Asai Ryoi
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
writer in the early Edo period
. A Buddhist priest who was at one time head of a Kyoto
temple, he is held to be one of the finest writers of Kanazōshi
. Kanazōshi was a form of popular literature that was written with little or no kanji
, thus accessible to many. Though it spanned many genres, a common theme in Kanazōshi works was the celebration of contemporary urban life. Asai Ryōi's work in particular turned traditional Buddhist teaching on its head in an expression of urban ideals.
. Ukiyo was the concept that life is transitory and nothing worldly lasts forever. While the earlier Buddhist teaching concluded that one must therefore put one's energy into lasting spiritual matters that would continue to benefit one in the next life, urban Edo period ideals encouraged one to enjoy the pleasures of life as if each day were your last.
The hero of the piece, Ukiyobō, is a Buddhist priest who learns enough from a life of debauchery, gambling and general pleasure-seeking to gain enlightenment under the later guidance of his elders. The seriousness of the samurai
is satirized and the liveliness of the townsman
lauded.
('New Tales Under the Lamplight'). The stories are changed to reflect contemporary urban life. For example, in 'The Peony Lantern
,' the original tale's protagonist died horribly as a result of giving in to sexual pleasure with the spirit of a dead girl - the moral message is the need to accept impermanence and not be consumed by worldly desires. In Ryōi's version the protagonist almost saves himself from such a fate, but in the end chooses to die in his ghostly lover's arms rather than die pining for her - a celebration of real human emotions. The stories in Otogi Bōko fulfilled a thirst for supernatural tales and expressed the dichotomy between social obligations, or giri
, and the reality of the human experience.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
writer in the early Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. A Buddhist priest who was at one time head of a Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
temple, he is held to be one of the finest writers of Kanazōshi
Kanazoshi
describes a type of printed Japanese book that was produced primarily in Kyoto between 1600 and 1680. The term literally means “books written in kana”...
. Kanazōshi was a form of popular literature that was written with little or no kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
, thus accessible to many. Though it spanned many genres, a common theme in Kanazōshi works was the celebration of contemporary urban life. Asai Ryōi's work in particular turned traditional Buddhist teaching on its head in an expression of urban ideals.
Ukiyo Monogatari
is widely considered the first work to revel in the difference between Buddhist ukiyo and Edo period ukiyoUkiyo
Ukiyo described the urban lifestyle, especially the pleasure-seeking aspects, of Edo-period Japan . The "Floating World" culture developed in Yoshiwara, the licensed red-light district of Edo , which was the site of many brothels, chashitsu tea houses, and kabuki theaters frequented by Japan's...
. Ukiyo was the concept that life is transitory and nothing worldly lasts forever. While the earlier Buddhist teaching concluded that one must therefore put one's energy into lasting spiritual matters that would continue to benefit one in the next life, urban Edo period ideals encouraged one to enjoy the pleasures of life as if each day were your last.
The hero of the piece, Ukiyobō, is a Buddhist priest who learns enough from a life of debauchery, gambling and general pleasure-seeking to gain enlightenment under the later guidance of his elders. The seriousness of the samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
is satirized and the liveliness of the townsman
Chonin
was a social class that emerged in Japan during the early years of the Tokugawa period. The majority of chōnin were merchants, but some were craftsmen, as well. Nōmin were not considered chōnin...
lauded.
Otogi Bōko
is an adaptation of the more spectacular tales from a Chinese Book of moralistic short stories, Jian Deng Xin HuaBotan Doro
Botan Dōrō is a Japanese ghost story that is both romantic and horrific. It involves sex with the dead and the consequences of loving a ghost.It is sometimes known as Kaidan Botan Dōrō, based on the kabuki version of the story...
('New Tales Under the Lamplight'). The stories are changed to reflect contemporary urban life. For example, in 'The Peony Lantern
Botan Doro
Botan Dōrō is a Japanese ghost story that is both romantic and horrific. It involves sex with the dead and the consequences of loving a ghost.It is sometimes known as Kaidan Botan Dōrō, based on the kabuki version of the story...
,' the original tale's protagonist died horribly as a result of giving in to sexual pleasure with the spirit of a dead girl - the moral message is the need to accept impermanence and not be consumed by worldly desires. In Ryōi's version the protagonist almost saves himself from such a fate, but in the end chooses to die in his ghostly lover's arms rather than die pining for her - a celebration of real human emotions. The stories in Otogi Bōko fulfilled a thirst for supernatural tales and expressed the dichotomy between social obligations, or giri
Giri
is a Japanese value roughly corresponding to "duty", "obligation", or even "burden of obligation" in English. It is defined as "to serve one's superiors with a self-sacrificing devotion" by Namiko Abe. Indeed, the conflict between giri and ninjō, or human feeling, is said to have been the primary...
, and the reality of the human experience.