Ukiyo-zōshi
Saikaku was preceded by and worked at the same time as many other authors such as Shogetsudo Fukaku and Ejima Kiseki, all of which helped to shape ukiyo-zōshi and inspire future genres.
[8] Under the pen name Tomonobu, Ishikawa Ryusen was the "first important novelist of Edo" and credited with writing the first ukiyo-zōshi according to Richard Lane.
[9] Conflict occurs with the initial refusal of marriage by Oshun's father, but the couple soon earn his respect and eventually his pardon for running off together.
This work, as well as other amorous literature, drew subject matter from the Courtesan Critiques and guides to the pleasure quarters that became popular in the 1640s and 1650s.
The book is well known for its illustrations which were made by the seventeen year old artist, Torri Kiyonobu, who was skilled in painting ukiyo-e themes with Fukaku's story being no exception.
He wrote a total of twenty novels between 1698 and 1718 and quickly rose to popularity as he filled the void in literature which Saikaku left.
[12] Originally from Kyoto, Aoki Rosui started as a haikai poet, but expanded his writing skills and focused on telling supernatural tales.
His most notable work is Otogi hyaku monogatari (One Hundred Ghost Tales for Children), which is written in the kana-zōshi tradition.
The novel focuses on millionaire Yodoya Tatsugoro from Osaka, who lost all of his property to the government and now wanders the streets in anger.
[14] Born in 1667, Ejima Kiseki did most of the actual writing for the original books published in the Hachimonjiya bookshop.
At the age of thirty-two, Kiseki turned to novel writing to make a living and earn back the money he had lost in the gay quarters.
[15] Influenced by Saikaku and the gay quarters, Kiseki focused on writing and created a new form of the ukiyo-zōshi.
However, this new style was inherently influenced by Kiseki's own shallow and flawed nature, making his new works pale in comparison to the detail of Saikaku.
By the mid-eighteenth century, Edo had become the center of literary activity, and while ukiyo-zōshi continued to be produced until around the 1770s, the genre became stagnant after Kiseki's death and slowly declined.
[16] Notable works Include: Located in Kyoto, Hachimonjiya was known for their publications of joruri and kabuki playwrights in the late 1650s.
During the 1680s, new management of Hachimonjiya Jisho led to an increase in status and distinction in the community, adding to its popularity and attracting more customers.
[21] Japanese literature uses imagery to convey moods of the characters as well as symbols critical to the story it is portraying.
Ukiyo-e illustrations emitted romantic and sensual emotions that were inspired by the love affairs of courtesans and their lovers in the nineteenth century.
[24] Unlike other genres besides kibyoshi, ukiyo-zōshi illustrations’ main purpose was to add visual beauty to the novel.
[27] Yoshida Hambei was the main illustrator of Ihara Saikaku's books and was a renowned ukiyo-e artist.
It is estimated that he was active between the 1660s and 1690s, during that time he produced over half of the illustrations for Saikaku's works as well as many other ukiyo-zōshi novels.
This was heavily influenced by Saikaku's love stories and earlier romances and continued through the eighteenth century because of its popularity.
Different types of people included are: actors, scholars, grandfathers, husbands, mothers-in-law, priests, physicians, and more.
[33] Picture-books were large scale adaptations of popular ukiyo-zōshi novels, often those with beautiful or notable imagery by well-known illustrators.
