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Nihon bunka shikan
昭和初期に活躍した「無頼派」の代表的作家である坂口安吾の代表的評論作品。初出は「現代文学」［1942（昭和17）年］。昭和11年に発表された建築家・ブルーノ・タウトの同名書を踏まえた上で、自身の体験を交えながら語られていく。むやみに伝統に縛られることを否定するなど、作家・坂口安吾の基本的な姿勢を形作った作品であり、自著でありながら安吾論としても読むことが出来る。
34 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2012
About the author
Ango Sakaguchi
623 books142 followersFrom Niigata, Sakaguchi (坂口安吾) was one of a group of young Japanese writers to rise to prominence in the years immediately following Japan's defeat in World War II. In 1946 he wrote his most famous essay, titled "Darakuron" ("On Decadence"), which examined the role of bushido during the war. It is widely argued that he saw postwar Japan as decadent, yet more truthful than a wartime Japan built on illusions like bushido.
Ango was born in 1906, and was the 12th child of 13. He was born in the middle of a Japan perpetually at war. His father was the president of the Niigata Shinbun (Newspaper), a politician, and a poet.
Ango wanted to be a writer at 16. He moved to Tokyo at 17, after hitting a teacher who caught him truanting. His father died from brain cancer the following year, leaving his family in massive debt. At 20, Ango taught for a year as a substitute teacher following secondary school. He became heavily involved in Buddhism and went to University to study Indian philosophy, graduating at the age of 25. Throughout his career as a student, Ango was very vocal in his opinions.
He wrote various works of literature after graduating, receiving praise from writers such as Makino Shin’ichi. His literary career started around the same time as Japan’s expansion into Manchuria. He met his wife to be, Yada Tsuseko, at 27. His mother died when he was 37, in the middle of World War II. He struggled for recognition as a writer for years before finally finding it with “A Personal View of Japanese Culture” in 1942, and again with “On Decadence” in 1946. That same year, the Emperor formally declared himself a human being, not a god. Ango had a child at 48 with his second wife, Kaji Michio. He died from a brain aneurysm at age 48 in 1955.
Ango was born in 1906, and was the 12th child of 13. He was born in the middle of a Japan perpetually at war. His father was the president of the Niigata Shinbun (Newspaper), a politician, and a poet.
Ango wanted to be a writer at 16. He moved to Tokyo at 17, after hitting a teacher who caught him truanting. His father died from brain cancer the following year, leaving his family in massive debt. At 20, Ango taught for a year as a substitute teacher following secondary school. He became heavily involved in Buddhism and went to University to study Indian philosophy, graduating at the age of 25. Throughout his career as a student, Ango was very vocal in his opinions.
He wrote various works of literature after graduating, receiving praise from writers such as Makino Shin’ichi. His literary career started around the same time as Japan’s expansion into Manchuria. He met his wife to be, Yada Tsuseko, at 27. His mother died when he was 37, in the middle of World War II. He struggled for recognition as a writer for years before finally finding it with “A Personal View of Japanese Culture” in 1942, and again with “On Decadence” in 1946. That same year, the Emperor formally declared himself a human being, not a god. Ango had a child at 48 with his second wife, Kaji Michio. He died from a brain aneurysm at age 48 in 1955.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 16, 2021
"The only things that matter to us are "the necessities of life". Though ancient culture may be destroyed, our day-to-day lives would not come to an end, and as long as these are intact, our uniqueness is assured."
"Humans love what is human, and that alone. True art, too, is infused with the human touch. Rejuvenate myself beneath some sterile stand of trees, removed from the world of our most human emotions? No thanks."
"I've always lived alone. During this time I discovered that even living alone, homes (or rented rooms, for that matter) always arouse feelings of anxiety and regret."
"For one thing, if man spent every single day enjoying himself, the allure of these pleasures would dissipate and there would be nothing at all enjoyable about them. Feelings of pleasure are only possible because there are times of suffering as well, and pleasures would cease to be pleasurable if they were all we had. It would be like a world covered with nothing but water. Death is a certainty, and that's what makes possible our full range of emotions. If we were guaranteed eternal life, living would lose all its meaning and become indescribably tedious."
"For me literature is omnipotent because it starts where homecoming turns our thoughts inward, regardless of the fact that there may be no scolding mother or nagging wife to prompt the process. Literature is so deeply rooted in this point of origin that, should I somehow lose faith in literature, I will have lost faith in humanity itself."
"Beauty is not born where one is consciously trying to create it."
"Humans love what is human, and that alone. True art, too, is infused with the human touch. Rejuvenate myself beneath some sterile stand of trees, removed from the world of our most human emotions? No thanks."
"I've always lived alone. During this time I discovered that even living alone, homes (or rented rooms, for that matter) always arouse feelings of anxiety and regret."
"For one thing, if man spent every single day enjoying himself, the allure of these pleasures would dissipate and there would be nothing at all enjoyable about them. Feelings of pleasure are only possible because there are times of suffering as well, and pleasures would cease to be pleasurable if they were all we had. It would be like a world covered with nothing but water. Death is a certainty, and that's what makes possible our full range of emotions. If we were guaranteed eternal life, living would lose all its meaning and become indescribably tedious."
"For me literature is omnipotent because it starts where homecoming turns our thoughts inward, regardless of the fact that there may be no scolding mother or nagging wife to prompt the process. Literature is so deeply rooted in this point of origin that, should I somehow lose faith in literature, I will have lost faith in humanity itself."
"Beauty is not born where one is consciously trying to create it."
Displaying 1 of 1 review