1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910810332903321

Autore

Buyō Inshi <19th century.>

Titolo

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]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York : , : Columbia University Press, , 2014

©2014

ISBN

0-231-53597-X

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (497 p.)

Collana

Translations from the Asian classics

Disciplina

952/.025

Soggetti

Social classes - Japan - History - 19th century

Japan Social life and customs 1600-1868

Japan Social conditions 1600-1868

Japan Economic conditions 1600-1868

Japan Moral conditions History 19th century

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

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

Sommario/riassunto

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.