She is the author of more than seventy-five books, including twenty volumes of original poetry and the definitive translation into modern Japanese of the Tale of the Genji. Although probably best known for her exquisite erotic poetry, Akiko's work also championed the causes of feminism, pacifism, and social reform. Akiko's poetry is profoundly direct, often passionate, exposing the complexity of everyday emotions in poetic language stripped of artifice and presenting the full breadth of her poetic vision. Included in this volume are ninety-one of Akiko's tanka (a traditional five-line form of verse) and a dozen of her longer poems written in the modern style.

    Beginning with the first writings to assimilate and rework Western literary traditions, through the flourishing of the short story genre in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the Taisho era, to the new breed of writers produced under the constraints of literary censorship, and the current writings reflecting the pitfalls and paradoxes of modern life, this anthology offers a stimulating survey of the development of the Japanese short story.Various indigenous traditions, in addition to those drawn from the West, recur throughout the stories: stories of the self, of the Water Trade (Tokyo's nightlife of geishas and prostitutes), of social comment, love and obsession, legends and fairytales. This collection includes the work of two Nobel prize-winners: Kawabata and Oe, the talented women writers Hirabayashi, Euchi, Okamoto, and Hayashi, together with the acclaimed Tanizaki, Mishima, and Murakami.The introduction by Theodore Goossen gives insight into these exotic and enigmatic, sometimes disturbing stories, derived from the lyrical roots of Japanese literature with its distinctive stress on atmosphere and beauty.

    As if to balance the somber themes of madness and death, Furui also shows a great sensitivity to the dark humor inherent in everyday life.Yōko is the story of a sensitive young man’s relationship with a beautiful young woman beset by an unidentified mental illness linked to the traumatic transition from carefree child to responsible adult. Her vivid but distorted perceptions of the world highlight the process by which reality and identity are created and provide the centerpiece for a touching, if somewhat unusual, tale of a young couple’s deepening love. Yōko won the Akutagawa Prize in 1971.Furui explores a range of human experiences on the borderline between life and death, the present and the past. Here, in particular, we find a surprisingly vital legacy of the literature and culture of premodern Japan coexisting with modern concrete and commuter trains.

    Writing in this form, Saiko distinguished herself during the Tokugawa period, when composition in Chinese was largely a men's province.

    Its enduring popularity is the legacy of pioneering actors who forged new styles and passed them on to later generations. The Stars Who Created Kabuki focuses on the lives and careers of the three most prominent of these formative figures.Ichikawa Danjuro (1660-1704) established the style called aragoto, or Wild acting", used to portray samurai and violent gods. Sakata Tojuro (1647-1709) was the great master of wagoto, or "gentle acting", the style of the romantic heroes, while Yoshizawa Ayame (1673-1729) perfected the highly refined art of the onnagata: male actors specializing in women's roles.Laurence Kominz is not only an authority in the field but a compelling storyteller. In addition to the original masters, he also profiles a few of the great contemporary actors, including Bando Tamasaburo, interviewing them in depth on their thoughts about the impact of the first stars on today's kabuki stage.The Stars Who Created Kabuki illuminates the flamboyant lives and tumultuous times of three great early actors -- a riveting introduction to the vibrant world of kabuki theater.