Episode 90 - Fifty Shades of Wordplay

History of Japan

Isaac Meyer

Japan, History, Japanese

4.8 • 744 Ratings

🗓️ 21 February 2015

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the late 17th century, the popular writer Ihara Saikaku produced literature for mass entertainment and consumption. He became immensely popular, and remains widely read even centuries after his heyday. We'll explore his life, career, and legacy as we ask, "just how did a man making entertainment to pay his bills become one of Japan's most celebrated authors?"

Transcript

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0:00.0	This week's episode is brought to you by Audible.
0:03.6	Audible has over 150,000 titles to choose from, all compatible with iPhone, Android, Kindle, or your MP3 player of choice.
0:13.0	For listeners of the show, Audible is offering a free 30-day trial membership, complete with credit for a free audiobook of your choice.
0:20.8	You can cancel any time and keep the free book,
0:23.4	or keep going with one of Audible subscription offers.
0:26.6	Go to audible trial.com slash Japan to claim your offer.
0:31.2	This week, I'm going to recommend the Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.
0:36.3	I started rereading the Lord of the Rings books after the last Hobbit movie came out, and they remain among my favorites.
0:42.8	If you've never experienced these cultural touchstones, and you really should, now's your chance.
0:48.1	Go to audible trial.com slash Japan to clean your copy.
1:11.0	Hello and welcome to the History of Japan podcast.
1:15.2	Episode 90, 50 Shades of Wordplay.
1:19.9	This week, our topic is the life of one of Japan's most famous authors.
1:28.7	He lived during the Edo period and helped define that era's literary tastes, in a way few would be able to match. He's one of Japan's most famous authors, but during his lifetime his work was regarded as
1:33.4	essentially the equivalent of the modern airport paperback novel.
1:38.4	Iharasai Kaku was born in Osaka in 1642 to a family of merchants.
1:49.6	Osaka was at this point very much a city on the rise. It was already the commercial heart of Japan. It was the largest port city in the most developed region of the country
1:53.7	after all. And furthermore, it had been a key center of government under Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
2:00.7	Hideoshi had invested heavily in the city, and as a result, it was rivaled only by Edo,
2:06.3	modern Tokyo, in its wealth.
2:09.1	The heart of Osaka was its thriving merchant class.
2:12.7	The end of the Sengoku era had ushered in a new age of peace and prosperity,
	...

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