gōkan-19th cent. Japanese revenge tales

[asakiyume]

Wakanomori does a lot of work with gōkan, a form of 19th-century illustrated fiction in Japan. They tend to be exciting stories--lots of revenge tales, with ghosts and so on--and the illustrations are just fabulous. Not only do they give you this amazing picture (literally) of 19th-century daily life (graffiti on the walls, a fortune-teller's booth, a traveller having his feet washed at an inn), but they also show you a whole lot about book publishing in Japan at that time (e.g., advertisements for the author's other books--or advertisements for the author's day-job products, such as medicines).

I love *so many* of the pictures (I really love the graffiti one, and there's one with a dog in it that starts out with the dog's footprints in the snow), but the one I want to share here is one with multiple people spying on a scene--it could be something from a spy-thriller parody:



The note in blue is Wakanomori's. The story is by Santo Kyōzan, who Waka tells me was the most prolific author of gōkan, and the art is by Utagawa Kunisada (known as Kunisada). It was published in 1823 (in Japan, that year was known as Bunsei 6).

Comments

[minoanmiss]

BWEE!

[asakiyume]

Fun, right?

[wayfaringwordhack]

The art is really excellent. :D

[asakiyume]

So many fun details!

[rachelmanija]

How marvelous. Have any of them been translated and reprinted in English?

[asakiyume]

Wakanomori says, and I quote, "Effectively ... not really ... If she wants and interesting read, what I recommend is Michael Emmerich's book on the non-representative but most famous gōkan, a Genji retelling, that's a fabulous book and a great retelling, called Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji [that's the name of the gōkan, not the book... the book is called The Tale of Genji: Translation, Canonization, and World Literature. Waka says, "It sounds like a boring title but its cover is fabulous and it's a great book."<--and when he sees me writing this he says, "You've got to see the cover though."]

In conclusion, not really, no ;-)

PS, the "Nise Murasaki" title means "Fake Murasaki [author of the real Tale of Genji] Country-bumpkin Genji"

PPS, the cover in question:

[sovay]

In conclusion, not really, no

Who doesn't want illustrated fiction with ghosts and too many spies?

[asakiyume]

Who doesn't want illustrated fiction with ghosts and too many spies? --I couldn't agree more!

God willing, Waka's students will get on the ball and start publishing translations! Or he himself might, one day.

another page [but of a different story] because they're just so good.

[asakiyume]

On the left-hand portion, circled in yellow, you can see the graffiti on the wall--and it's the same style (names under an umbrella) that kids still do today:

Re: another page [but of a different story] because they're just so good.

[larryhammer]

HEEEEEEEE

Re: another page [but of a different story] because they're just so good.

[asakiyume]

So many details, right? Like the sleeping dog

[sartorias]

I love those illos!!!

[asakiyume]

They are so much fun--I love them too.

[sovay]

one with multiple people spying on a scene--it could be something from a spy-thriller parody

I love the note about tuning in to chapter two.

[asakiyume]

Yes! So funny to see these same techniques in a different cultural context.

[amaebi]

That is awesome!

[asakiyume]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it--I love it too.