BIG IN JAPAN
Jakucho Setouchi
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| Courtesy of Kyodo Photo Service |
"Genji Monogatari"
(The Tale of Genji) is one of the oldest and most famous books in the canon of Japanese
literature. Now it' on the bestseller lists again, thanks to a racy new interpretation
that highlights the sexual exploits of the story's characters. The surprising element is
that it's been written by a 77-year-old Buddhist nun named Jakucho Setouchi.
Despite its reputation as a classic, "Genji Monogatari" is notoriously difficult
to read, even for Japanese, due to its length and the archaic language in which it is
written. The success of Setouchi's translation is down to her choice of straightforward,
modern language and idioms, making it accessible to all. Also, of course, there's what the
British would call "the naughty bits." The book's narrative is that of Price
Genji and his adventures in the eleventh century Imperial Court, engaging in a series of
sexual liaisons and surviving political betrayal and exile, to eventually see his son
become Emperor.
Setouchi herself was born in Tokushima in 1922 and, after showing a flair for languages at
a young age, was accepted by Tokyo Women's University to study Japanese literature. After
graduation she started a highly successful career as a novelist, winning a lengthy string
of literary prizes for her novels, exploring family ties and femininity in urban and rural
Japan.
In 1973 she shocked all those around her by deciding to shave her head, take Buddhist vows
and become a nun. She entered Chujon-ji temple and in 1987 was elected chief priest of
Tenda-ji temple in Iwate Prefecture. After several years, however, she decided to return
to her beloved Kyoto, where she still lives today. Despite becoming a nun, she still wrote
novels, and won the Tanizaki Junichiro Award in 1992 for "Hana ni Toe" (Ask the
Flowers). In 1997, she was awarded the Imperial Award for outstanding literary merit.
Since her version of "Genji Monogatari" was released in 1999, Setouchi has found
the quiet of monastic life broken by a lengthy round of lecture tours, interviews, and
promotional signings. She has also found time to adapt one of the scenes in the novel into
a Noh play, Yume no Ukihashi (Floating Bridge of Dreams) performed in March at
the National Noh Theater.
"Genji Monogatari" is singular for many reasons. One is that it recalls a unique
age in Japan when women had a more liberated place in society, a time when they were free
to explore their own sexuality, when they also had the freedom to create such
contributions to Japanese culture such as the hiragana alphabet still in use.
This republication comes at a time when women again have relatively more choices, due to
equal opportunity employment laws, and the growing tendency to marry later in life.
Whether this freedom will be used to create more forms of cultural expression, instead of
squandering it on obsessive consumerism, remains to be seen.
James Walker |
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