Эдо дәуірінің "Йомихон" әдеби жанры

Japanese literary genre

Yomihon (読本) is a type of Japanese book from the Edo period (1603–1867). Unlike other Japanese books of the periods, such as kusazōshi, they had few illustrations, and the emphasis was on the text. In storylines, Buddhist ethics such as karma are often preached, and characters with supernatural powers and imaginary creatures are often depicted. From the end of the 16th century to the 18th century, Chinese novels such as Water Margin were translated and published in Japan. The mutual influence of Chinese novel styles, Japanese traditional war chronicles gunki monogatari, Buddhist tales, and Jitsurokumono based on social incidents promoted the stylization of yomihon and, in 1749, Tsuga Teishō published Hanabusasōshi establishing the style of yomihon. Takebe Ayatari, and Okajima Kanzan were also instrumental in developing the yomihon. Another early pioneer of the yomihon was Ueda Akinari, with his Ugetsu Monogatari and Harusame Monogatari. Kyokutei Bakin wrote the extremely popular fantasy/historical romance Nansō Satomi Hakkenden, in addition to other yomihon. Santō Kyōden wrote yomihon mostly set in the pleasure quarters until the Kansei Edicts banned such works.

Yomihon as a genre was marked by its use of text heavy format, that often left little room for illustrations. It was written in a Kanji laden style, that frequently borrowed from Chinese elements. This meant that only the most educated readers of the Edo period would be able to read most Yomihon, which meant that Yomihon was not written for profit, but instead as an art. At around the same time, Akinari published Ugetsu Monogatari, and thought of himself to be rivals with Ayatari. His works focused on the vanity of human wishes, and the suffering war leaves behind. Akinari also relished in the complex nature of Yomihon, and hated the other popular genres of time, and is quoted as saying Lady Murasaki deserves to be doomed to hell for writing the Tale of Genji. Kyoden’s first Yomihon was Takao Senjimon, which based its structure on a Chinese piece Shui Hu Chan. Following that, he wrote Chushin Suikoden, which Bakin highly praised. It was also criticized for relying too heavily on Kyoden’s Kibyoshi writing skills but praised by critics on his writing skill and adaptation, but not on the content. His next work was Asaka no Numa, which is a revenge story, which was becoming popular in Japan at the time it was written. His next popular work was Udonge Monogatari, which was important for its use of Buddhist moral themes and karmic retribution. As Kyoden’s student, those themes made its way into Bakin’s works and created what can be considered one the best Yomihon written, Nanso Satomi Hakkenden. In it, the themes of karmic retribution, revenge plotlines, reinforcement of good and chastising of evil and adaptation of Chinese literature all find their place to create a cohesive and wildly successful Yomihon.