Review of BREEZE THROUGH BAMBOO: KANSHI OF EMA SAIKO. Translated, with an introduction and notes, by HIROAKI SATO, with illustrations by the poet. (Translations from the Asian Classics), pp. xvii, 246, 15 illus. New York, Columbia University Press, 1998. PDF

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Reviews of Books 203 dernism. Although Shin sees some "heroism" in these efforts, he thinks that "it is doubtful that the modernization of Korean literature in the twentieth century transcended all the past literary achievements of our people" (p. xiii). In short, in Shin's a...

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dernism. Although Shin sees some "heroism" in these efforts, he thinks that "it is doubtful that the modernization of Korean literature in the twentieth century transcended all the past literary achievements of our people" (p. xiii). In short, in Shin's assessment, modern Korean writers failed "to define their identity" (p. xiii), and this failure is reflected in the stories analyzed in this volume. The Preface does not explain why the particular short stories were chosen, what binds them together or, indeed, which qualities make them into distinct examples of what Shin had wanted to demonstrate. The Preface is much too short and contains some curious platitudes about Korea's modern fate. Shin's own view of history seems to be quite simplistic. On the one hand, the past is "dead" - outdated, no longer relevant, and superseded by new values and norms. Modernity, on the other hand, has brought violence, unbridled sexuality, a sense of meaninglessness of life. Capitalism, money-mindedness, careless human relations seem to account for the negative aspects of modern times. There is an ambivalence towards the past, but at the same rime Shin seems to distance himself from the literary endeavours of his own time. Shin, however, is very familiar with western techniques of literary criticism and shows his expertise in the short critical essays collected in this book. In his, at times somewhat far-flung ruminations, he refers to Freud, Jung, Nietzsche, Greek mythology, Christianity, and a host of modem western writers. A common theme that seems to run through all the stories he comments on is the dichotomy between a "good old world" of tradition and a bad modern world. The former is often, however, already somewhat stale or even corrupted, while the latter is characterized by egoism, capitalism, and consumerism. These different worlds are in some of the stories exemplified by representatives of different generations, for instance grandfather versus grandson. Individuals are isolated, often living in a world of dreams. They would need to "grow wings" to escape from their isolation into the reality of their existence. It is unfortunate that the author did not conclude his collection with a Postface that would have brought out such major themes and put the stories into a more comprehensive analytical framework. It is also regrettable that Shin chose not to use the McCune-Reischauer system of romanization used in the translations of the original stories. This may create some difficulties for the reader who does not know Korean. Although the essays on the whole read smoothly, some more careful editing could have enhanced the readability of Shin's prose. These criticisms aside, Shin's essays are a valuable guide for the western reader to some of the finest products of modern Korean literature. MARTINA DEUCHLER

BREEZE THROUGH BAMBOO: KANSHI OF EMA SAIKO. Translated, with an introduction and notes, by

HIROAKI SATO, with illustrations by the poet. (Translations from the Asian Classics), pp. xvii, 246, 15 illus. New York, Columbia University Press, 1998. £34.00. The indefatigable translator, poet and author Hiroaki Sato has turned his hand to another genre of Japanese poetry: nineteenth-century kanshi - poems in Chinese. He presents in English about half of Shomu Iko, the posthumous collection of Ema Saiko (1787-1861), which has recently been put into print (Kado Reiko, ed. Ema Saiko Shishii "Shomu Iko" 2 vols. Kyuko Shoin, 1994). His translations are accompanied by an introduction, informative notes and a bibliography (no form of the original poems is included). Ema Saiko was an accomplished painter in the Chinese style as well as a poet, and her brushwork provides a number of illustrations. How are we to read these poems? From Saiko's titles it is plain that she used them socially, as "occasional poetry", and that as she grew older, she expressed in them her private musings. Thus they

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functioned somewhat as letters and as private diary entries. But they were not only composed in a foreign language, they placed themselves in a foreign world of the imagination, one in which the imagery was all Chinese. Even the progress of ideas had to conform to convention. They therefore bear an extra layer of code for the reader to interpret. It is perhaps for such reasons that scholars have read into the slight biographical evidence a story of the unmarried Saiko's seduction by her poetry teacher, the historian Rai San'yo, and their subsequent secret passion. There is evidence that he was attracted to her physically at one time, but such a subtext is not necessary for an appreciation of her poetry, for the emotions she expresses, enjoyment visiting him in Kyoto, regrets at parting, and near the end of his life anxiety about his health, can be quite easily understood in terms of a teacher and pupil's relations and kanshis circumstantial uses. In any case, Sato includes in his introductory discussion of Saiko's life a balanced account of the issue, along with one of her involvement in Chinese-style painting and her various teachers of that art. Sato also attempts to explain what was involved when the Japanese wrote Chinese verse. He outlines the difference between hoyomi (reading the Chinese characters in the order in which they are written) and yomikudashi (reading them in Japanese language order, with Japanese grammatical additions) with a complex example, and argues the case of kanshi having been generally read by the second method. His discussion is straightforward for the reader familiar with the situation, but one wonders how much sense it would make to one not conversant with the languages concerned. He also discusses the limitations (mainly in terms of length) of poetry in Japanese and Chinese, an issue perhaps more easily to be approached (if at all) by simply reading their translations. Finally Sato considers the autobiographical possibilities of Saiko's work, and explains his selection thereby, his having avoided those verses merely composed to set topics and rhyming schemes, preferring those apparently either related to actual events or else portraying her inner life. The translations themselves are rich and inventive, although it sometimes seems as if Sato has had recourse to his thesaurus. I did not know that culms are plant stems, that the clepsydra is a water clock, and that "mums" means chrysanthemums. Some usages seem odd: when a heart breaks into "smithereens" for example, or the poet stays awake till "the wee hours, like Tu Fu'; or inappropriately informal: what can be the Chinese equivalent of "sis?" (i.e. sister). The term "svelte" makes frequent appearances, and I have been unable to discover what is an "updo". Nevertheless, such idiosyncracies are perhaps a price worth paying for imaginative translation. The poems themselves are intriguing and sometimes moving, especially those written later in life, on loneliness, caring for an aged parent, regrets at never having married, on the discomforts of old age, and of the dry consolations of the poetic and artistic existence. Just a few seem routine and contrived. Many poems call for explanation, and Sato's footnotes are welcome. His more general discussions of some of the poems are collected in a separate section at the back of the book. Unfortunately nothing tells you whether Sato discusses a given poem there, so you find yourself having to flip backwards and forwards through the book to check. Ema Saiko's poetry has been highly praised by both Japanese and Chinese writers, and its existence contradicts the standard view that there was no female literature in the feudal era. This is a volume of both literary and scholarly interest. NOEL JOHN PINNINGTON

TWELVE CENTURIES OF JAPANESE ART FROM THE IMPERIAL COLLECTIONS. By ANN YONEMURA. pp.

224, 75 col. plates, map, table. Washington, Freer Gallery and Sackler Gallery in association with the Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998. £49.95. Twelve Centuries is a long time, and the visitor to this exhibition, or the browser through the sumptuous catalogue, may feel impressed by how the Japanese monarchy has maintained itself as a...