Japanese Law and Literature

Giorgio Fabio Colombo is Professor of Comparative Law at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy. He is the Secretary-General of the Italian Association of Japanese Studies (AISTUGIA), and the Director of Ca’ Foscari International College.James C. Fisher is a Senior Lecturer at the Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne, Australia. He has previously held positions at the Australian National University, Sophia University and the University of Tokyo.

“Japanese Law and Literature: Legends, Manga, and Novels is a welcome and timely work, that addresses a significant gap in law and literature studies by focusing on Japan. It offers both a valuable introduction to the interdisciplinary field of law and literature and an in-depth exploration of the relationship between legal and literary discourse in Japanese culture. It examines a broad range of materials, from early modern popular fiction to contemporary literature, from opera to manga, yet remains remarkably cohesive in the analysis of its case studies. Each chapter combines solid theoretical frameworks with careful close readings of specific texts, balancing analytical rigor with accessibility. A useful resource for scholars, teachers, and students in Japanese studies, comparative literature, and comparative law, this volume makes a strong case for the importance of Japanese perspectives in understanding how law and literature intersect across cultures.”Rebecca Suter, Professor of Japanese Studies, The University of Oslo and Honorary Professor of Japanese and Comparative Literature, The University of Sydney“This book meets the dual challenge of law and literature and the study of Japanese law by guiding readers through the key moments of Japan’s legal heritage as reflected in literature and culture, spanning from the 17th century to the present day. This ambitious volume examines various texts and highlights how religious and cultural narratives shape legal understanding. The chapters address the subtleties of Japanese law by painting a fascinating picture of legal tradition beyond the Anglophone world. In essence, Japanese Law and Literature: Legends, Manga, and Novels unravels the interplay between law and culture, offering food for thought to students, legal scholars, and practitioners.”Jaakko Husa, Chair in Law and Globalisation at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

• 1. Japanese Law and Literature 2. Between Law and Honour: Chūshingura and the Regulation of Revenge in Tokugawa Japan 3. Justice from beyond the Grave: Sakura Sōgorō and the Law of Japanese Peasantry 4. Japan in the Western Imaginary: The Law of International Family in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly 5. The Dark Side of Legal ‘Progress’: Criminal Procedure in the Novels of Hamao Shirō 6. Between Law and Power in Occupied Japan: Davide Peace’s Tokyo Trilogy 7. Private Law in Literature: All She Was Worth and the Bursting Bubble 8. Vox Populi, Vox Shinigami: Contemporary Japanese Popular Culture and the Character of Criminal Justice 9. A World Beyond the Walls: History, Identity and Constitutionalism in Attack on Titan