Cuentos crueles

by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki

Cuentos crueles es una colección de maravillosos relatos escogidos entre los mejores de la producción de Tanizaki. El análisis del pánico, de la destrucción física de un viajero a quien aterroriza el desplazamiento; la descripción delicadísima de exóticos personajes femeninos que parecen salidos de un museo de porcelana; el sadomasoquismo de un artista del tatuaje devorado por una bellísima cliente a la que ha convertido en araña; la autosugestión que convierte a un inocente en culpable; la morosa descripción de un amante vistiendo a su amada a la forma europea para resuscitar el deseo al verla renacer. Todos los temas clásicos de la literatura cruel y delicada del mejor escritor japonés del siglo veinte.

Genres: Short Stories, Japan, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Classics, Literature, Asia

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Jun'ichirō Tanizaki (谷崎 潤一郎) was a Japanese author, and one of the major writers of modern Japanese literature, perhaps the most popular Japanese novelist after Natsume Sōseki.

Some of his works present a rather shocking world of sexuality and destructive erotic obsessions; others, less sensational, subtly portray the dynamics of family life in the context of the rapid changes in 20th-century Japanese society.

Frequently his stories are narrated in the context of a search for cultural identity in which constructions of "the West" and "Japanese tradition" are juxtaposed. The results are complex, ironic, demure, and provocative.

Reviews

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book in a bookstore off Piccadilly Circus waiting to meet someone. After hours of conversation, we separated, taking our respective tunnels to catch our trains. Every time I see this book, I remember that goodbye. Funny, the things that serve as fluttering markers to our memories.

I'm reading these out of order to the book layout because I wanted to see the chronological progression in themes and style relating it back to history. These notes are likely not particularly useful for one not interested in historical relevance.

"The Tattooer" 1910
Exquisite, sensual language romanticizing the Edo period against the current struggles of the Meiji period. Tale of a geisha apprentice and the obsessed artist whose work transforms her.

"The Terror" 1913
Epitomizes Taisho period interest in psychoanalysis and the disconnect with modernization and emerging conflict between individualism and state.

"The Thief" 1921
Schoolboy story with a twist that makes you doubt what is clearly before you. Interesting glimpses into social hierarchy and concept of higher status equaling higher morality.

"Aguri" 1922
Uses a courtesan tale to platform new leisure activities of travel and places the characters in this tension of Western modernity withering Japanese traditions.

"A Blind Man's Tale" 1931
The oblique critique of Emperor Taisho during early Showa years is particularly interesting.

"A Portrait of Shunkin" 1933
To Be Reread

"The Bridge of Dreams" 1959
I was profoundly surprised at the publication date of this work. It reads perfectly to have been written thirty years earlier with the ero guro nansensu (erotic grotesque nonsense) elements. The sexualized and pathologized interactions reflecting early Showa tension. Features the memoirs of a young man and the unusual behaviors set in the other worldly garden of his home, The Heron's Nest.

[Emma Sea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, beautiful writing, deceptive in its simplicity. Quite inspiring.

Read for my 2016 reading challenge: #6. A book translated to English (or from English into your first language)

Thank you Steelwhisper for the rec.

[Paul Ataua · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short stories from the writer of ‘Some Prefer Nettles’ and ‘The Key’ . The beauty of Jun'ichirō Tanizaki is that he writes stories about things that I have absolutely no interest in and yet within a few pages I find myself totally drawn in. It is something I can’t explain, and trying to give some summary of the stories wouldn’t help. You just have to try them. ‘A Portrait of Shunkin’ and ‘The Bridge of Dreams’ were my favorites. Wonderful!

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5*
This volume collects 7 short stories written between 1910 and 1959. All but one (the one I liked the most) are about some sort of unhealthy relationship or character. I don’t know if this is a characteristic of the writing of Junichiro Tanizaki, or if it was just a coincidence that the short stories collected in this book had this in common. As a whole, I liked the writing better than the stories themselves:

A Portrait of Shunkin (1933) - 2*
The first short story almost drove me mad, I just felt like shaking Sasuke and tell him to stop being so stupid. But of course, this is a story of a sickly submissive love, therefore I guess it is exactly how it should be. Anyway, I was unable to enjoy it, therefore the two “it was ok” stars are for the sake of the writing.

Terror (1913) – 3*
In the second story the author puts us inside the head of a man afflicted by a kind of claustrophobia, which is really well done. The tale is very short (around 10 pages) and to me it felt as it ended too soon, I would have liked a more linear structure, as I am not such a fan of open-ended stories.

The Bridge of Dreams (1959) – 2*
This is the story of a weird and unhealthy relationship between a man, his son, and the stepmother. Really, really bizarre...

The Tattooer (1910) – 4*
This one is really well written and made me feel scared. However, I felt it ended a bit too abruptly and didn’t really understand what happened to Seikichi or the girl in the end.

The Thief (1921) – 2*
I was surprised with the way the story ended, because I was expecting the thief to be someone else. And I was not totally convinced, although I liked the way the character talks directly to the reader at the end...

Aguri (1922) – 1*
This was probably the story I liked the least, it is about another sickly relation between a man and a very young girl who seems to be a sort of prostitute. The man has these weird fantasies about having her dress like a western woman but at the same time is afflicted by hallucinations that make him see his own death and the girl robbing him and the whole story is just too weird for my taste.

A Blind Man’s Tale (1931) – 4*
This was my favourite story of all, even if it had me struggling trying not to mix all the Japanese warlords’ names. It is an account of the civil war of the 16th century and I liked the fact that all the characters in this story are real historical figures. No weirdos here...

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tanizaki is a fascinating writer with respect how he sees himself in Japanese culture. He was part of the 1920's Tokyo gang that was obsessed with the West that was very fashionable among the literary and young set at the time. But when the big earthquake hit Tokyo in the early 20's, he became torn between the bright lights of the West and hardcore Japanese tradition. And basically all his books deal with this unusual relationship between the West and the East.

And we're not really talking about politics, but more of aesthetic that borders on the sexual. And Tanizaki obsesses over the fetish aspect of the sexual act as well as making interesting insights into a culture that was changing - and Tanizaki's fears or obsessions dealing with the change of Japanese culture. He's an overlooked author who is both a fantastic read who is equally erotic. i love his work and he's up there with Mishima and Dazai - in my humble opinion.

[Andrew]

You fuckers ever stayed up late watching weird Japanese horror movies you found at Blockbuster as a teenager? Can you remember the first time you saw really intense Japanese porn, not necessarily the kind with tentacles but where there's something just... wrong? If Tanizaki is any indicator, turns out shit has been weird for a long time. Incest, bondage, fetishism, they've all been there, it's just that now we have the Internet. And it's not that Tanizaki's stories are just weird or kinky or whatever. They're intense, poetic, and harrowing, much like Tanizaki's longer-form work. If you're not ready to dive headlong into The Makioka Sisters, this would be a good place to start.

[Jigar Brahmbhatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the reason why Japanese literature so fascinates me is its individualistic sensibilities. The simplicity of their prose is a known trait now, but what works for me are the themes and literary concerns. If Murakami penetrates the psyche and turns the survey of dreams into a tiny little adventure, Tanizaki on the other hand takes dreams and the buried pathology of daily life at face value. In these stories he comes across as a very direct and clear voice. No trace of Kawabatian subtlety around these shores.

How should the problem of love be solved in a story? If love is a puzzle to be resolved then the first object of desire has be the mother. Something strange happens when the first time infant lips touch that strange, voluptuous object from which milky liquid flows. I have been preoccupied for some time now with a simple and innocent question: can search for a lover be a return back to the mother? It most certainly is, yes, but how can you capture that in a story? Can it be a journey forward in space-time, but backward in the psyche? Can you successfully write a story where you achieve this and weigh it against the emotions of your characters and wash them clean of all the repressions of the unconscious? Can you, in purity, write an ideal one-person love story where the other is always absent?

I won't say Tanizaki provides a solution, but he re-kindled these questions and made me think about my long-buried plot idea again. He did that through one of his most intriguing stories titled "The Bridge of Dreams".

The protagonist has two mothers, the real one long dead, another a replica of the true mother. But in his mind he finds it hard to distinguish when the first one left and the other one took her place. The doppelganger of the mother is very real in her every gesture and behavior, even their names are alike. What starts as a need to compare the new mother with the memories of the old turns into an awakening of a new desire, which starts with tiny pleasures like suckling from her breast. This is not surprising given the possibilities of how a plot like this should proceed. What is most surprising is that as the story progresses we see a much expected Oedipal drama at full play in plain view, but in this version everyone complies. Even the father accepts that his son needs to take his place, and for convenience's sake dies of a disease. Leaving our hero and his step-mother (not the real mother but very mother-like possible lover) on their own. The story should have ended there, but it continues.

Now I did not enjoy the climax that much, but I certainly got a peek into the incest-laden, sexually bold world of Tanizaki. I see the same sensibility at play in the works of graphic novelist Yoshihiro Tatsumi. No wonder the later Japs had a thing or two to learn from this strange master.

[Widyanto Gunadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exploring love at its core, as well as its numerous manifestations in hatred, lust (for power), and domineeringly controlling unhealthy affection, this compilation book of short fictions has it all. A celestial sense of individuality permeates every narrative anthologized in this collection written by Tanizaki. Notwithstanding its simple language and storytelling stylistic choice, each tale has a deep philosophical nature which can be interpreted differently with every reader. Traces of the author's undeniable veneration for the traditional Japanese culture can still be found lingering in the corners of every piece he has written here, coalesced also by his apparent passion for allusions, allegories, and metaphorical literary values. Vividly told, fervently composed, and suggestively deceptive; those seven classic Japanese tales will likely appeal to and be immensely enjoyed by Japanese literature aficionados.

Top Stories Highlights:

" The Bridge of Dreams "
" A Portrait of Shunkin "
" A Blind Man's Tale "

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tanizaki is a fine author, and maybe deliciously difficult to pigeon-hole in a 20th century Japanese literature context which tends to measure folks where they fall vis a vis Mishima or Soseki. The stories collected here are wide-ranging in time and theme, and even in style, though if I had to start trying to pigeonhole Tanizaki, as we should not, I might say that his prose bends time in a way that makes the traditional seem modern and vice versa.
The lengthier stories, "The Blind Man's Tale" and "A Portrait of Shunkin" are nostalgic looks back on figures historical and "historical" and have a timeless quality in their hard-to-pin-down lyricisms. The other selections deal with modern malaise and paranoia, sadistic tattoo artists, and incest.
A great place to start if you've never read Tanizaki.

[Heidi ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite mixed. I found The Tattooer fascinating and loved the final line. Most of the stories were interesting - apart from the last, A Blind Man’s Tale, which was incredibly dull. A lot to analyse, but hard to say I enjoyed the reading experience overall.

[Jennifer deBie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evocative, haunting tales of love, betrayal, and dream, Tanizaki's Seven Japanese Tales are truly spectacular. Ranging from novellas to short stories, these Tales span from the 20th century and the anxieties of rapid westernization, to the 16th century and Nobunaga's battle to unify Japan.

Within this temporal spread, Tanizaki's Tales run the gamut of human obsession. Each narrator is unique to their tale and time, and yet there is a haunting quality that links these disparate threads intrinsically. Look out especially for the opening tale, A Portrait of Shunkin, and The deliciously dark "The Tattooer".

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bottom Line First
Junichirô Tanizaki’s Seven Japanese Tales are a collection of works from 1910 to 1953. They range in length from a few pages to near novella length. A common theme is the friction and conflicts between older Japanese traditions and the influence of modern sensibilities. His writing ranges from the matter of fact to the evocative. Tanizaki has a taste for the erotic. Where it appears in this collection is in a horrific story the Tattooer. In only ten pages we are exposed to the Japanese version of the demi monde. Its climax is a horrific attack on a younger female of that society who ends the story by accepting and returning this attack. These stories are worth the read. They stand alone as examples of the short story whatever there relation to transitions in Japanese literature from the pre-World War II era into the middle of the 20th century.

The Seven Japanese Tales begin and end with long stories with blindness at their center. In the first a woman from a wealthy family is struck blind at an early age. Her family provides her with a full time attendant and indulges her. She becomes a famous musician and teacher and her extremely loyal attendant follows her into music and even into blindness. In the last story is another blind person. This time a musician/masseuse and servant member to a famous, historic household. This time the story is a nearly historic retelling of the last of the warlord years that ended with the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The obvious contrast in the stories is the entirely domestic and in the home story arc in the first story and the near total focus on the schemes and betrayals across titled households in the last. Most of the stories between these two tend to the narrower view. A third story is the events of one afternoon between a well to do man and his mistress. She is focused on adorning herself in the styles of Western affluence while his struggle is with his inner neuroses and failing health.

The easy analysis is that these stories are like this last one, about east meet west. I am not a student of Japanese literature in general or Tanizaki in particular. My sense is that Tanizaki was initially interested in writing modern stories rather than traditional ones. By the end of the tales here collected this would have been a completed exercise for him and for Japanese literature. From that point of view the value in these stories is how well they stand absent any question of the traditional verses the modern or Japan versus the west. I think they read as well written stories.

[Jim Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and appreciated a number of the works by Junichiro Tanizaki ... QUICKSAND, THE KEY, and DIARY OF A MAD OLD MAN. They have an elegance (some might say a perverse elegance) that finds Beauty and Desire from unusual sources. These discoveries often result in a fixation and compulsion that causes both exquisite pleasure and emotional ruin. These fixations are not graphic or “dirty” in their descriptions, and yet they can transmit an erotic connection to the Reader that is haunting.

SEVEN JAPANESE TALES also fascinated me. Reading them is not unlike consuming a particularly fine bottle of sake. Rushing through them might give momentary pleasure, but gently allowing them time to unfold ... “sipping,” if you will ... produces a depth of understanding and recognition of a heightened awareness. It is important to pause and reflect from time to time.

All of the stories were worth reading, yet I found four that produced a strong reaction from me:

* “A Portrait of Shunkin” - A scholar becomes fascinated with the history of a woman who is acknowledged as the Instructor and Inspiration for a famous musician. Visiting the grave sites of her and her pupil at a Shrine, the scholar finds a faded photograph of her and recalls the tale of her “gifted brutality” over others.

* “The Bridge of Dreams” - Anyone familiar with the epic novel, TALE OF GENJI, will find this story that is inspired by it to be an absorbing experience.

* “The Tattooer” - An erotic tale with a connection between Art, sadomasochism, and retribution. This one was deliciously unsettling.

* “A Blind Man’s Tale” - This story is something of a mini-epic in itself. It provides a new perspective to the seemingly unending civil war that led to the victory of Tokugawa Ieyasu. I must admit that it helped greatly to have studied a bit of Japanese shogunate history before reading it. This story personalizes the textbook renderings.

I doubt that I can improve on the description from the back cover of the book:

“In these seven stories, one of Japan’s greatest modern writers explored the territory where love becomes self-annihilation, where contemplation of beauty gives way to fetishism, and where tradition becomes an instrument of voluptuous cruelty.”

[Jonatan Frías · Rating 3 out of 5]

La literatura japonesa -la literatura oriental en general- siempre será un misterio para los occidentales. Alguna vez alguien me dijo que si no hablaba japonés y no conocía su cultura, realmente no había leído a Mishima, sino que alguien -en este caso el traductor- me lo había platicado. Estoy parcialmente de acuerdo con esto. Es decir, sí acepto que hay cosas inasibles para quienes no participamos de una cultura. No se me ocurre pensar cómo leen ellos a Juan Rulfo y sus fantasmas dolientes. Pero hay algo humano más profundo que persiste y se impone a las contingencias sociales, temporales, geográficas. Hay algo más humano en el fondo que permite que un mexicano de finales del s.XX se sienta plenamente identificado con un ruso del s.XIX.
Es la primera vez que leo a Jun'ichiró Tanizaki y todo el tiempo tuve la sensación de no estar leyendo, sino viendo. Es como si cada texto fuera una gran pintura. En este caso, no es que fueran 7 pinturas, es que era una pintura continuada: siendo pintada durante la lectura. La gran ola que avanza inconteniblemente y que nunca rompe contra la costa.
Cada cuento dibuja una emoción distinta y si una palabra sirve como hilo conductor es: serenidad. La serenidad de quien narra, de quien nos invita a reunirnos al rededor con un té y nos cuenta una serie de historias que son parábolas que son ficciones que son verdad que son palabras. Qué delicia de libro. "El tatuador" y "El puente de los sueños" se convirtieron en mis textos favoritos. textos que sé que volveré a leer; pero también "El cuento de un hombre ciego" y "El retrato de Shunkin". Gran, pero en verdad, gran cosa los "Siete cuentos japoneses" de Tanizaki.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Japanese culture, when compared to what's generally passed off as Western culture, seems to be a little off. That's not a value judgement, but an observation that compared to what Western Canon readers are used to, there's more dissonance, and a willingness to examine topics which (at least in the time Tanizaki was writing) were either not covered in polite society, or were swept under the rug in bowdlerised editions.

It's not the case here. Incest and fetishes, and the annihilation of the self in the service of one's object of desire are the cornerstones of these works. The result is a collection of tales which embrace the uncanny and unusual as well as the traditional, the setting for most of the stories gathered here.

It's easy to see elements of Mishima and Murakami in here: oddity mixed with overpowering desire, and a feeling of dedication to duty. Some stories are short - the shortest (and earliest, from 1910) details a woman forcibly tattooed in a design which reveals her darkest nature, which she embraces. Others, though, are long and are best served by knowing a little of the history of Japanese feudalism, as they're woven from the truth.

Despite their age, these are confronting stories. If you don't like tales of obsessive love - obsessive to the point of self-harm - then you probably won't like these. But if you bypass them you'll miss a look at the discordant parts of nature which seem to be examined so well by Japanese authors, none more accomplished than Tanizaki.

[Paul H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tanizaki is one of the greatest 20th century Japanese authors. This collection of short stories and novellas are well worth reading, especially for anyone interested in Japanese history and culture.
The earliest story in the collection was published in 1913 and the most recent dates from 1959. The last story,The Blind Mans Tale,is the longest of the seven stories. It takes place in late 16th century Japan , a time of perpetual warfare between warlords. The characters in this story include several historical figures of the time, seen from the point of view of a blind man.
Tanizaki also produced a modern translation of Tale of Genji, whose influence can be seen in the story The Bridge of Dreams which deals with the somewhat perverse relationship between a stepmother and stepson.Blindness is also a key element in The Tale of Shunkin, which deals with a blind woman and her relationship with her guide and pupil. Some of the earlier stories remind me of Poe.
To sum up: read these tales for an introduction to one of Japans most prolific masters of fiction.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of these short stories. You can go back and re-think about them over and over. The alarming fixations of his characters - some neuorotic, some manipulative - keep you riveted, even while you're appalled. Excruciating studies of the dark and confusing sides of humanity.

If you've not read Tanizaki before, I'd suggest not beginning with the novella that is included in this volume. Take on the masterful, shorter stories first, like "The Tatooer." Once you've got the hang of Tanizaki, go back to the novella - it's also great, just takes more patience.

[Livy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really good, the stories were haunting and somewhat tragic, and some of the stories depressed me. The Blind Man's Tale, in my opinion is very beautiful, and very sad. While the Bridge of Dreams disturbed me deeply (the story was twisted and worried me to no end). There is also quite a variance in the settings to, half appearing to be set somewhere in the 1920 period and others set in the Meiji, or sometime in the Feudal eras. It was very culturally enlightening too, it's kind of hard to explain but it gives you a different mind set. It's hard to explain.

[Bezimena knjizevna zadruga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bez ikakvih metaforičnih značenja, bez i malo kitnjastosti i ulepšavanja svojstvene ogromnoj većini pisaca, konkretne, gotovo bezobrazno jednostavne i razumljive rečenice, grade svaku od sedam prelepih priča ove zbirke. Staloženost ritma pisanja jednako prisutna bilo da pripoveda najobičnije dane u životu svojih junaka, bilo da se bavi različitim osetljivim temama. Savršena mirnoća u pisanju me očarala.

https://bezimenaknjizevnazadruga.word...

[Maria Victoria Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love japanese literature and this is one of the best things you'll ever read. I wish i could find this book in spanish which i prefer if i have to read a translation.

[Sladjana Kovacevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

SEVEN JAPANESE TALES-JUNICHIRŌ TANIZAKI
✒️"Truly, there is no way of telling what the future holds!"
✒️"maybe even great heroes, in their innermost hearts, are no different from us ordinary men"
💔A Blind Man's Tale💔
❤️Zbirku otvara jedna ljubavna priča i zatvara je jedna još ljubavnija,i to istorjska priča.
❤️Osim ljubavi,mnoga se još osećanja i karakterne osobine oslikavaju u svim prelivima od najsvetlijih do najtamnijih nijansi ljudske duše.
❤️Japanska kultura,međuljudski odnosi,tradicija i netradocionalni izuzeci-sve u sedam priča pisanih od 1910. do 1959.godine.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#7sensesofabook #junichirotanizaki #sevenjapanesetales

[Mandy Szewczuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deceptively simple, these are all stories about the fine line between love and obsession. Not just romantic love, but love of parents, children, music, and power. While I felt that I wasn't really into each story as it started, I kept reading out of a need to know how things would go, a sort of drawing on into narratives that were all told in the same tone, whether domestic tales or ones about political upheaval.

[Tim Pendry · Rating 4 out of 5]

These seven tales of Junichiro Tanazaki cover the period from 1910 (when he was in his mid-twenties) through to the 1930s (his forties) with one ['The Bridge of Dreams'] from his old age in 1959.

They show a progression from a writer under strong European influence with all that early twentieth century Japanese fascination for decadence and Dostoevskian introspection through to a revival of Japanese traditionalism as far as subject matter and sentiment are concerned.

The style (assuming the translator is good and there is no reason to believe that he is not) is simple and clear. It concentrates on narrative and character without any of the modernist literary tricksiness that was to plague Western literature and detach it from its own mass.

There are recurrent themes - the world seen through blindness, the erotic power of women over masochistic men, the 'ideal', the aesthetics of the traditional past, introversion, a fatalism of character.

It is hard to pin down Tanazaki's psychology at times while his sophistication clearly grows with time and experience. The stories are both universal and distinctively culturally Japanese. They make me want to hear the sounds of the koto and the samisen and the clack of bamboo.

Leaping over the first four (chronologically) short stories, we come to 'A Blind Man's Tale' of 1931 which is a remarkable evocation of the early modern samurai wars that will remind many Western readers of the films of Kurosawa.

The culture of seppuku becomes logical and comprehensible as well as the codes of honour, ruthlessness and position of women and servants in an era of civil war and power struggles amongst aristocrats. It is very much a story for fans of 'Game of Thrones'.

'A Portrait of Shunkin' (1933) is also of novella length. It merges subtly the sado-masochism of erotic relations in earlier stories with Tanizaki's traditionalist bent, set in the nineteenth century amongst the wealthy merchant class of Osaka.

The theme is one of service and self-sacrifice to the death in a relationship between independent artists (musicians) who manage to draw their true natures and social roles together into something that has a romantic purity that can still manage to refer back to the decadent era's preoccupations.

The final novella ['The Bridge of Dreams', 1959] also has this quality of eroticism and traditionalism. It is about an introverted family which constructs for itself, amongst willing accomplices, a dream world of quasi-incestuous fidelity that shocks outsiders.

Once again, just as with the samurai and the musicians, individuals sacrifice themselves to roles in life that somehow seem to accord with their true nature, raising questions about the nature of autonomy and freedom that may be answered very differently in Japanese culture from Western.

The fact that the family is disapproved of by neighbours and wider family shows that there are limits to the acceptable in Japanese culture but Tanizaki is still taking Japanese codes and taking them to more extreme conclusions rather than offering us Western-style 'self-fulfilment'.

To the Western eye, there is an obvious exoticism here, amplified by the dream-like quality of many of the stories, but Tanizaki is more than just a nostalgic purveyor of traditional ideas to both mask and expose a deeper eroticism.

There is something deeper going on here. We might see Tanizaki using base-line Japanese cultural norms to permit himself a series of extended disquisitions on formalised social roles as forms of liberation through containment of desire.

Complex desires - often of self abasement and the patient acceptance of suffering - are enabled by the availability of appropriate roles where, in the West, those desires (sadist, masochist, incestuous) are repressed in order to permit a wider culture of apparent freedom to function.

The family in the final story self exclude and are quietly excluded from society but they are not witch-hunted or subject to external interference. Neither can be assumed to be the fate of Westerners who adopt abnormal postures.

This is subtle and wise stuff that should make us think about the relationship between maximal social freedom, the repression of desire and the management of desires that the West makes taboo into something workable through socially prescribed role play.

There has been a lot written about shame and guilt cultures that is simplistic and no one should confuse Japanese literature with the actual lived experience of the Japanese but there is merit in considering whether the Japanese 'ideal' is sometimes more pragmatically humane than ours.

In the end, the Western mind is often going to see these stories as having some element of the fatalistic, sad, alien and tragic about them (which is not how I would see them at all) but I would hope that they would also serve to open the door to some self-criticism as well.

The rigid denial of desire and the lack of roles to manage difficult orientations is quite a heavy price to pay for a freedom that may be more theoretical than actual. Regardless of all that, these stories are very aesthetically pleasing with a quiet beauty that is quite distinctive.

[Bert Mestdagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Portrait of Shunkin: 3/5
Terror: 3.5/5
The Bridge of Dreams: 4/5
The Tattooer: 3.5/5
The Thief: 2.5/5
Aguri: 3/5
A Blind Man's Tale: 3/5

[Kamila Kunda · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I admire Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s novels and his essay “In Praise of Shadows” (one of my favourite Japanese pieces of writing ever), as much as I think I could have been friends with him and we could have talked for hours and never exhaust the range of topics to discuss, I didn’t enjoy most of his stories in the collection “Seven Japanese Tales”. Five of them bore me, from slightly to terribly, but two stood out.

Many years ago, when I lived in London, I went to the Barbican to watch an amazing play - “Shun-kin”. It was directed by Simon McBurney, played by Japanese actors from Tokyo’s Setagaya Public Theatre and included a puppet of a blind Japanese woman (Shunkin, the shamisen teacher) from Blind Summit. The spectacular combination of the short story “A Portrait of Shunkin” and the essay “In Praise of Shadows”, with beautiful live music, left me mesmerised. I yearned to read the story, on which the play was based.
It is, as most Tanizaki’s stories and novels, a tale of a sado-masochistic, manipulative, bizarre love relationship between a teacher and her pupil, with some not entirely plausible twists and turns. I feel that Tanizaki is best when he describes the dynamics of a relationship between a man and woman, which in his stories - be it the short stories or novels like “Naomi” or “Diary of a Mad Old Man” - is never equal but always includes an element of exploitation, domination and submission.

Another recurring theme of his work is the fascination with the West: fashion, cuisines, lifestyle, leisure pursuits. The second story in this collection which gave me a great pleasure to read, “Aguri”, is a simple tale of a shopping trip to Yokohama of a wealthy man and his young mistress to buy her a Western outfit and free her from “baggy, shapeless, unbecoming kimono”. The man fantasises about the girl dressed in Western clothes: “He would accentuate every curve and hollow, give her body a brilliant surface and lively flowing lines; he would fashion swelling contours, make her wrists, ankles, neck, all strikingly slender and graceful. Really, shopping to enhance the beauty of the woman you love ought to be like a dream come true”.

In the times Tanizaki wrote “Aguri”, Japan was swept by Westernisation and the development of the concept of the so-called ‘modern girl’ - a Japanese woman who preferred everything Western, also embracing features of personality mistakenly taken for Western ones: selfishness, blatant rudeness, frivolity and promiscuity. The fantasy of the metamorphosis of a timid, submissive girl into a sensual, provocative woman drives the male protagonist mad. This excitement, described in the story, of purchasing Western underwear, stockings, a dress, a hat, and shoes and discovering how they transform a young girl into a woman reminded me of my own trip to Tokyo’s department store Isetan with my Japanese friend and buying a yukata with all new and foreign for me accessories to reveal a different me: a woman who walks differently, sits differently, gesticulates differently, even moves her head differently, as the new outfit defines a new way of being. Just as thrilled but somewhat intimidated Aguri listened to the shopkeeper explaining how to fasten a bra or put on stockings, I listened to the explanations on what to do with datejime and obi-ita, and how to tie an obiage. Reading the story made me recall this kind of reverse experience.

Tanizaki is often praised for his subtlety, but I find him quite explicit, even vulgar sometimes in the way he describes emotions, sadistic tendencies of his characters and their actions. There is little elegance in his writing, which I find in Mishima. Overall, besides these two stories, I was quite disappointed and unmoved by the tribulations of his characters and felt Tanizaki’s prose sadly didn’t stand the test of time (the same what I feel with Osamu Dazai and Mori Ōgai).

[محمد · Rating 4 out of 5]

مقطع من قصة الواشم أو الوشم ):

[في صباح مشرق من بداية فصل الربيع، كانت القوارب تجري في النهر صعودًا وهبوطًا، وتحدث مجاديفها صخباً في ذلك الصباح الهادئ، بينما كانت أسطح القرميد تلمع في الشمس والضباب بدأ ينخفض رقيقًا فوق الأشرعة البيضاء، في لحظات النسيم الباكر.
وأخيرًا، وضع سيكيشي فرشاته ونظر إلى وشم العنكبوت. كان هذا النوع من الفن أرقى جهدًا في حياته. والآن بعد أن إنتهى منه، صار قلبه منهك المشاعر. وبعد قليل، تردد صوت سيكيتش مرتعشاً عبر جدران الغرفة:
" لأجعلك جميلةً حقاً، صببت روحي في هذا الوشم. والآن ليس هناك أمرأةٌ في اليابان يمكن مقارنتها معك، وهكذا فإن مخاوفك القديمة قد إنتهت، وكل الرجال سيصبحون لك ضحايا". ثم بدأت الفتاة المصابة بالإغماء، تسترد وعيها ببطء، ومع كل تنفس مرتشع، كانت أرجل العنكبوت تتحرك كما لو كانت حيّة: " يجب أن تتألمي العنكبوت جعلك في قبضته" وهكذا فتحت عينيها قليلاً وحدقت بنظرة باهتة، وظلت نظراتها ساطعة كما يضيء القمر في المساء.].
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وتعتبر حكاية " الواشم" التي نشرها تانازاكي 1910 أول قصة قصيرة له. وتدور الحكاية حول "فنان ياباني إسمة سيكيشي، كان من المفترض أن يصبح من فئة الرسامين لإحدى مدارس الفن العريقة، لكنه إنحدر ليصبح رساماً للوشم على جلود الرجال. وكان يبحث دائماً عن قطعة قماش فخمة ليرسم عليها تحفة فنية رائعة. كان يبحث عن جلد إمرأة جميلة ليرسم عليه تحفته الجميلة، ولفترة طويلة لم يجده رغم التقاءه بنساء كُثر، لكن حلمه بقي لمدة طويلة. وفي أحد المساءات بينما كان يمر بالقرب من أحد مطاعم المدينة شاهد قدم امرأة من خلف الستائر تبدو بيضاء، وبعد أن حدّق بها شعر أنها تعكس نفس جمال الوجه تماماً. وحاول أن يتبعها ليرى وجهها ولكنها إختفت في الممرات والأزقة.
وبعد سنوات ظهرت الفتاة التي كانت تعمل في مهنة الرقص وتسلية الناس، وطرقت بابه وهي تحمل طردًا من أحد أصدقائه. تأمل جمالها، وتذكرأقدامها البيضاء. ووجد فيها قطعة القماش المناسبة للوحته.
حاول الوشّام إقناعها وعرض عليها بعض صور الاميرات الصينيات الجميلات وقال لها سأصنع منك "امرأة جميلة حقًا" لكنها كانت خائفة، وأرادت الخروج من المنزل لكنه إستطاع تخديرها.
وبعد أن أكمل رسم امرأة العنكبوت السوداء على ظهرها إستفاقت الفتاة وكأن هناك عنكبوتاً حيًّا يتحرك في ظهرها وطلبت من أنه ترى الوشم لكنه طلب منها أن تستحم أولاً لتبرق الألوان، وبعد أن إغتسلت بالماء الساخن شعرت بالألم. ثم طلبت منه أن يبقى بعيدًا ولا ينظر إليها وهي تصرخ متألمة. وبعد ساعة إرتدت ملابسها وخرجت وهي تبدو في كامل أناقتها وأجمل من هيئتها السابقة. إستغرب الوشّام وقدم لها صورة الأميرة الصينية ثم طلب منها أن يرى الوشم مرّةً ثانية قبل أن تغادر، لكنها تبسمت بنشوة الإنتصار وقالت له:
"ستكون أنت أول ضحيّة لي!. "ثم استدارت قليلاً وكشفت ثوبها الواسع الفضفاض"الكيمونو" وفي الأثناء تسللت أشعة الشمس وأزالت الوشم المصوّر على ظهرها، وتلاشت أنثى العنكبوت في شعلة من النيران.

[Capsguy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly a nice variation of stories to get a grasp on whether or not you're a fan of Tanizaki, as each story has very different things on offer. His appreciation of the West at the time really shines through in a couple of his works, which may make it a more familiar read for those unacquainted with Japanese works in general.

Tanizaki seems to be thoroughly renown for the prominence of sexual perversion in his works. Don't let this put you off because of your predisposed beliefs and the whatnot. I honestly don't believe that it should be taboo in literature, it is certainly something that may be more difficult to pull off than depicting a mediocre man.

I'm not the expert on Japanese culture, and I'm not going to say I am. However, a lot of what was written in the stories I have witnessed in my association with Japanese people or during my stays in Japan. I think that's one of the crucial things that make an author like Tanizaki one of the Japanese greats.

Certainly enjoyed his depiction of scenery and iconic objects throughout his stories, really makes me miss Japan.

[Edward Rathke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this collection even though I didn't give it five stars. Some of the stories are stronger than others, which holds it back from reaching the kind of perfection other stories hint at.

It's a collection about what it means to be Japanese, which may be a turn off for many. It's very accessible, I thought. Stories about creation and destruction, about art and life, about love and Death.

These are stories about life, told with great seriousness but also great humor.

This was my first look into Tanizaki but I've been very eager to get my hands on more.

Highly recommended.

[Joseph Koffel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I audibly said to myself what the fuck at the end of each of these tales. My first exposure to early 20th century Japanese writing and it was definitely not what I was expecting but I got this out of a free library so I didn’t have much to expect to begin with. Regardless a really interesting writing style and a fun new read.

[Eadweard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite stories; A Portrait of Shunkin, The Bridge of Dreams and A Blind Man's Tale.