Fuminobu Murakami is Associate Professor at the Department of Japanese Studies, University of Hong Kong. He is author of Postmodern, Feminist and Postcolonial Currents in Contemporary Japanese Culture (Routledge, 2005), and co-editor of Reading The Tale of Genji (Global Oriental, 2009).

• 1. Introduction 2. The Strong and the Weak in Japanese Religious, Philosophical and Political Writings 3. Ugly Ladies in The Tale of Genji 4. Women, Humble Men and Insulted People in The Tale of the Heike 5. Sacrifice and Revenge, Love and War, and a World Without Violence in The Eight Dog Chronicles 6. Dancing Girl, Geisha, Mistress and Wife in Kawabata Yasunari’s Stories: The Dancing Girl of Izu, Snow Country, Thousand Cranes and The Sound of the Mountain 7. Conclusion

Fuminobu Murakami is Associate Professor at the Department of Japanese Studies, University of Hong Kong. He is author of Postmodern, Feminist and Postcolonial Currents in Contemporary Japanese Culture (Routledge, 2005), and co-editor of Reading The Tale of Genji (Global Oriental, 2009).

• 1. Introduction 2. The Strong and the Weak in Japanese Religious, Philosophical and Political Writings 3. Ugly Ladies in The Tale of Genji 4. Women, Humble Men and Insulted People in The Tale of the Heike 5. Sacrifice and Revenge, Love and War, and a World Without Violence in The Eight Dog Chronicles 6. Dancing Girl, Geisha, Mistress and Wife in Kawabata Yasunari’s Stories: The Dancing Girl of Izu, Snow Country, Thousand Cranes and The Sound of the Mountain 7. Conclusion

Fuminobu Murakami is Associate Professor at the Department of Japanese Studies, University of Hong Kong. He is author of Postmodern, Feminist and Postcolonial Currents in Contemporary Japanese Culture (Routledge, 2005), and co-editor of Reading The Tale of Genji (Global Oriental, 2009).

• 1. Introduction 2. The Strong and the Weak in Japanese Religious, Philosophical and Political Writings 3. Ugly Ladies in The Tale of Genji 4. Women, Humble Men and Insulted People in The Tale of the Heike 5. Sacrifice and Revenge, Love and War, and a World Without Violence in The Eight Dog Chronicles 6. Dancing Girl, Geisha, Mistress and Wife in Kawabata Yasunari’s Stories: The Dancing Girl of Izu, Snow Country, Thousand Cranes and The Sound of the Mountain 7. Conclusion