bound of acceptable public speech or when there was a crackdown—usually associated with a change in leadership or when it appeared that society was being inappropriately influenced by a play. Example. Chūshingura (The Forty-Seven Rōnin) is, without question, the most famous dramatic work of the entire Tokugawa period. It found resonance with the people of Japan in the 18th century and has been rewritten, reworked and revised on numerous occasions— but its popularity has endured. It first appeared as a bunraku play in 1748 and has since found expression as a kabuki play, a movie (many times) and even a television series. It is also well known in the western world. Indeed, a movie staring Keanu Reeves on the topic was released in 2014. Plot. At its core, Chūshingura is a story about revenge in a society where honor had meaning. It was based on an actual event that occurred in 1702, when an unsophisticated “country” lord did not provide an appropriate bribe to a well-connected urban sophisticate during the planning for an audience with the shogun. In the shogunal palace, where any brandishing of weapons was strictly prohibited, Asano Naganori (the country lord) was provoked into wounding Kira Yoshinaka, the well-connected sophisticate who had insulted him. Though the injury was not life-threatening, the Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi forced Asano to commit suicide for a “breach of the peace.” This meant that Asano’s lands were confiscated and his retainers became rōnin (masterless samurai). The shogun realized that Asano’s retainers might have a reason to strike back at Kira and had the authorities carefully monitor them for a period of time. It must be said that it was not strictly illegal in Tokugawa Japan to engage in an act of revenge. However, permission had to be obtained by the shogunate before this could take place—and the act could not incite additional riots and the like. And permission was often granted. But Asano’s men realized that asking permission would likely tip off Kira and diminish the chances of a successful strike against him. Thus, they quietly waited and successfully assassinated Kira at his residence one night when surveillance allowed. The shogunate then required the 46 (plus one honorary member) to commit suicide themselves. Influence on Literature. As might be expected, the public was riveted by this true story and followed it very closely.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sakata Tojuro, Nakamura Shichisaburo and the Creation Of
    SAKATA TOJURO, NAKAMURA SHICHISABURO AND THE CREATION OF WAGOTO KABUKI IN THE GENROKU ERA A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THEATRE August 2004 By Holly A. Blumner Dissertation Committee: James R. Brandon, Chair Robert Huey Tamara Hunt Montgomery Julie A. Iezzi Kirstin Pauka Acknowledgements The research for this dissertation was made possible through the very generous support of the Monbusho and the Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation. I would like to thank the managers and theatre attendants at Shochiku's Minami-za, Naka-za, and Shochiku-za theatres for granting me access to numerous performances. I wish to thank Asahi Earphone Guide Service and the Asahi English Earphone Guide staff. I am grateful to Hamatani Hiroshi at the National Theatre of Japan for his advice during my field study in Japan. I wish to thank Nakamura Ganjiro III and Kataoka Nizaemon IV for speaking with me about the current state of wagoto kabuki and nimaime acting. I am indebted to Torigoe Bunzo at Waseda University for his guidance during my two years of research at Waseda University, and to Ikawa Mayuko who tirelessly answered my questions about play texts and acting critiques. In Hawai'i, I would like to acknowledge my graduate student colleagues for their encouragement along the way. I wish to thank my committee members for their advice and assistance during the writing of this III dissertation. I am especially grateful to Dr. James R. Brandon who continues to be a great source of knowledge, inspiration, and encouragement.
    [Show full text]
  • Rethinking the Ako Ronin Debate the Religious Significance of Chushin Gishi
    Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1999 26/1-2 Rethinking the Ako Ronin Debate The Religious Significance of Chushin gishi John Allen T ucker This paper suggests that the Tokugawa Confucian debate over the Ako revenge vendetta was, in part, a religious debate over the posthumous sta­ tus of the forty-six ronin who murdered Lord Kira Yoshinaka as an act of revenge for the sake of their deceased master, Asano Naganori. At issue in the debate was whether the forty-six ronin were chushin gishi, a notion typ­ ically translated as “loyal and righteous samurai. ” The paper shows, how­ ever, that in Tokugawa discourse the term chushin gishi had significant religious nuances. The latter nuances are traceable to a Song dynasty text, the Xingli ziyi, by Chen Beixi, which explains that zhongchen yishi (Jpn. chushin gishi) could be legitimately worshiped at shrines devoted to them. The paper shows that Beixi text was known by those involved in the Ako debate, and that the religious nuances, as well as their sociopolitical impli­ cations, were the crucial, albeit largely unspoken, issues in the debate.1 he paper also notes that the ronin were eventually worshiped, by none other than the Meiji emperor, and enshrined in the early-twentieth century. Also, in prewar Japan, they were extolled as exemplars of the kind of self- sacrijicing loyalism that would be rewarded, spiritually, via enshrinement at Yasukuni Shrine. Keywords: Ako ronin — chushin gishi (zhongchen yishi)—しhen Beixi — Xingli ziyi — Yamasra Soko — Bakufu —apotheosis Chushin gishi 忠、臣義 士 was the pivotal notion in the eighteenth-century controversy among Confucian scholars over the Ako 赤穂 revenge vendetta of 1703.
    [Show full text]
  • Guts and Tears Kinpira Jōruri and Its Textual Transformations
    Guts and Tears Kinpira Jōruri and Its Textual Transformations Janice Shizue Kanemitsu In seventeenth-century Japan, dramatic narratives were being performed under drastically new circumstances. Instead of itinerant performers giving performances at religious venues in accordance with a ritual calendar, professionals staged plays at commercial, secular, and physically fixed venues. Theaters contracted artists to perform monthly programs (that might run shorter or longer than a month, depending on a given program’s popularity and other factors) and operated on revenues earned by charging theatergoers admission fees. A theater’s survival thus hinged on staging hit plays that would draw audiences. And if a particular cast of characters was found to please crowds, producing plays that placed the same characters in a variety of situations was one means of ensuring a full house. Kinpira jōruri 金平浄瑠璃 enjoyed tremendous though short-lived popularity as a form of puppet theater during the mid-1600s. Though its storylines lack the nuanced sophistication of later theatrical narra- tives, Kinpira jōruri offers a vivid illustration of how theater interacted with publishing in Japan during the early Tokugawa 徳川 period. This essay begins with an overview of Kinpira jōruri’s historical background, and then discusses the textualization of puppet theater plays. Although Kinpira jōruri plays were first composed as highly masculinized period pieces revolving around political scandals, they gradually transformed to incorporate more sentimentalism and female protagonists. The final part of this chapter will therefore consider the fundamental characteristics of Kinpira jōruri as a whole, and explore the ways in which the circulation of Kinpira jōruri plays—as printed texts— encouraged a transregional hybridization of this theatrical genre.
    [Show full text]
  • Bushidō and the Samurai
    Bushidō and the Samurai Martha Chaiklin “Fujiyama-geisha” is a common English expression that refers to the stereotypical images that foreigners hold of Japan. Since the 1980s and Japanese economic dominance, however, most Westerners have become much more knowledgeable about the Land of the Rising Sun. Where once Japanese food could only be obtained on the West Coast or New York, now you can buy sushi in the supermarket. Nevertheless, certain types of stereotypes have persisted. A pervasive one, supported by Japanese film and animation, is the samurai as an elite warrior who lives by a strict code. This idealized and romanticized image has only the most tenuous connection to historical reality. The word samurai is derived from the verb saburau, to serve. In the Heian period (794–1185) the original samurai by title were people who directly served the upper echelons of the aristocracy. It could refer to a wide variety of positions, including the armed guards who protected the members of the Imperial family. In the case of the emperor, sometimes this samurai was even a family member and thus a member of the aristocracy. This broad usage continued even into the Kamakura period (1185–1333), the first warrior-led government. It was not until the breakdown of imperial rule and the rise of the warrior class that led to the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate that this term came to refer to warriors. The origins of the warrior class in Japan are debated. Some scholars believe they evolved from regional militias, and others emphasize the aristocratic origins of the upper echelons.
    [Show full text]
  • Kanadehon Chtshingura
    CHAPTER FIVE Kanadehon Chtshingura MonB rHeN fusr e ThLB op Fnuoel Loverrv Modern lmages of Chúshingura Í7 anadehon Chashinqura 1The TreasrLry of Loyal Relain- .N.rr1 i, so deeply ro"uen into the cullrrral fabric o[ lapan llrat until quite recently there was hardly anyone who didn't lrrow the story. Based on a historical vendetta known as the Akrj Incident that occurred in r7oz, the play has spawned spin- r'lT works in many other genres, including a stoýelling series lrrlled Gishi Meimei Den (Biographies of Loyal Retainers)1 tlurt was popular in the second half of the eighteenth century. 'l'lrcse and other variants often developed subsidiary storylines tlrat had very little to do with the original play. After the Russo-Japanese War of r9o4-o5, the popular aníwa-bushi narrative singer Tochuken Kumoemon2 scored ir lrit with úte song Gishiden (Legend of the Loyal Retainers). 'I his entertainer had the backing of a right-wing group called llrc Black Ocean Society, which tinged his Chtishingura slrlry with ultra'nationalistic ideals of loyalty and patríotism. lrr tl-re lead up to World War II, thís nationalistic flavor had t.volved to the point where the story was featured prominently irr government-mandated textbooks for elementary schools. It 65 ChúshinlurL MoRE TEAN Jusr A Thrs o! FeuoAl LovAr,Ty extolled as the "revenge of loyal retainers that lifted our irrrllrropology focused on carnival practices, Maruya brilliantly hearts," providing an "antidote" to a complacency that had r.lrrcidated the secÍet to Chúshíngurd's enduring populariý. supposedly set in during the Genroku era because of pro- On a practical level, Chashingura inspired such a vast longed peace.
    [Show full text]
  • Storehouse of Loyalty (Chushingura), 1806, by Hokusai (1760–1849)
    Scene from The Storehouse of Loyalty (Chushingura), 1806, by Hokusai (1760–1849). Japan. Edo period (1615–1868). Woodblock print, ink and colors on paper. Gift of Japanese Prints from the Collection of Emmeline Johnson, Donated by Oliver and Elizabeth Johnson, 1994.45. What is depicted here? The men climbing the roof of this snow-covered building are disenfranchised samurai (ronin) bent on exacting revenge for the death of their lord. Drawn from a popular narrative known as the Chushingura (The Storehouse of Loyalty), the story was based on historical events that occurred in the early eighteenth century. The former samurais’ grievance originates when their master, Asano Naganori, is ordered to the palace to receive instruction from an official, Kira Yoshinaka. Goaded by Kira into drawing his sword, Asano lightly wounds the official. For the capital offence of drawing his sword at the palace, Asano is ordered to commit ritual suicide (seppuku) by disembowelment, while Kira goes free. Upon his death, Asano’s lands are confiscated, and the forty-seven samurai who served him are dismissed, becoming ronin (masterless samurai). In an act of loyalty to avenge their master’s death, the men go under cover, spending almost two years carefully plotting their vendetta. They eventually meet to attack Kira’s mansion on a snowy, moonlit night. The scene shown here is the moment before they discover Kira, hiding in a shed behind a bundle of firewood. After taking him prisoner, the ronin decapitate Kira and parade his severed head through the streets of the capital. The tale ends with the ronin turning themselves in; Asian Art Museum Education Department they are sentenced to death by the authori- ties, but are allowed to take their own lives (seppuku), an honorable death according to the warrior code of Japan.
    [Show full text]
  • E-Phaïstos, IX-1 | 2021 La Critique Théâtrale De Chikamatsu Monzaemon Et Sa Relation À La Vallée De L
    e-Phaïstos Revue d’histoire des techniques / Journal of the history of technology IX-1 | 2021 Autour de Léonard de Vinci La critique théâtrale de Chikamatsu Monzaemon et sa relation à la Vallée de l’étrange Traduction et commentaire de la préface de Naniwa Miyage Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s Theater Criticism and its Relation to The Uncanny Valley. A translation and commentary on the preface to Naniwa Miyage Karl F. MacDorman Édition électronique URL : http://journals.openedition.org/ephaistos/8706 ISSN : 2552-0741 Éditeur IHMC - Institut d'histoire moderne et contemporaine (UMR 8066) Référence électronique Karl F. MacDorman, « La critique théâtrale de Chikamatsu Monzaemon et sa relation à la Vallée de l’étrange », e-Phaïstos [En ligne], IX-1 | 2021, mis en ligne le 27 avril 2021, consulté le 28 avril 2021. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/ephaistos/8706 Ce document a été généré automatiquement le 28 avril 2021. Tous droits réservés La critique théâtrale de Chikamatsu Monzaemon et sa relation à la Vallée de l... 1 La critique théâtrale de Chikamatsu Monzaemon et sa relation à la Vallée de l’étrange Traduction et commentaire de la préface de Naniwa Miyage Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s Theater Criticism and its Relation to The Uncanny Valley. A translation and commentary on the preface to Naniwa Miyage .Karl MacDorman F 1 Chikamatsu Monzaemon 近松 門左衛門 (1653–1724) est parfois appelé le Shakespeare japonais. Durant sa vie, il bénéficia d’une telle aura que ses contemporains allèrent jusqu’à le nommer dieu gardien de leur profession (sakusha no ujigami 作者の氏神 ; Kawatake 1988 ; Yuda 1975). La contribution artistique de Chikamatsu comprend la transformation et la popularisation, au début du XVIIe siècle, du ningyō jōruri 人形浄瑠 璃, une forme traditionnelle de théâtre musical de marionnettes originaire d’Osaka au Japon.
    [Show full text]
  • Tokyo Modern I: Koizumi Kishio's 100 Views of the Imperial Capital (1928–1940)
    MODERNITY’S UNDERCURRENTS In celebrating Tokyo’s rebirth, the “creative prints” (sōsaku-hanga) artists revealed themselves to be thoroughly bourgeois urbanites. Industrialization drew their attention mostly in the form of engineering projects, smokestacks, Western-style buildings, and the revolution in mass transportation. Working-class activities were observed fleetingly at best. In Koizumi’s series, for example, this includes dying cloth for kimono and two contrasting versions of a picturesque lumberyard. “This is an unusual view from the old days,” Koizumi wrote in his 1940 annotation for this print created ten years earlier. “I wonder if it still exists?” “Dye Factory at Waseda (#08),” November 1930 "Tokyo Modern l" by James T. Ulak 4 - 1 “Lumberyards at Kiba (#65),” July 1935 “Lumberyards at Kiba in the Snow (#65-revised),” February 1940 Private collection The only hint of agriculture—and the fact that the great majority of Japan’s population was engaged in this—was Koizumi’s rendering of the new central vegetable market in Kanda, and a nostalgic depiction of a post-earthquake suburb where daikon, the succulent big white radish, was still grown. "Tokyo Modern l" by James T. Ulak 4 - 2 “Vegetable Market at Kanda (#16),” September 1931 Damage from the earthquake required the reconstruction of Tokyo's food markets, including the Central Wholesale Market at Tsukij. Vegetable sales were transacted under tented stalls along the Kanda River to facilitate the shipping of goods. The concrete-and-glass warehouse was built to withstand future earthquakes and fire. Harvesting daikon. “Landscape at Nerima Ward (#73),” November 1935 "Tokyo Modern l" by James T.
    [Show full text]
  • KOJIKI to HARUKI
    2018 Fall Semester KOJIKI to HARUKI Section 1 Instructor/Title Ghosh Dastidar, Debasrita 【Course Outline / Description】 This course will facilitate students to discover the beauty of Japanese Literature. Students will analyze the literary works from each period of Japanese history and identify with the distinctive features. The course would be divided into five sections namely, ancient, classical, medieval, modern and post war period. The lectures will focus on key aspects of each period and the representative works followed by in-class discussion. Students will be given take home readings or asked to explore and analyse the particular topic. Active student engagement and participation is encouraged for critical analysis and understanding of each module. Students will involve in individual, pair or group work. Each week there will be one out-of -class compulsory reading or other suggested readings. Basic knowledge of Japanese society and culture would be an advantage but not a requirement for the course. Section 2 【Course Objectives/Goals/Learning Outcomes】 Students should be able to; Name representative writers and works of each period of Japanese literary history. Describe how Japanese literature develops with time. Identify the key literary features of Japanese history. Recognize the socio-political background of each period and how it affects individuals and subsequently influence literary works. Summarize own opinion on the development of Japanese literature. Section 3 【Class Schedule/Class Environment, Literature and Materials】
    [Show full text]
  • 曾根崎心中 Sonezaki Shinjū?
    FOUR MAJOR PLAYS OF CHIKAMATSU the lavish dowry the uncle provided, some two kamme (a unit of measure for silver. Two The Love Suicides at Sonezaki kamme would be a significant amount; writing in the 1960s, Donald Keene stated that two kamme would then be equivalent to $1000). The Love Suicides at Sonezaki ( 曾 根 崎 心 中 Sonezaki Shinjū?) is a love-suicide Bunraku play This agreement remains wholly unknown to by Chikamatsu Monzaemon. While not his first Tokubei until his uncle tries to force him into the one (which was probably the puppet play The marriage. Tokubei makes his refusal categorical Soga Successors in 1683) nor his most popular and absolute this time. The uncle is infuriated. (which would be The Battles of Coxinga), it is He fires Tokubei from the firm, demands the probably the most popular of his "domestic return of the two kamme which Tokubei does tragedies" or "domestic plays" (sewamono) as not have, and says he will exile Tokubei from Donald Keene characterizes the non-historical Osaka. plays. Tokubei goes to his village and eventually with It was first performed 20 June 1703. It was the villagers' aid, forces the silver out of his revived in 1717, with additional scenes added stepmother and returns to Osaka. by Chikamatsu, such as the punishment of the villain, but the version typically translated and On his return, Tokubei is collared by his close performed is the 1703 version. friend of many years, "Kuheiji the oil merchant", who tells Tokubei that he desperately needs a loan of two kamme or else he will not be able to Plot meet his monthly bills and will go bankrupt.
    [Show full text]
  • In Paradise Lost and Shitsurakuen
    A Comparative Study of‘the Ultimate Love’ in Paradise Lost and Shitsurakuen Yuko Kanakubo Noro＊ 1. In 1997, a Japanese film based on a Japanese novel, Shitsurakuen, was very popular among Japanese. The title of the film, Shitsurakuen, was identical with one of the traditional Japanese titles of Paradise Lost, but the content of the former was completely different from that of original English epic. While in Paradise Lost, the ultimate love is that of God incarnated in the matrimonial love between Adam and Eve, the theme of Shitsurakuen is illicit love between a man and a woman. Each of them has his/her own family, but in the end they commit‘shin-ju’, a kind of suicide, which is strictly forbidden in the Christian world. While at the end of Paradise Lost, Adam and Eve bravely leave Eden, and go into this world, believing in God’s Providence, Kuki and Rinko, the hero and heroine of Shitsurakuen, leave this world and commit double suicide, believing in the next life after death. The ultimate love in Paradise Lost is active, life-oriented, and backed by the love of the Christian God, while the ultimate love in Shitsurakuen is pessimistic, death-oriented, and backed by the secularized, or misunderstood, Johdo faith. Facing the long-run of the film and strong sales of the book, most Japanese Miltonists and readers of Paradise Lost became bewildered and wondered why the author of Shitsurakuen chose that title for his book, and in what sense the immorality of the theme and the obscenity of repetitive sexual depictions of Shitsurakuen are equalized with the sublimity and the holy matrimonial love in Paradise Lost.
    [Show full text]
  • Monumenta Nipponica Style Sheet
    Monumenta Nipponica Style Sheet Completely revised edition SOPHIA UNIVERSITY, TOKYO Monumenta Nipponica Style Sheet Completely revised edition (May 2017) Sophia University 7–1 Kioi-chō, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 102-8554 Tel: 81-3-3238-3543; Fax: 81-3-3238-3835 e-mail: [email protected] Website: http://dept.sophia.ac.jp/monumenta Copyright 2017 by Sophia University, all rights reserved. CONTENTS 1 GENERAL DIRECTIONS 1 1.1. Preparation of Manuscripts 1 1.2. Copyright 1 2 OVERVIEW OF STYLISTIC CONVENTIONS 2 2.1. Italics/Japanese Terms 2 2.2. Macrons and Plurals 2 2.3. Romanization 2 2.3.1. Word division 3 2.3.2. Use of hyphens 3 2.3.3. Romanization of Chinese and Korean names and terms 4 2.4. Names 4 2.5. Characters (Kanji/Kana) 4 2.6. Translation and Transcription of Japanese Terms and Phrases 4 2.7. Dates 5 2.8. Spelling, Punctuation, and Capitalization of Western Terms 5 2.9. Parts of a Book 6 2.10. Numbers 6 2.11. Transcription of Poetry 6 3 TREATMENT OF NAMES AND TERMS 7 3.1. Personal Names 7 3.1.1. Kami, Buddhist deities, etc. 7 3.1.2. “Go” emperors 7 3.1.3. Honorifics 7 3.2. Names of Companies, Publishers, Associations, Schools, Museums 7 3.3. Archives and Published Collections 8 3.4. Names of Prefectures, Provinces, Villages, Streets 8 3.5. Topographical Names 9 3.6. Religious Institutions and Palaces 9 3.7. Titles 10 3.7.1. Emperors, etc. 10 3.7.2. Retired emperors 10 3.7.3.
    [Show full text]