New Chronicles of Yanagibashi and Diary of a Journey to the West: Narushima Ryuhoku Reports from Home and Abroad

Author/Contributor(s):	Fraleigh, Matthew ; Ryuhoku, Narushima
Publisher:	Cornell University - Cornell East Asia Series
Date:	09/30/2010
Binding:	Paperback
Condition:	NEW

This book features complete annotated translations of Narushima Ryuhoku's two most widely read and influential texts, both of which showcase the innovative and experimental use of Chinese-language discourse taking place in Japan during the nineteenth century. Focused on one of the capital city's celebrated geisha districts, the satirical New Chronicles of Yanagibashi serves as both a documentary record of changing customs during the tumultuous 1850s-70s and an amusingly nuanced social critique. Banned multiple times, the work nevertheless became a favorite of the Meiji reading public. This text is paired with Diary of a Journey to the West, Ryuhoku's travelogue from his world tour of 1872-1873