Ihara Saikaku – författare

"Five charming novellas … which have astonishing freshness, color, and warmth."— The New YorkerFirst published in 1686, this collection of five novellas by Ihara Saikaku was an immediate bestseller in the bawdy world of Genroku Japan. The book's popularity has only increased with age, making it a literary classic like Boccaccio's Decameron, or the works of Rabelais.Each of the five stories follows a determined woman on her quest for amorous adventure:The Story of Seijuro in Himeji — Onatsu, already wise in the ways of love the tender age of sixteen.The Barrelmaker Brimful of Love — Osen, a faithful wife until unjustly accused of adultery.What the Seasons Brought the Almanac Maker— Osan, a Kyoto beauty who falls asleep in the wrong bed.The Greengrocer's Daughter with a Bundle of Love — Oshichi, willing to burn down a city to meet her samurai lover.Gengobei, the Mountain of Love — Oman, who has to compete with handsome boys to win her lover's affections.But the book is more than a collection of skillfully told erotic tales, for "Saikaku …could not delve into the inmost secrets of human life only to expose them to ridicule or snickering prurience. Obviously fascinated by the variety and complexity of human love, but always retaining a sense of its intrinsic dignity … he is both a discriminating and compassionate judge of his fellow man."Saikaku's style, as allusive as it is witty, is a challenge that few translators have dared to face, and certainly never before with the success here. Accentuated by gorgeous 17th-century illustrations. Theodore de Bary's translation manages to recapture the heady flavor of the original in this sumptuous collection of romantic tales.

Japan's first modern novel—an unforgettable exploration of love and desire!The Life of an Amorous Man is a groundbreaking work by Ihara Saikaku, Japan's first popular novelist. This new unabridged English translation of Saikaku's seminal work includes the 54 illustrations drawn by the author and published in the original Japanese edition.The story follows Yonosuke, a passionate man whose never-ending quest for pleasure leads him from the glitzy brothels of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and the elegant boudoirs of Kyoto to moonlit trysts along quiet lanes in the Japanese countryside. Along the way he weaves a tapestry of fleeting affairs, forbidden romances, and broken hearts.Brimming with scandalous encounters, witty anecdotes, and poignant reflections, Yonosuke's tale provides a candid glimpse into the hedonistic world of Edo-period Japan (1680-1770), where courtesans, gamblers, and pleasure-seekers mingle in a whirlwind of indulgence. The Life of an Amorous Man was a huge success in its day and remains a celebration of life and a fascinating glimpse of a vibrant, bygone era.

A Stanford University Press classic.

A Great Classic of Japanese literature and the masterpiece of novelist Ihara Saikaku—now in a completely new and revised edition with introduction by noted scholar David J. GundryThe culmination of Saikaku's perceptive genius, the 20 short stories within This Scheming World recount raucous events and incidents on New Year's Eve as everyone tries to settle their debts for the year, as is the New Year's custom. Crafty money lenders attempt to collect their money from equally crafty debtors, and Saikaku portrays his characters with so lifelike a touch that, even though three centuries have passed since his time, it seems as if they were our contemporaries.The new Introduction by Saikaku expert David J. Gundry explains how and why this entertaining work still resonates with modern readers today.The finely-crafted tales include stories of:Philanderers who slip off to hide in the homes of their mistressesHustlers who leave town suddenly on "very important" business tripsConnivers who become actors for a day to hide-in-plain-sight on stage"The New Year's Eve is more precious than a thousand pieces of gold. It is the Great Divide between winter and spring, which none can pass over without copper and silver." —Ihara Saikaku

In Comrade Loves of a Samurai, the theme of homosexual love between the samurai is explored.To the old Japanese such love among samurai was quite permissible. The sons of samurai families were urged to form homosexual alliances while youth lasted, and often these loves matured into lifelong companionships. Saikaku describes Japanese love scenes of all kinds with a frankness that has made him a favorite with expurgators, but he discusses different types of love with tenderness and compassion.The Songs of the Geisha included in this volume is a collection of geisha folk songs composed to be sung to the accompaniment of the shamisen. All of the songs have a charmingly nostalgic quality which fitted well with the time and the circumstances for which they were composed. They are intimately personal, expressing the feelings of the geisha towards their sympathetic listeners. Love, frustration, and the futility of hope are their main themes. These lyrics, for all their erotic symbolism, are restrained and tactful, and their erotic beauty must be felt rather than heard.Both books were originally privately published in London in 1928 as a two volume set entitled Eastern Love.

First published in 1682, The Life of an Amorous Man depicts the pursuits and follies of the glorious age of old Japan, when the new bourgeoisie, unfettered by the societal constraints of the traditional aristocracy, indulged in the free and easy life of Japan’s celebrated pleasure houses. The hero of this fascinating novel is a composite of the many daijin (men of wealth) who spent their time in these flourishing establishments.The novel follows the hero, Yonosuke, or “Man of the World,” from precocious childhood to the close of his amatory career. Along the way, Saikaku exploits the full gamut of his sexual indulgence, always the frankness, often with humor, and occasionally with pathos — chronicling the erotic escapades of his hero and providing vivid character sketches of the women (and sometimes men) with whom Yonosuke dallied.

A Great Classic of Japanese literature and the masterpiece of novelist Ihara Saikaku—now in a completely new and revised edition with introduction by noted scholar David J. GundryThe culmination of Saikaku''s perceptive genius, the 20 short stories within This Scheming World recount raucous events and incidents on New Year''s Eve as everyone tries to settle their debts for the year, as is the New Year''s custom. Crafty money lenders attempt to collect their money from equally crafty debtors, and Saikaku portrays his characters with so lifelike a touch that, even though three centuries have passed since his time, it seems as if they were our contemporaries.The new Introduction by Saikaku expert David J. Gundry explains how and why this entertaining work still resonates with modern readers today.The finely-crafted tales include stories of:Philanderers who slip off to hide in the homes of their mistressesHustlers who leave town suddenly on "very important" business tripsConnivers who become actors for a day to hide-in-plain-sight on stage"The New Year''s Eve is more precious than a thousand pieces of gold. It is the Great Divide between winter and spring, which none can pass over without copper and silver." —Ihara Saikaku

"Five charming novellas … which have astonishing freshness, color, and warmth."— The New YorkerFirst published in 1686, this collection of five novellas by Ihara Saikaku was an immediate bestseller in the bawdy world of Genroku Japan. The book''s popularity has only increased with age, making it a literary classic like Boccaccio''s Decameron, or the works of Rabelais.Each of the five stories follows a determined woman on her quest for amorous adventure:The Story of Seijuro in Himeji — Onatsu, already wise in the ways of love the tender age of sixteen.The Barrelmaker Brimful of Love — Osen, a faithful wife until unjustly accused of adultery.What the Seasons Brought the Almanac Maker— Osan, a Kyoto beauty who falls asleep in the wrong bed.The Greengrocer''s Daughter with a Bundle of Love — Oshichi, willing to burn down a city to meet her samurai lover.Gengobei, the Mountain of Love — Oman, who has to compete with handsome boys to win her lover''s affections.But the book is more than a collection of skillfully told erotic tales, for "Saikaku …could not delve into the inmost secrets of human life only to expose them to ridicule or snickering prurience. Obviously fascinated by the variety and complexity of human love, but always retaining a sense of its intrinsic dignity … he is both a discriminating and compassionate judge of his fellow man."Saikaku''s style, as allusive as it is witty, is a challenge that few translators have dared to face, and certainly never before with the success here. Accentuated by gorgeous 17th-century illustrations. Theodore de Bary''s translation manages to recapture the heady flavor of the original in this sumptuous collection of romantic tales.

Japan's first modern novel and an unforgettable exploration of love and desire!The Life of an Amorous Man is a groundbreaking work by Ihara Saikaku, Japan's first popular novelist. This new unabridged English translation of Saikaku's seminal work includes the 54 illustrations drawn by the author and published in the original Japanese edition.The story follows Yonosuke, a passionate man whose never-ending quest for pleasure leads him from the glitzy brothels of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and the elegant boudoirs of Kyoto to moonlit trysts along quiet lanes in the Japanese countryside. Along the way he weaves a tapestry of fleeting affairs, forbidden romances, and broken hearts.Brimming with scandalous encounters, witty anecdotes, and poignant reflections, Yonosuke's tale provides a candid glimpse into the hedonistic world of Edo-period Japan (1680-1770), where courtesans, gamblers, and pleasure-seekers mingle in a whirlwind of indulgence. The Life of an Amorous Man was a huge success in its day and remains a celebration of life and a fascinating glimpse of a vibrant, bygone era.

A Great Classic of Japanese literature and the masterpiece of novelist Ihara Saikaku—now in a completely new and revised edition with introduction by noted scholar David J. GundryThe culmination of Saikaku's perceptive genius, the 20 short stories within This Scheming World recount raucous events and incidents on New Year's Eve as everyone tries to settle their debts for the year, as is the New Year's custom. Crafty money lenders attempt to collect their money from equally crafty debtors, and Saikaku portrays his characters with so lifelike a touch that, even though three centuries have passed since his time, it seems as if they were our contemporaries.The new Introduction by Saikaku expert David J. Gundry explains how and why this entertaining work still resonates with modern readers today.The finely-crafted tales include stories of:Philanderers who slip off to hide in the homes of their mistressesHustlers who leave town suddenly on "very important" business tripsConnivers who become actors for a day to hide-in-plain-sight on stage"The New Year's Eve is more precious than a thousand pieces of gold. It is the Great Divide between winter and spring, which none can pass over without copper and silver." —Ihara Saikaku

Ihara Saikaku's book named Ukiyososhi (Full Translation) (Hardback edition) is the last peak of the classical Japanese novel after the Genji Monogatari in Heian period and Heike Monogatari in Kamakura time, and has a great influence.Ihara Saikaku, a famous writer in seventeenth Century, has an important position in the history of literature. His works have been translated into many countries in Europe and America.Ihara Saikaku's world view has made him mostly focus on two themes, one of which is the description of the emotional life of the Japan's tokugawa shogunate period businessmen, and the other of which is the description of economic activities or economic life of the Japan's tokugawa shogunate period businessmen. It called "e;Profile of Japan's Tokugawa Shogunate Period Businessmen"e;, and belongs to:Economic Novel:.The selected translation of this book is six representative works of these two themes.Now, six works have been integrated into Ukiyososhi, and firstly published in the country with a new feature.

Obra escrita a comienzos del período Edo, una época de paz y prosperidad poco habitual en la historia de Japón y en la que la férrea organización confuciana de la sociedad normalizaba las relaciones homosexuales entre un adulto y un adolescente (asunto nuclear de estas cuarenta historias), "El gran espejo del amor entre hombres" es un clásico de la literatura universal y, a la vez, una obra netamente japonesa, en las antípodas de la tradición literaria occidental. El libro de Ihara Saikaku (1642-1693) muestra una de las facetas del "ukiyo" o "mundo flotante", reflejo del particular universo licencioso reinante en los "kuruwa" o barrios cerrados consagrados al placer, en cuyo seno los miembros de la rígida sociedad del sogunato Tokugawa -sobre todo los samuráis (o funcionarios) y los "chonin" (artesanos, comerciantes y artistas)- podían mezclarse entre sí sin más cortapisa social que la que dispusiera el dinero. El presente volumen reúne tanto las «Historias de samuráis» como las «Historias de actores» procedentes del mundo del "kabuki". Traducción de Carlos Rubio y Akiko Imoto