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Lust, commerce, and corruption : an account of what I have seen and heard, by an Edo Samurai / translated by Mark Teeuwen [and four others] ; edited and with an introduction by Mark Teeuwen and Kate Wildman Nakai ; Noah Arlow, jacket design ; contributors John Breen [and four others].
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Buyō Inshi, 19th century.
- Series:
- Translations from the Asian classics.
- Translations from the Asian classics
- Standardized Title:
- Seji kenbunroku. English
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Social classes--Japan--History--19th century.
- Social classes.
- Japan--Social life and customs--1600-1868.
- Japan.
- Japan--Social conditions--1600-1868.
- Japan--Economic conditions--1600-1868.
- Japan--Moral conditions--History--19th century.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (497 p.)
- Place of Publication:
- New York : Columbia University Press, 2014.
- Language Note:
- English
- Summary:
- By 1816, Japan had recovered from the famines of the 1780's and moved beyond the political reforms of the 1790's. Despite persistent economic and social stresses, the country seemed to be approaching a new period of growth. The idea that the shogunate would not last forever was far from anyone's mind. Yet, in that year, an anonymous samurai author completed one of the most detailed critiques of Edo society known today. Writing as Buyo Inshi, "a retired gentleman of Edo," he expresses a profound despair with the state of the realm and with people's behavior and attitudes. He sees decay wherever he turns and believes the world will soon descend into war. Buyo shows a familiarity with many corners of Edo life that one might not expect in a samurai. He describes the corruption of samurai officials; the suffering of the poor in villages and cities; the operation of brothels; the dealings of blind moneylenders; the selling and buying of temple abbotships; and the dubious strategies townspeople use in the law courts. Perhaps the frankness of his account, which contains a wealth of concrete information about Edo society, made him prefer to remain anonymous. This volume contains a full translation of Buyo's often-"ed but rarely studied work by a team of specialists on Edo society. Together with extensive annotation of the translation, the volume includes an introduction that situates the text culturally and historically.
- Contents:
- Front matter
- Contents
- Preface
- Era Names, Measures, Currencies
- Maps
- Part 1. Buyō Inshi and His Times
- Part 2. Matters of the World: An Account of What I Have Seen and Heard
- Prologue / Inshi, Buyō
- Chapter 1 / Inshi, Buyō
- Chapter 2 / Inshi, Buyō
- Chapter 3 / Inshi, Buyō
- Chapter 4 / Inshi, Buyō
- Chapter 5 / Inshi, Buyō
- Chapter 6 / Inshi, Buyō
- Chapter 7 / Inshi, Buyō
- Glossary
- Editions and References
- Contributors
- Index
- Notes:
- Description based upon print version of record.
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Description based on print version record.
- ISBN:
- 0-231-53597-X
- OCLC:
- 872624199
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