Hizakurige (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

Yajirobei, or Yaji for short. Born into a well-to-do merchant family but now in greatly reduced circumstances as a result of his dissipations, he travels about Japan and becomes involved in a variety of broadly humorous episodes. More quick-witted than virtuous, he is a recognizable type of picaresque traveler. His creation was, however, an innovation and a popular one; previous Japanese travel accounts did not make use of this kind of robust and realistic traveler.

Hana-no-suke, an actor, later renamed Kitahachi, or Kita for short. Exuberant and shrewd, Kita is Yaji’s traveling companion and shares in his adventures.

Bibliography:

Aston, W. G. A History of Japanese Literature. Rutland, Vt.: Charles E. Tuttle, 1972. Pages 369 to 375 present biographical information on Ikku and offer two evaluations of Hizakurige, “the most humorous and entertaining book in the Japanese language,” which “people of nice taste had better not read.”

Kato, Shuichi. The Modern Years. Vol. 3 in A History of Japanese Literature. Translated by David Chibbett. New York: Kodansha International, 1983. Sets Ikku in the context of Edo culture and identifies several important features of his writing.

Keene, Donald. World Within Walls: Japanese Literature of the Pre-Modern Era, 1600-1867. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1976. Provides a brief discussion of the author and his story and situates it within the context of its time and culture.

Satchell, Thomas, trans. Shanks’ Mare: Being a Translation of the Tokaido Volumes of Hizakurige, Japan’s Great Comic Novel of Travel and Ribaldry, by Jippensha Ikku. Rutland, Vt.: Charles E. Tuttle, 1960. Provides biographical information about the author.