TOKUGAWA LITERATURE

TOKUGAWA LITERATURE
   Lasting from roughly 1600 through 1868, the Tokugawa period witnessed over two centuries of cultural and literary flowering during a time of relative isolation from the West. Since the political capital shifted from Kyoto to Edo, it is also known as the Edo period, and the shift had cultural ramifications as well. Edo grew rapidly in size and became a melting pot as the warlords from across Japan were required to build and maintain Edo mansions for alternate-year residence. Craftsmen, workers, and merchants filled the capital to support this influx, and a dynamic economy and cultural sphere quickly materialized.
   Many unique forms of literature emerged from this milieu, including theater, such as kabuki and puppet plays, haiku poetry and its humorous complement senryu, and a broad array of narrative forms loosely categorized as gesaku (playful writings). The latter included adaptations of Chinese novels, illustrated tales that prefigured later manga comic books, simple illustrated stories for children, novels of romance and urban manners, and, into the 19th century, serialized narratives based on travelers or warrior families that captured the hearts of readers so well that the authors kept adding sequels, in some cases for decades. A growing readership encouraged new marketing techniques, such as lending libraries, and the burgeoning publishing industry of the Tokugawa period set the scene for the emergence of newspapers and publishing houses of the Meiji period. Professional storytelling also developed during this period, with the establishment of yose theaters in many of the urban districts of both Edo and Osaka.

Historical dictionary of modern Japanese literature and theater. . 2009.

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