Pages 269-82: 0:00—Midori & Nobu. 5:02—Love’s fools. 8:03—What eels Nobu. 10:45—Ichiyo’s realism. 13:38—Language of the implied. 15:01—Ihara Saikaku & other influences. 17:53—Nobu’s perspective. 20:06—Young Murasaki. 22:41—Clogged emotions. 28:20—Maple & mud. 30:24—Interlude.

Pages 282-87: 31:11—Pretty things. 34:04—A lyrical passage. 35:47—A Kyoto doll. 38:44—Vague things. 40:10—A period of debate. 43:02—Stepping into the debate. 49:18—The paper narcissus. 50:20—Midori & Nobu. 51:31—Paper narcissus & dark robe. 52:23—Acclaim & ambush. 58:01—Closing.

Text: Higuchi Ichiyō. "Child's Play." Translated by Robert Danly. In the Shade of Spring Leaves: The Life and Writings of Higuchi Ichiyo. A Woman of Letters in Meiji Japan, Yale Univ. Press, 1981.

Interlude: Kimio Eto, "Yorokobi," The Japanese Koto Music of Kimio Eto, World Pacific Records (1424 / ST-1424), 1960 (Internet Archive).

Image: Higuchi Ichiyō, 1896, National Diet Library.

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Pages 254-63: 0:00—The Yoshiwara. 7:12—The Daionjimae. 10:14—Raking in prosperity. 11:59—Back street boys. 15:34—Meeting Midori. 19:04—Senzoku Shrine Festival. 25:23—Affable Sangoro. 30:03—Class consciousness. 31:21—Inspecting her daughter. 32:37—Nothing but a whore. 35:36—Class struggle. 37:25—Interlude.

Pages 263-67: 38:09—About Ichiyo. 46:28—Shota & Midori. 53:15—A suspect endeavor. 57:36—Closing.

Text: Higuchi Ichiyō. "Child's Play." Translated by Robert Danly. In the Shade of Spring Leaves: The Life and Writings of Higuchi Ichiyo. A Woman of Letters in Meiji Japan, Yale Univ. Press, 1981.

Interlude: Kimio Eto, "Yorokobi," The Japanese Koto Music of Kimio Eto, World Pacific Records (1424 / ST-1424), 1960 (Internet Archive).

Image: Higuchi Ichiyō, 1896, National Diet Library.

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Contact: jimjneilson@gmail.com

Chapters 7-8: 0:00—Sunday, November 2, 1884. 5:10—Artificial & distorted forms. 7:25—Japanese dressing. 11:50—Scraping & bowing & spewing. 15:18—Only one idol. 17:39—Baffled Bunzō 24:04—“He’s terribly bold.” 27:51—Interlude.

Chapters 9-12: 28:32— Bunzō’s worst fears. 32:07—Free indirect discourse. 40:14— Bunzō meets Yamaguchi. 42:28—Bozo Bunzō. 47:12—An abyss of pain. 51:19—Interlude.

Chapters 13-19: 52:10—What’s wrong with Bunzō? 1:00:15—Borderline Bunzō. 1:02:30—Bunzō & Futabatei. 1:04:01—Russian literature & politics. 1:06:35—Oblomov & Underground Man. 1:08:36—Neurosis & psychosis. 1:10:11—Not a nice girl. 1:11:31—A new perspective. 1:18:38—Bunzō observes. 1:23:37—The ending. 1:32:07—The end. 1:33:38—Closing.

Text: Futabatei Shimei. Ukigumo. Translated by Marleigh Grayer Ryan. Japan’s First Modern Novel, “Ukigumo” of Futabatei Shimei. 1965. Center for Japanese Studies, Univ. of Michigan, 1990.

Interlude: Yūgure,” performed by Ensemble Hijiri-Kaï , Urban Music of the Edo Period , 2005, Ocora Records, Paris, Internet Archive.

Illustration: Society of Friends of the Cernuschi Museum, Paris.

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Chapters 2-3: 56:20— Bunzō’s background. 6:32—Office work. 8:22—Point of view. 9:40— Bunzō & Osei. 13:03—The question of point-of-view. 14:02—Breeding worms. 16:15—The moment of truth. 21:49—New romance. 25:30—A ticklish situation. 27:19—What’s going on. 29:24—Marriage plots. 31:13—A new development. 31:49—Interlude.

Chapters 4-6: 32:25—The elements of romance. 34:37—What a mess. 36:10—All mixed up. 39:07—Pure Osei. 42:01—Gaudy geisha. 46:29—Bunzō dreams. 50:55— Bunzō confesses, Omasa tortures. 56:07—Osei vs. Omasa. 58:22—Successful Noboru. 1:00:38—The bureaucracy. 1:05:34—Office literature. 1:07:41—Mom & mums. 1:10:30—Closing.

Text: Futabatei Shimei. Ukigumo. Translated by Marleigh Grayer Ryan. Japan’s First Modern Novel, “Ukigumo” of Futabatei Shimei. 1965. Center for Japanese Studies, Univ. of Michigan, 1990.

Interlude: Yūgure,” performed by Ensemble Hijiri-Kaï , Urban Music of the Edo Period , 2005, Ocora Records, Paris, Internet Archive.

Illustration: Society of Friends of the Cernuschi Museum, Paris.

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Contact: jimjneilson@gmail.com

0:00-Three openings. Chapter 1: 16:06—Fine gentlemen. 19:50—Men with beards. 26:24—Men in coats and kimonos. 30:30—Bunzō & Noboru. 32:40—The narrator. 33:37—Salary earners. 35:39—The third house from the corner. 35:52—Interlude.

Chapter 1 continued: 36:50—The Meiji Restoration. 38:01—Translated novels. 43:40—Tsubouchi Shōyō & Futabatei Shimei. 51:50—Crossing the threshold. 55:54—Closing.

Text: Futabatei Shimei. Ukigumo. Translated by Marleigh Grayer Ryan. Japan’s First Modern Novel, “Ukigumo” of Futabatei Shimei. 1965. Center for Japanese Studies, Univ. of Michigan, 1990.

Interlude: Yūgure,” performed by Ensemble Hijiri-Kaï , Urban Music of the Edo Period , 2005, Ocora Records, Paris, Internet Archive.

Illustration: Society of Friends of the Cernuschi Museum, Paris.

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Contact: jimjneilson@gmail.com

Two cont’d: 0:00—A grave meeting. 6:06—Under the gingko tree. 10:26—The knocking at the gate. 15:46—The woman escapes. 16:34—Interlude.

Three. 17:43— Researcher & rogue. 23:15— Kō-San’s diary. 26:56—Hereditary transmission. 33:37—Japanese relations. 35:2608—Conclusion. 38:13—Dickensian childhood. 40:10—Dysfunctional marriage. 42:25—Bad karma. 44:34—Sōseki on the Russo-Japanese War. 55:05—Tasteless criticism. 1:04:14—The Japanese Spirit. 1:09:39—Closing.

Text: Natsume Sōseki, The Heredity of Taste. Translated by Sammy I. Tsunematsu. Boston: Tuttle, 2004.

Interlude: “Tasogare” (“Twilight”), performed by Soy Nakamura, Japanese Music for Koto and Shakuhachi, Toshiba Records, Internet Archive.

Illustration: Natsume Sōseki (1910), Wikimedia.

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One. 0:00—Apology. 1:57— Sōseki’s reputation. 4:26—Writing The Heredity of Taste. 6:01—The dogs of war. 10:07: Banzai! 14:26—General Nogi. 17:17—The narrator. 18:40—Digressions. 22:27—Aaagh! 24:25—A true war story. 26:26—A question of tone. 30:00—Vitality & neurasthenia. 33:37—The best of Japan. 36:16—Interlude.

Two: 38:37—A lyrical passage. 41:09—Port Arthur. 43:01—Human bullets. 44:04—November 26, 1905. 47:15—A distant observer. 48:40—Dogs, ants, spiders, snakes, snails, & tadpoles. 50:13—Kō-San’s rise & fall. 52:23—The call of the war. 57:09—In the ditch. 1:02:37—The final tally. 1:04:06—Closing.

Text: Natsume Sōseki, The Heredity of Taste. Translated by Sammy I. Tsunematsu. Boston: Tuttle, 2004.

Interlude: “Battoutai,”Japanese Old Gunka (Military March) Collection, Internet Archive.

Illustration: Natsume Sōseki (1912), "Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures," National Diet Library, Japan.

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Chapters 17-20: 0:00—Girls’ school. 6:37—Byron’s character. 9:57—Shinoda’s sermon. 12:17—Workers’ meeting. 19:26—Interlude.

Chapters 21-23: 20:21—Umeko eyes Matsushima. 28:00—General Aritomo Yamagata. 30:41—Shutting down Shinoda. 31:27—Why war? 37:10—Imperialism. 44:09—Interlude.

Chapters 24-30: 45:05—Shinoda in Chichibu. 52:18—Comrade Azuma. 55:15—Society strikes back. 1:03:18—Political posturing. 1:06:30—Closing.

Text: Kinoshita, Naoe. Pillar of Fire. Translated by Kenneth Strong. London: George Allen & Unwin. 1972.

Interlude: Ensemble Nipponia, "Edo No Uta", performed by Minoru Miki and Ayako Handa, Soloists of the Ensemble Nipponia (1976, Nonesuch Records, H-72072, Internet Archive).

Illustration: Naoe Kinoshita, 1937 (Wikipedia).

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Contact: jimjneilson@gmail.com

Thanks to Professor David Ambaras and the students of HIS 573: Japan's Empire in Asia, 1868-1945, NCSU, Fall 2024.