Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600-1900 (Translations from the Asian Classics)
by Haruo Shirane
Category: History

Early Modern Japanese Literature introduces English readers to an unprecedented range of prose fiction genres, including dangibon (satiric sermons), kibyoshi (satiric picture books), sharebon (books of wit and fashion), yomihon (reading books), kokkeibon (books of humor), gokan (bound books), and ninjobon (books of romance and sentiment). The anthology offers a rich array of poetry - waka, haiku, senryu, kyoka, kyoshi - and eleven plays that range from contemporary domestic drama to historical plays and from early puppet theater to nineteenth century kabuki. The collection also features more than two hundred woodblock prints that accompanied the original texts and dramas.