The Story of Tomoda and Matsunaga

by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, Paul McCarthy (Translator)

The Story of Tomoda and Matsunaga (first published in Japanese in 1926, later in Italian, then in English in 2018 in The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories) is a Tanizaki novella which explores the dichotomy between aspects of Eastern culture (specifically Japanese) and Western culture (specifically European) through the use and eyes of a doppelgänger, a Jekyll and Hyde sort who vacillates in his desires and attitudes toward provincial, traditional Asia and a dissolute, gluttonous Europe.

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

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1926

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

[Sivert · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing and fascinating short story. I view this as a a tale of the cultural meetings between east and west during the opening of Japan in the Meiji era, and about the clashing lifestyles and the appeal of them both. In some ways, this can also be viewed as relevant for weebs today.

[Luuk Moone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially intruiging but ultimately falls flat and the jump to the last chapter is sudden, making it feel rushed.
Good writing style though.

[Showering · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first short story in The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories

((Review coming up))

[Sara Orlando · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 e mezzo

[Giang H · Rating 5 out of 5]

the first work of tanazaki that i've ever read (start small y'all). so good and i want to read more works of his.

[Daniel Warriner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Junichiro Tanizaki (1886–1965) is considered to be among the greats of modern Japanese literature. The Story of Tomoda and Matsunaga (first published in Japanese in 1926, later in Italian, then in English in 2018 in The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories) is a Tanizaki novella which explores the dichotomy between aspects of Eastern culture (specifically Japanese) and Western culture (specifically European) through the use and eyes of a doppelgänger, a Jekyll and Hyde sort who vacillates in his desires and attitudes toward provincial, traditional Asia and a dissolute, gluttonous Europe.

The narrator, F.K., is a celebrated novelist residing in Tokyo. He receives a letter from Shige Matsunaga, from a rural village in south-central Honshu. Shige's husband, Gisuke, has left her, after having told her he'd be taking a long trip, and he is gone for several years without a word to her. After he returns, he slips back into his role of loving husband and content father. Naturally suspicious of her husband, Shige rifles through his personal effects and finds a postcard addressed to a Ginzo Tomoda. Her husband, years later, again leaves, for years more, and she suspects he's living a double life, as Gisuke and as Ginzo. During Gisuke's second "trip" is when she sends the letter to F.K., hoping the novelist can find out if Ginzo (or "Tom" as he's also known) is in fact her husband. This seems unlikely to F.K., who is Ginzo's drinking companion and sees the man for who he appears to be, a devil-may-care libertine with grand appetites for women and food and drink, not one who'd ever be able to settle down in the sleepy countryside.

A stretch of the book reads like a detective story, along with compelling dialogue, scenes with foreign women in Yokohama's bordellos, and all with exceptional pacing on par with what you'd find in Kafka, building up the mystery and suspense, and at last the reveal, which in this case is delectable (presumably more so for anyone who's thought at length about the oft-illusory boundaries between Japan and the West). Through the narrator, we eventually learn if Gisuke and Ginzo are one or two, and the rich accounts and colorful perspectives that fill the final pages are delivered with intensity, painting an unreliable perspective of the West as wild and the East as prosaic and restrained. The ambivalence of Tanizaki, who apparently was fascinated with Western culture and surely would've chewed on what being Eastern and Western meant, comes through these pages, which are sharply written and gratifying to read.

[Jakka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way Tanizaki strings together dialogue to write compelling stories. The characters all have their tender moments, Shigeko through her calligraphy and letters to the narrator. The narrator, Mr. F.K. (only introduced in full this one time, and later referred to as K. and even then, only sparingly) through his willingness to help Shigeko as well as his appreciation for the scenery in Yagyuu. Matsunaga Gisuka through his love for his wife, though it's hard to say if the demerits of Tomoda Ginzo should be accounted for on Matsunaga's behalf. The theme of the story is the divide between Eastern and Western cultures, and one man's struggle to align himself with either. Both cultures as well as its people are given an evaluation in terms of benefits and drawbacks. It's hard to decipher whether Tanizaki has a bias one way or another. I found the same to be true in The Makioka Sisters. Though the point of the feeble Eastern body is repeated in both books, the extavagance and hedonism of the West is not explicitly condemned. But maybe it is implied, as it is the reason for Matsunaga to commit these acts of cowardice towards his wife, abstaining from his duties as man and heir of a storied Japanese family.

[Reading_as_a_pastime]

I don't usually read short stories, but I feel that there needs to be an understanding of the author's intent with them. I enjoyed the contrast between Tomoda and F.K., how Tomoda longs for the western world and its pleasures, and how F.K. enjoys the beauty of Japan and doesn't long to be something else. The way Tomoda puts down his own people from his viewpoint was off-putting. He truly was a debaucherous individual with all the secrecy from his wife. He had her to fall back on. He knew that she would be there no matter how long he was gone, so he could give in to his desires without a second thought. Some parts made me go ew, but it all tied into Tomoda's character.
Anyways, this was an interesting introduction to short stories.

[Viet Phuong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this short story but think that it somewhat overstays its welcome with a dragging third act. The contrast between the East (Japan) and the West laid out by the author is deeply fascinating but, again, a little bit too long with a monotonous writing style (I know that it was written ONE hundred years ago so must appear modern by that time, by still think that I should judge this short story by my actual modern standard as a sign of respect for its quality - this is a good story by its own merit nonetheless and no "pity/mercy/clemency" is needed).

[Karen the girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story had such a great pace, I definitely need to read Jun'ichirō Tanizaki's other works. Tomoda's character was so well-written, I can definitely imagine how a man like him would befriend a writer just so the novelist could later put down his "incredible" life story. Also, the idea that we cannot be either happy or feel pleasure in our home country or the environment we grew up in, or basically whatever we consider home, is so real, it's giving me at my parents house.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captivating style and plot. The last where east vs. West dichotomy was tackled is mesmerizing, very well written and described, how the writer elaborated on the main charchter's homesickness was phenomenal. However the very last end caught me off guard, almost didn't match the level of the whole story.

[Nikhil Nangia · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Story of Tomoda and Matsunaga" is a multi-layered exploration of identity, cultural conflict, and the human psyche in a time of rapid societal transformation that Japan was going through during the early 20th century. It invites readers to reflect on the complexities of navigating between tradition and modernity, and the search for authenticity in a world of shifting values.

[Parker Busick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty long for a short story, but a fun one that shows the extreme of someone being pulled in two directions, using the juxtaposed themes of the colliding Eastern and Western cultures as a thematic backdrop.

[Roy Navarro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story, you keep believing you know the outcome but you're always victim of an intriguing twist.

[Michael Wakim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm into it

[Ocean G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting premise and story, and I really liked the way it was revealed. In a way we can all relate to this, but I can't really get into it too much without spoilers. In essence, if you've ever wanted a change in your life, check out this story.


https://4201mass.blogspot.com/

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ogni quattro anni scompare Matsunaga e in breve tempo fa la sua comparsa Tomoda. Due persone agli antipodi, uno magro e pallido, l’altro in salute e vivace; uno vive in modo più tradizionale, l’altro in modo dissoluto e moderno.
Eppure hanno qualcosa che li accomuna.
⠀
Storia di Tomoda e Matsunaga è un romanzo diverso dai soliti di Tanizaki, più morbosi e malsani, a cui sono abituata e da cui sono attratta. Non di meno, però, è riuscito ad ottenere la mia totale attenzione fino alla fine, anche questa volta.
Avvincente e rompicapo. Due aggettivi con cui lo descriverei.
⠀
Non è difficile pensare che entrambi i protagonisti rispecchiano il pensiero di Tanizaki. Nel 1920-21 si era addirittura trasferito a Yokohama per vivere una vita completamente all’occidentale, libera da tradizioni e restrizioni. In seguito al terremoto di Kobe del ‘23 si trasferisce nel Kansai, dove comincia a riscoprire il fascino e la cultura del Giappone.
⠀
Il libro, scritto nel 1926, appartiene proprio al filone delle opere che Tanizaki scrisse dopo essere entrato in contatto con la cultura occidentale, da cui era rimasto profondamente affascinato, ma è anche il periodo in cui comincia ad avvicinarsi di nuovo al Giappone tradizionale.
⠀
Nel libro, infatti, c'è una continua contrapposizione tra la campagna giapponese, antica e classica, con Tokyo, città grande e moderna, e con l'occidente, così lontano (fisicamente e culturalmente) dal Giappone.
C'è un continuo "battibecco" tra la società giapponese e quella occidentale, senza mai risolvere a vantaggio dell'uno o dell'altra.
⠀
"Paragonavo tutto ciò che vedevo o sentivo con i gusti orientali. L'occidente mi sembrava solo appariscente, dissoluto e frivolo"
⠀
Una storia che consiglio sia a chi non ha ancora letto nulla dell’autore, sia a chi invece è abituato alle sue opere più perverse e morbose.

[Squilvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

About a dude living a double life, it could be a metaphor for East vs West or Modern vs Traditionalist Japan. I enjoyed reading this story, and as someone who grew up in a small town and later moved away to work in the city, I found some of the quotes to be extremely relatable; especially when it comes to feeling homesick for both places while being at the others for a significant amount of time.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Graziano · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ah, non devo pensare alle cose del Giappone". Comunque, più cercavo di non pensarci più il loro ricordo continuava a rivivere nel mio cuore come una dolce memoria.
(pagina 91)