In the Shade of Spring Leaves: The Life and Writings of Higuchi Ichiyo, a Woman of Letters in Meiji Japan

by Robert Lyons Danly

Book by Robert Lyons Danly

Genres: Japan, Short Stories, Japanese Literature, Fiction, Classics, 19th Century, Feminism

355 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a recent trip to Japan I noted that, unlike US currency so far, women were represented on some. Who was this woman? Intrigued, I looked it up. The 5000 Yen bill features Higuchi Ichiyo (1872-1896), the first woman to become a literary sensation in modern Japan. Writing during the Meiji Period, she was among the first influential writers of the period. Published in a series of newspapers and journals during the 1890s, her work was distinctive in using a Classical Japanese style, with many references to the literature of the Heian period to capture the feelings of the era, rather than taking influence from Western sources.

In order to sample a bit of her writing, I checked out one of the few English translations of her work, Robert Lyon Daniel’s In the Shade of Spring Leaves: The Life of Higuchi Ichiyo from the library. Including nine of her works, in addition to a biography, it was quite an evocative, ornate look into the personal costs of life in the rapidly changing world of Meiji period Tokyo, particularly among women and the poor.

The writing preserved some of the erudite references and intricate wordplay of the Japanese language, including the striking realism of Higuchi’s depictions of the Yoshiwara red light district, near where Higuchi herself lived. The stories, such as “Child’s Play” and “On the Last Day of the Year” often focus on relationships and how differences in social standing affect people’s lives. Mostly, the stories end tragically. Though the Tokyo of today is much different from the one of Higuchi’s time, though places like the Shitamachi Museum, just south of Ueno Park, preserves some of what such neighborhoods were like at the time. Read more about this and other books I read inspired by my trip to Japan at my blog, Reading Rainstorm.

[K. Chandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rating is solely for Ichiyo's works; I didn't bother to read any of the biography, this was simply the only book I could find with all of her tales. They are fantastic. I think this should be read by anybody who is interested in feminist literature - they aren't feminist per se, but surprising for the time and place. Many of the stories take place in the pleasure quarter. Her work is very poetic, and translates well (well,I don't read Japanese so I don't know how faithfully it's translated, but the translations have a very good flow, and clearly retain the beauty of her writing). I have a particular interest in female authors of the early 20th century and older; because of their rarity, I feel like they have a different perspective than male writers, and one that interests me (as a feminist).

[Tocotin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a bit sensational, but written with a lot of love and verve. Didn't want it to end. Then realized how awfully short Ichiyō's life was. What a shame. Good thing that she did achieve some sort of recognition at the end.
The details on Meiji life and early Meiji literature were fantastic, and made me want to know more about poetry. I know I know. Impossible to ignore and all that. Okay, I'm defeated.
As for the translations, well, I'm impressed - to translate Ichiyō, you have to cut her sentences, invent the subject, decide on the interpunction, stuff like that - the more that I had problems to simply understand what was going on in some places. The translations do read like translations, and I disagree with some of the word usage ("baroque", for example. Why? What sort of image does this adjective invoke? Was there any Baroque era in Japan?), and certain details about life in Yoshiwara were not right, but these are minor quibbles, and I'm super happy about this book.

[Kusaimamekirai · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a resource, it's difficult to compare it to other books on Higuchi because there is shockingly very little in the way of significant biography in English about her life. That being said, I very much enjoyed how the author presented her life without making her into a hero she wasn't.
In a way, this makes her all the more admirable. Few authors would have had to contend with both the economic and social restraints that she did and yet she continued to fight what seemed an unwinnable battle to be recognized as the writer she was.
A sad but fascinating read

[Marina Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps the only opportunity to read several of her stories, and it helps to know more about the context for h er stories, her very brief and troubled life. Now I can only hope that at some point they might want to translate her diaries, which look very lively and intriguing.

[Nemanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Considered one of the most important writers of the Meiji period, Ichiyo Higuchi has, in her short life, left a big mark on the Japanese literature. Her stories were at first marked by strong sentimentalism, under the influence of the poetry of Heian period, and her main themes were romantic troubles (young pure love, unrequited love, abandonment...). As a mature writer she transitions to the themes that occupied her everyday life, life of the poor, low-life character, described with raw, brute realism inspired by Ihara Saikaku, first writer to implement real realism in his works. In her most successful novels she applies classical style, but she is writing about contemporary themes, she skillfully develops her characters through meticulous description and masterfully applies the metaphorical language of Heian poetry.

*terms from the poetry of Heian period
waka (和歌) is a type of poetry in classical Japanese literature, that had its revival in Heian period, and differs from kanshi, classical poems written in Chinese by Japanese.
kakekotoba (掛詞) is a rhetorical device used in the Japanese poetic form waka, and preferred by Ichiyo Higuchi in her stories.

[Diana Trăncău · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tell me, what is it you enjoy most?
Well, I'll tell you one thing: it isn't wearing layers of brocades. Nature makes me happy. There's a truth, or an honesty, to nature that makes me feel sometimes as if I'm communing with the silent flowers or with the still moon. I forget everything about the floating world. It's as if I have danced into the center of a great, specially created bloom. These are the moments of happiness."

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The work of Higuchi Ichiyo is stylistically unique, successfully uniting classical prose and poetry forms with depictions of modern (to her) life and sensibilities. This unity lends itself both to incredibly vivid depictions of a time and place that was in a process of rapid and significant change, and in illustrating the impacts these societal changes were having on women in an emotive and insightful manner. A true tragedy she passed away just as she was hitting her stride both observationally and technically. I think anyone who enjoys Austen would appreciate Ichiyo: her sarcasm and sly humour, her technical prowess, but mostly, her immense heart.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5/5

[Cara Lynn]

I can appreciate that these are really good stories, they’re just not my vibe…

[E. G.]

List of Illustrations
Preface
Maps

Part One: A Brief Life

--1. The Family
--2. The Prodigy
--3. The Mentor
--4. The Yoshiwara
--5. The Bundan

Part Two: Nine Stories

--Flowers at Dusk
--A Snowy Day
--The Sound of the Koto
--Encounters on a Dark Night
--On the Last Day of the Year
--Troubled Waters
--The Thirteenth Night
--Child's Play
--Separate Ways

Notes
Bibliography
Index

[Brynne Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No matter how tired I am, as soon as I pull the covers up, my eyes open wide and I start to think about everything."

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Japan Women

This was a powerful collection of stories by Ichiyō Higuchi, one of Japan's most celebrated female writers.

The book provides a fascinating look into the life of this gifted author, offering readers a glimpse into her thoughts, experiences, and perspectives.

The stories themselves are rich with symbolism, capturing the complex and nuanced experiences of women in 19th-century Japan.

The story "Child's Play" is particularly noteworthy, offering a poignant and moving portrayal of childhood, innocence, and the passage of time.

Despite not being particularly to my taste, I still thought this collection would be passable for those interested in Japanese literature and whoever would really want to know about the lives of women during this time period.

Overall, I give the book the following rating for its compelling writing and historical significance...

3.2/5

[Matt Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The biography, excerpts of Higuchi Ichiyo’s diary (man I wish someone would translate the whole thing), and at least four of the stories alone are masterworks in their own right and worth the price of the book. The remaining stories are not as unique, but they still have the emphasis on impermanence and stylized lyricism that I enjoy reading. Either way the excerpts of the diary, Child’s Play, and a couple other short stories proudly display Higuchi Ichiyo’s unique voice balancing anger, poetic beauty, and keen insights into human nature. It’s great stuff. Someone please translate the entire diary.

[jeremy wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is my retirement from writing reviews goodbye 🥲🥲

ichiyo’s place at the confluence of several literary traditions is utterly unique, and she makes the most of it. reading the biography of her life then watching its contours gradually mold her writing from pretty but dead heian flourishes in yamizakura to the truly rich modern storytelling of takekurabe was fascinating. in true japanese fashion, ichiyo has an unmatched sense for portraying beauty in the moment of its passing.

[Wolfe Tone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully insightful, entertaining and painfully beautiful. Ichiyo truly was on of the most exceptional writers of her time: Sharp and sarcastic in her evaluation of society, but with a sense of beauty and compassion towards her characters. Excellent collection of short stories acompanied by a solid and in-depth biography. Great stuff.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories are interesting sometimes enigmatic. The biography of her life is not as good as it could be, it is too cluttered with inessentials in my opinion. Ichiyō Higuchi, lived in Japan in the late 1800's. Her live was very short (1872-1896); what she accomplished in her life was quite remarkable.

[B G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Higuchi Ichiyo es mi autora favorita con diferencia.
No tuvo mucho tiempo de escribir, pero lo que dejó antes de morir es brillante. Pocos escritos me han llegado más que los suyos.
Su cara no está impresa en los billetes de 5000 yenes por nada. Brillante.

[Lulu]

Flowers at Dusk 1892
A Snowy Day 1893
The Sound of the Koto 1893
Encounters on a Dark Night 1894
On the Last Day of the Year 1894
Troubled Waters 1895
The Thirteenth Night 1895
Child's Play 1895
Separate Ways 1896

[Liam Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting how it all comes back to violence against women

I suppose we think of feminism as choice feminist/equal pay but interesting to see back into a time when feminism must have been about basic suffrage and the legal right to live not as a proxy of a man

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women live.

[Brynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No matter how tired I am, as soon as I pull the covers up, my eyes open wide and I start to think about everything."

[kaitlynn]

[read for class]

[Ad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Higuchi Ichiyo (1872-1896) was a writer of short fiction, but also poet and diarist born in Tokyo. Interested in literature, she entered a poetry academy, where she was nurtured on the Genji Monogatari and the waka of the Imperial anthologies. But contrary to her fellow students, her family was poor and she was forced to earn her own living by her father's death in 1889. She ran a shop selling household goods and cheap sweets in Daionjimae, in downtown Tokyo, right next to the Yoshiwara prostitution quarter (the setting of Takekurabe). In 1891, she became the pupil of Nakarai Tosui and started writing stories. Tosui was a popular gesaku-style newspaper novelist, and helped her publish her first stories. In 1892, Ichiyo had to end all contact with him due to (unfounded) rumors that their relation involved more than literature. Ichiyo was an admirer of Koda Rohan; she was also inspired by the writings of Ihara Saikaku - her style was classical but her content modern. Ichiyo's stories are wholly Japanese in form and content (defining a mood rather than constructing dramatic frameworks in the western tradition), she never explored any literature west of China. She died in 1896 at age 24 of tuberculosis, after having written her best stories in a miraculous period of just fourteen months, and being recognized and praised by the literary establishment, such as Mori Ogai. She is not only the first outstanding female writer in modern Japanese literature, but also the finest writer of her day.

Her best stories are:
- Takekurabe (Child's Play aka Growing Up, lit. Comparing Heights).
The much acclaimed Takekurabe is a story of loss of innocence, about children growing up in Daionjimae, next to the Yoshiwara brothel district. Among them, the tomboyish, spirited Midori realizes the day her hair is done up in adult style that her childhood is over and that the harsh reality of life as a prostitute awaits her, like her elder sister who is already a celebrated courtesan. One of her playmates, the shy, bookish Nobu, the son of a priest, has fallen silently in love with her, but is so uneasy about his new affection that he can no longer speak to her. The pain of leaving childhood and loss of innocence is described intelligently, but without any sentimentality. The style is based on Ihara Saikaku, especially in the descriptive passages. The sights, sounds and smells of the Yoshiwara are all preserved in this tale.

- Nigorie (Troubled Waters).
Nigorie is the story of the prostitute Oriki who is unable to forget Genshichi, a former customer, though his extravagance and neglect of his business has driven him and his family into poverty. The story ends with Genshichi killing Oriki and committing suicide afterward. This a modern, critical variant of the love suicides (shinju) in the plays of the Edo playwright Chikamatsu.

- Jusanya (Two Nights Before the Full Moon aka The Thirteenth Night).
Jusanya is a more serenely sad story: a woman who has married above her station and is mistreated by her cruel husband, returns by rickshaw to her parent's home, but they are unwilling to give up the advantages of having a rich son-in-law and persuade their daughter to go back to her husband. She also realizes that she could not leave her young son (in case of a separation, the children stayed with the father according to Meiji law). The rickshaw puller who brings her back happens to be a childhood friend, forced by circumstances to do menial labor.

Takekurabe was filmed in 1955 by Gosho Heinosuke with Misora Hibari; Nigorie and The Thirteenth Night (together with another story, The Last Day of the Year), were filmed in 1953 by Imai Tadashi.

Also see my blog: https://adblankestijn.blogspot.com/p/...

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely. I find learning a culture's history much easier to remember when intertwined with something emotionally meaningful, like short stories. Also, the book included a lot of information about Japanese literature during the Meiji Period, as well as a good deal of information about Japanese literary traditions.

[~G~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, I'm glad I got to know Ichiyo Higuchi, but can't say the stories included in this collection were impressive, memorable or entertaining.

Although there is not much focus on her poems in this book, I can imagine Higuchi being a skilled poet and a good observer of nature and people, as she herself writes in A Snowy Day:

A day like this inspires poetry and song. How I envy those who see the snow spread out before them and fashion their metaphors.

From the first section, Higuchi's biography, here's an interesting (and perhaps still relevant today, to some extent) part. Higuchi writing about her mentor, Tousui Nakarai:

During the afternoon, he talked discursively about the novels that are popular now: how the kind of fiction he admires isn't appreciated, how infantile the audience for newspaper serializations has become, how you can't sell anything that isn't already a twice-told tale of traitorous samurai or oversexed women.

[Liz]

I tried.