Narushima Ryūhoku

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In this Japanese name, the surname is Narushima.

Narushima Ryūhoku (成島柳北, 1837–1884) was a Japanese author and scholar born in

shōguns
, who were also involved in editing the Tokugawa jikki (德川實紀) and other historical annals, including the Nochikagami (後鑑). Ryuhoku participated in these editing projects as a young man.

From tutoring shōguns to satire

He served as tutor to the shoguns

Higashi Honganji Temple, which sponsored a tour for him and four other men to Europe and the United States
in 1872–73.

Soon after his return to Japan, Ryuhoku became the editor of the

literary journal Kagetsu shinshi (花月新誌). In 1876, he was imprisoned for four months when he ran afoul of the Meiji government's press laws. After his release, he published an essay entitled "Gokunaibanashi" (ごく内ばなし). He had a very critical attitude towards the great functionaries of Satsuma and Chōshū
, who although vassals of the former shogunate, were then acting pretentiously in their new roles as leaders of the Meiji government. In protest, he declared that "I will become a useless person between natures," and started to write satire.

Ryuhoku's most famous work is Ryūkyō Shinshi (柳橋新誌), or "New Chronicles of Yanagibashi", the first volume of which he began writing in 1859, and the second volume of which he began writing in 1871. The work concerns the world of the

Meiji period
. Kōsei Nichijō (航西日乗), or "Diary of a Journey to the West", is the travelogue he wrote during his journey to Europe and the United States in 1872–73.

See also

References

  • Fraleigh, Matthew. Plucking Chrysanthemums: Narushima Ryūhoku and Sinitic Literary Traditions in Modern Japan. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Asia Center, 2016.
  • Fraleigh, Matthew. “Introduction.” In New Chronicles of Yanagibashi and Diary of a Journey to the West: Narushima Ryūhoku Reports From Home and Abroad. Ithaca, NY: Cornell East Asia Series, 2010.
  • Fraleigh, Matthew. "Introduction" to "Super Secret Tales From the Slammer." https://ceas.sites.uchicago.edu/sites/ceas.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/Sibley/Gokunaibanashi%20Introduction.pdf

Further reading

Wikiquote has quotations related to Narushima Ryūhoku.
  • De Lange, William (2023). A History of Japanese Journalism: State of Affairs and Affairs of State. Toyo Press.
    ISBN 978-94-92722-393
    .

External links


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