Carmen Blacker's spirited translation of Santo Kyoden's Mukashi-banashi inazuma byooshi (from which the title 'The Straw Sandal' is taken), considered by Aston to be his masterpiece, reveals a multi-layered and fascinating tale of revenge - Japanese-style, thereby providing a classic example of this popular genre within Japanese literature. Aston makes the point that the plot of this late-eighteenth-century novel, developed over twenty chapters or episodes, is so complicated that 'it is impossible to give an adequate summary...' But he goes on to promise several murders, a harakiri and other suicides, terrific combats, hairbreadth escapes, strange meetings and surprising recognitions. In addition, there are scenes of witchcraft and enchantment with dreams, magic terrors and ghosts who rove by night. The Straw Sandal, which contains most of the original black and white woodblock prints together with textual notes added by the translator, will surely be widely welcomed both in the world of literature as well as that of Japanese Studies.
- ISBN10 1283470608
- ISBN13 9781283470605
- Publish Date 1 January 2008
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 3 June 2015
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Global Oriental
- Format eBook
- Pages 190
- Language English