Factbook

A Dynamic Compendium of Interesting Japanese Literary and Publishing Facts

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Essays in Idleness, written in the 14th century is considered one of the definitive books on Japanese aesthetics[UPDATED: 6-7-2022]

Essays in Idleness, written in 1330, by the Buddhist monk Kenko Yoshida (1283-1352) is a collection of 243 short essays or notes written in a style which almost takes the form of a stream of consciousness. Some of these essays and notes are a few pages… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Essays
- History
- miscellany
- Poetry
Essays in Idleness, written in the 14th century is considered one of the definitive books on Japanese aesthetics Posted February 15th, 2022 by Richard Nathan
Long before the Internet magnified content about suicide, Japanese publishers and authors, including some of the nation’s most renowned, wrote about suicide helping the narrative of death proliferate[UPDATED: 5-4-2022]

Japan is often associated with suicide partly due to its Kamikaze pilots in World War II and stories about famous and loyal Samurai warriors and their legacy-making honorable deaths. The Complete Manual of Suicide, Kanzen Jisatsu Manyuaru, by Wataru Tsurumi published in 1993 is, however,… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- History
- Industry
Long before the Internet magnified content about suicide, Japanese publishers and authors, including some of the nation’s most renowned, wrote about suicide helping the narrative of death proliferate Posted May 4th, 2022 by Richard Nathan
The Japanese poet Ishikawa Takuboku was Meiji Japan’s ‘Angry Young Man’[UPDATED: 4-4-2022]

The Japanese poet Ishikawa Takuboku (1886-1912), famous for his modern free-style tanka, disliked the repressive and static atmosphere of the Meiji era (1868-1912). The only son of a Buddhist priest, Takuboku was, according to historians, spoilt and arrogant, as well as highly precocious, and saw limited… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Roger Pulvers
- Poetry
- translation
The Japanese poet Ishikawa Takuboku was Meiji Japan’s ‘Angry Young Man’ Posted April 4th, 2022 by Richard Nathan
When Japan was ruled by Shoguns ‘Great Learning for Women’ was required reading[UPDATED: 3-4-2022]

Onna Daigaku, Great Learning for Women, was one of the most widely read texts for women circulated and published in Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868), when Japan was ruled by its Shoguns. It was also one of the first of these types of Japanese educational books to be… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- History
- Textbooks
When Japan was ruled by Shoguns ‘Great Learning for Women’ was required reading Posted March 4th, 2022 by Richard Nathan
Kafka a popular author and name amongst Japan’s creatives[UPDATED: 1-26-2022]

Kafka is a popular author and name amongst creatives in Japan. In 2007, an animated version of Franz Kafka’s (1883-1924) 1917 short story A Country Doctor was produced by Koji Yamamura and the author’s name also famously appeared in Haruki Murakami’s bestselling 2002 book titled: Kafka on… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Culture
Kafka a popular author and name amongst Japan’s creatives Posted March 23rd, 2017 by Richard Nathan
Writing arrived in Japan in the 5th century AD from China[UPDATED: 1-13-2022]

Japan and the Japanese did not develop their own fully-fledged writing system, but imported one from China during the early 5th century or perhaps even slightly earlier.Use of this writing subsequently expanded as Buddhism arrived in Japan alongside Chinese Buddhist monks, eventually helping elevate calligraphy… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- History
Writing arrived in Japan in the 5th century AD from China Posted January 13th, 2022 by Richard Nathan
Mount Fuji, which is featured in Japan’s oldest fictional prose and first collection of poetry, is still a powerful literary motif[UPDATED: 12-1-2021]

In June 2013 the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO announced that Mount Fuji would be recognised as a World Heritage Site. The official proposal that led to the mountain winning this status was known as ‘Fujisan: Sacred Place and Source of Artistic Inspiration’. Mount Fuji, also… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Randy Taguchi
- History
- UNESCO
Mount Fuji, which is featured in Japan’s oldest fictional prose and first collection of poetry, is still a powerful literary motif Posted December 1st, 2021 by Richard Nathan
Japan’s most expensive book was published in 1984 with a retail price of US$17,000[UPDATED: 11-5-2021]

Japan’s most expensive book, an edited collection of manuscripts by Claudius Ptolemaeus (100-168), was published in two-volumes by the Japanese publisher Iwanami Shoten in 1984, just before Japan’s infamous economic bubble (1986-1991), with a retail price of 1,930,000 yen. Ptolemaeus’ astronomical treatise, an astronomy textbook… Read more »
- TOPICS:
- Industry
- Retail
- Science
Japan’s most expensive book was published in 1984 with a retail price of US$17,000 Posted July 20th, 2017 by Richard Nathan

Factbook

Essays in Idleness, written in the 14th century is considered one of the definitive books on Japanese aesthetics[UPDATED: 6-7-2022]

Long before the Internet magnified content about suicide, Japanese publishers and authors, including some of the nation’s most renowned, wrote about suicide helping the narrative of death proliferate[UPDATED: 5-4-2022]

The Japanese poet Ishikawa Takuboku was Meiji Japan’s ‘Angry Young Man’[UPDATED: 4-4-2022]

When Japan was ruled by Shoguns ‘Great Learning for Women’ was required reading[UPDATED: 3-4-2022]

Kafka a popular author and name amongst Japan’s creatives[UPDATED: 1-26-2022]

Writing arrived in Japan in the 5th century AD from China[UPDATED: 1-13-2022]

Mount Fuji, which is featured in Japan’s oldest fictional prose and first collection of poetry, is still a powerful literary motif[UPDATED: 12-1-2021]

Japan’s most expensive book was published in 1984 with a retail price of US$17,000[UPDATED: 11-5-2021]

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