Sign-In
Cart
The Otogiboko
Paperback
ISBN13: 9780917880056
Publisher: Kanji Press
Published: Dec 31 2014
Pages: 324
Weight: 0.96
Height: 0.68 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The Otogibōko is a collection of 65 fictional tales -written in 1666 by Asai Ryōi (d. 1691), an acclaimed writer of kanazōshi (prose literature). Asai adopted most of these stories from Chinese and Korean texts and then shaped them for the Otogibōko's didactic Buddhist framework. In some tales he replaced historical contexts and names of places and people with ones familiar to his Japanese contemporaries. Asai embellished the Otogibōko with waka poems, giving it an elegance reminiscent of Heian-period romantic fiction.
Otogibōko be translated as A Doll for Entertainment. Like the bōko (doll) traditionally kept next to children to ward off evil spirits, Asai wrote the Otogibōko as a companion for young readers and guide to the Buddhist Way. The stories are at once entertaining and instructive. They mix in equal measure human passion and intrigue with suspense and supernatural spectacle. As morality tales, each one's denouement exemplifies Buddhist teachings and precepts.
With this new English translation of the Otogibōko, today's readers can enjoy the later work of Japan's finest writer of kanazōshi. The Otogibōko will be of interest to scholars of Edo-period history and religion and to folklorists. As a kanazōshi masterpiece, this collection is an excellent introduction to a popular Japanese literary genre for the reader whose imagination likes to wander.
Also from
Dykstra, Yoshiko K.
Racconti miracolosi sul Sutra del Loto dal Giappone antico: Hokke Genki
Dykstra, Yoshiko K.
Paperback
Also in
Fiction Anthologies
Women on Food: Charlotte Druckman and 115 Writers, Chefs, Critics, Television Stars, and Eaters
Druckman, Charlotte
Paperback
On Quality: An Inquiry Into Excellence: Unpublished and Selected Writings
Pirsig, Wendy K.
Pirsig, Robert M.
Hardcover
James Weldon Johnson: Writings (Loa #145): The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man / Along This Way / Essays and Editorials / Selected Poems
Johnson, James Weldon
Hardcover
Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Stoker, Bram
Shelley, Mary
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Paperback
Sez I to Myself: The Collected Essays of Frank and Malachy McCourt
McCourt, Frank
McCourt, Malachy
Hardcover
Sherlock: Short Story Anthology: Ten New Cases. Ten Master Storytellers. One Immortal Detective.
The Conan Doyle Estate
Hardcover
Here in New England: Unforgettable Stories of People, Places, and Memories That Connect Us All.
Allen, Mel
Paperback
异乡故人（壹嘉-人文）
刘宗坤
Paperback
The Greek Tragedies: Seventeen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides
Sophocles
Euripides
Aeschylus
Paperback
Learn Russian with Beginner Stories: Interlinear Russian to English
Gettys, Serafima
Van Den End, Kees
Hyplern, Bermuda Word
Paperback
The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings: Poems, Tales, Essays, and Reviews
Poe, Edgar Allan
Hardcover
Obvious Adams -- The Story of a Successful Businessman: New Business Edition
Updegraff, Robert R.
Paperback
The World of Jane Austen: A Conversation Puzzle: 500-Piece Puzzle: Jigsaw Puzzle for Adults
Oakley, Jacqui
Other
Japanese Folktales for Language Learners: Bilingual Legends and Fables in Japanese and English (Free Online Audio Recording)
Sato, Anna
Sato, Eriko
Paperback
Bookin' in the Big House: What I Learned Leading a Women's Prison Book Club
Devoto, Pat Cunningham
Paperback
Jane Austen for Every Day of the Year: A Charming Collection of Wit & Wisdom
Richardson, Tara
Hardcover