The Hagakure appears obsessed with seppuku when you read through it. In the book, Yamamoto Tsunetomo collected myriad accounts of samurai from Saga domain along with various proverbs and lessons. Tsunetomo lived during the long peace of the Edo period as a custodian of Lord Mitsushige’s books. He worked from theory, which is why seppuku…
Tag: japanese literature
Sei Shonagon’s Pillow Book
Sei Shonagon’s Pillow Book offers a look at the Imperial court from around 993 to the end of 1000, when she served as a lady-in-waiting for Empress Teishi. We don’t know Sei Shonagon’s true name. The name passed down to us combines the first character (Sei) of her clan name, Kiyowara, and her role at…
The Confessions of Lady Nijo
The Confessions of Lady Nijo is an example of Japan’s traditional women’s literature: the diary. Her father was the head of the Minamoto clan: Major Counselor Masatada, who served the Emperor from 1228-1272. Her mother was the niece of an Honorary Empress. Nijo herself was a lady-in-waiting and the concubine to the Retired Emperor Go-Fukakusa…
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata
The book Snow Country offers cold prose and interactions appropriate to its name. The story follows Shimamura’s love affair with the hot spring geisha Komako and his developing interest with a young woman named Yoko. The book can be a little difficult to follow if you don’t read carefully. Kawabata writes with spareness and suggestion…
How to Savor Winter Haiku
Winter haiku intend to make you feel the cold, the quiet, and the loneliness associated with the season. Literature can resonate different meanings for the writer and for the reader. There’s no right way to read, although some may argue that. In fact, Basho, one of Japan’s most famous haiku writers, warns us to “prefer…
Haruki Murakami’s Portrayal of Women
Haruki Murakami writes bestselling postmodern surrealist fiction. His work often focuses on loneliness and alienation. I’m writing this article in response to a reader’s question about how he writes about women. I’ll focus on two books Kafka on the Shore and 1Q84. This article will focus on sexuality and will quote explicit passages from Murakami’s…