Edition |
Abridged edition. |
Description |
1 online resource. |
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text file |
Series |
Translations from the Asian classics
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Translations from the Asian classics.
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Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Contents |
Measures -- Currencies -- Maps -- Buyo Inshi and his times -- Matters of the world : an account of what I have seen and heard / Buyo Inshi -- Prologue -- Introduction -- Warriors -- Farmers -- Temple and shrine priests -- The blind -- Lawsuits -- Townspeople -- Lower townspeople -- Pleasure districts and prostitutes -- Kabuki -- Pariahs and outcasts -- On Japan being called a divine land -- The land, people, and ruler. |
Summary |
By 1816, Japan had recovered from the famines of the 1780s and moved beyond the political reforms of the 1790s. Despite persistent economic and social stresses, the country seemed headed for a new period of growth. The idea that the shogunate would not last forever was far from anyone's mind.Yet, in that year, an anonymous samurai produced a scathing critique of Edo society. Writing as Buyo Inshi, "a retired gentleman of Edo," he expressed in An Account of What I Have Seen and Heard a profound despair with the state of the realm. Seeing decay wherever he turned, Buyo feared the world would soon descend into war.In his anecdotes, Buyo shows a sometimes surprising familiarity with the shadier aspects of Edo life. He speaks of the corruption of samurai officials; the suffering of the poor in villages and cities; the operation of brothels; the dealings of blind moneylenders; the selling and buying of temple abbotships; and the dubious strategies seen in law courts. Perhaps it was the frankness of his account that made him prefer to stay anonymous.A team of Edo specialists undertook the original translation of Buyo's work. This abridged edition streamlines this translation for classroom use, preserving the scope and emphasis of Buyo's argument while eliminating repetitions and diversions. It also retains the introductory essay that situates the work within Edo society and history. |
Local Note |
eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America |
Subject |
Japan -- Social life and customs -- 1600-1868.
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Japan. |
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Manners and customs. |
Chronological Term |
1600-1868 |
Subject |
Japan -- Social conditions -- 1600-1868.
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Social conditions. |
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Social classes -- Japan -- History -- 19th century.
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Social classes. |
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History. |
Chronological Term |
19th century |
Subject |
Japan -- Economic conditions -- 1600-1868.
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Economic conditions. |
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Japan -- Moral conditions -- History -- 19th century.
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Moral conditions. |
Chronological Term |
1600-1899 |
Genre/Form |
Electronic books.
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Electronic books.
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History.
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Added Author |
Teeuwen, Mark, editor, translator.
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Nakai, Kate Wildman, editor, translator.
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Miyazaki, Fumiko, translator.
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Walthall, Anne, translator.
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Breen, John, 1956- translator.
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Added Title |
Seji kenbunroku. English https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2013007878
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Other Form: |
Print version: Buyō Inshi, 19th century. Lust, commerce, and corruption. Abridged edition. New York : Columbia University Press, 2017 9780231182768 (DLC) 2016034850 |
ISBN |
0231544359 electronic book |
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9780231544351 electronic book |
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9780231182768 hardcover ; acid-free paper |
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