Japan in Translation: course description
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James M. Vardaman, Waseda University
Before Japan became fully accessible to the West, the majority of Western images of Japan were attained through memoirs of actual visitors and translations of Japanese literature. The influence of translated works was at first limited to a small coterie of intellectuals, but gradually spread to a slightly expanded audience. Western views of Japan depended heavily on which literary works were chosen for translation and publication and when they were chosen. We will examine fundamental works in the order of their original composition and examine what impact they had on which kind of Western readers.
Classic works examined will include Sarashina nikki, Genji Monogatari, Hojoki and Oku no hosomichi. We will touch on works of the Edo period by Ihara Saikaku and Hizakurige (Shank’s Mare) before dealing in more detail with writers of the modern period including Natsume Soseki, Mori Ogai, and Akutagawa Ryunosuke. Among the mid-20th century writers we will cover will be Tanizaki, Kawabata and Mishima, and in the contemporary scene we will take up Yamada Eimi, Murakami Haruki and Yoshimoto Banana. Throughout the course, we will focus not on literary criticism but on why these works were made available in translation and when. We will consider what kind of readership they received and how they affected Western perceptions of Japan.
