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

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

Author: Ryuhoku Narushima
Publisher: Cornell East Asia Series
Published: 09/30/2010
Pages: 456
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.16lbs
Size: 8.68h x 5.97w x 0.93d
ISBN13: 9781933947518
ISBN10: 1933947519
BISAC Categories:
- History | Asia | Japan
- Travel | Asia | General
- History | Modern | 19th Century

About the Author

Matthew Fraleigh is Assistant Professor of East Asian Literature and Culture at Brandeis University.