Tales of Moonlight and Rain (Translations from the Asian Classics)

249 Pages·2009·0.78 MB·English

by  Akinari Ueda

TALES OF
MOONLIGHT AND RAIN
Ueda Akinari
Columbia University Press New York
tales of moonlight and rain
Translations from the Asian Classics
Image has been suppressed
tales
of
moonlight

and
rain
Ueda Akinari
Image has been suppressed
A Study and Translation by
anthony h. chambers
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS
NEW YORK
Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
Copyright © 2007 Columbia University Press
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ueda, Akinari, 1734–1809.
[Ugetsu monogatari. English]
Tales of moonlight and rain : a study and translation by Anthony H. Chambers.
p. cm. — (Translations from the Asian classics)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-231-13912-8 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN 0-231-51124-8 (electronic)
I. Chambers, Anthony H. (Anthony Hood)
II. Title. III. Series.
PL794.8.U3413 2006
895.6'33—dc22 2006015127
Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper.
Printed in the United States of America
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Frontispiece: Tosa Hidenobu, portrait of Ueda Akinari (1786).
(Tenri Central Library, Nara)
contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
The Early Modern Period in Japan 2
About the Author 3
Bunjin, National Learning, and Yomihon 8
About Tales of Moonlight and Rain 11
About the Translation 34
Tales of Moonlight and Rain 45
preface 47
Book One
Shiramine 51
The Chrysanthemum Vow 75
Book two
The Reed-Choked House 91
The Carp of My Dreams 110
vi contents
Book three
The Owl of the Three Jewels 121
The Kibitsu Cauldron 139
Book four
A Serpent’s Lust 155
Book five
The Blue Hood 186
On Poverty and Wealth 202
Bibliography 221
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Haruo Shirane provided the initial spark by asking me to
translate three stories from Ueda Akinari’s Tales of Moon-
light and Rain for his Early Modern Japanese Literature: An
Anthology, 1600–1900, and then suggesting that I translate
the whole collection. Deborah Losse, Lawrence E. Marceau,
and Donald Richie deserve special thanks for their encour-
agement and suggestions. The College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences at Arizona State University provided time for the
work by giving me a year’s sabbatical. Even with time, the
study and translation would have been impossible without
the pathbreaking work of earlier scholars and the compilers
of the marvelous reference works we all depend on. Thanks
go also to my incomparable circle of friends and colleagues,
who sustain me emotionally and intellectually.
Michael Ashby read the first draft and made countless
perceptive comments. I am also indebted to Jennifer Crewe,
Anne McCoy, Irene Pavitt, and the rest of the staff at Colum-
bia University Press. The anonymous readers recruited by
the press offered encouragement, pointed out errors, and
provided valuable advice. Any problems that remain are, of
course, my own responsibility.
viii acknowledgments
The translation is dedicated to all my teachers, especially,
Ch’en Shou-yi, who introduced me to the study of East Asia;
Makoto Ueda, who introduced me to Akinari; Robert H.
Brower, who tutored me in Japanese court poetry; and Edward
G. Seidensticker, my principal mentor over the years.
tales of moonlight and rain