Takizawa Bakin | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Bakin byKunisada (国貞) | |
| Native name | 滝沢 馬琴 |
| Born | Takizawa Okikuni (滝沢興邦) (1767-07-04)4 July 1767 Fukagawa,Edo, Japan |
| Died | 1 December 1848(1848-12-01) (aged 81) Shinano Hill, Japan |
| Resting place | Jinkōji Temple,Tokyo, Japan |
| Pen name | Kyokutei Bakin (曲亭馬琴) |
| Genre | Gesaku (Yomihon) |
| Notable works |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children |
|
Takizawa Bakin (滝沢 馬琴), a.k.a.Kyokutei Bakin (曲亭 馬琴, 4 July 1767 – 1 December 1848), was a Japanese novelist of theEdo period. BornTakizawa Okikuni (滝沢興邦), he wrote under the pen nameKyokutei Bakin (曲亭馬琴). Later in life he took the pen nameToku (解). Modern scholarship generally refers to him asKyokutei Bakin, or just asBakin. He is regarded as one of, if not the, leading author of early 19th centuryJapanese literature.[1] He was the third surviving son of aSamurai family of low rank. After numerous deaths in his family, he relinquished hissamurai status, married a merchant's widow, and became anEdo townsperson. He was able to support his family with his prolific writing ofgesaku,[2] primarilydidactichistorical romances, though he always wanted to restore his family to thesamurai social class.[3] Some of his best known works areNansō satomi hakkenden (The Chronicles of the Eight Dog Heroes of the Satomi Clan of Nansō) consisting of 106 books[4] andChinsetsu yumiharizuki [ja] (Strange Tales of the Crescent Moon).Bakin published more than 200 works in his life, includingliterary critiques,diaries, and historical novels.
Born inEdo (present-dayTokyo) on 4 July 1767,Bakin was the fifth son ofBunkurō Omon andTakizawa Okiyoshi. Two of his elder brothers died in infancy.
Bakin's father,Okiyoshi, was a samurai in the service of one of theShōgun's retainers,Matsudaira Nobutsuna until 1751 when he left his lord and gained service withMatsuzawa Bunkurō. While serving underBunkurō,Okiyoshi was adopted into the family and wedBunkurō's adopted daughter,Omon.Okiyoshi returned to serve theMatsudaira family in 1760 afterOkiyoshi's successor was dismissed for embezzlement. Though a heavy drinker, he was devoted to scholarship of classical Chinese works, especially those focused on military matters. He was a diligentsamurai, but contractedgout in 1773 and died in 1775. His death forced theMatsudaira clan to reduce theTakizawa stipend by half, starting the steady decline ofBakin's family.
Omon,Bakin's mother, is characterized as being a good mother and loyal wife and the family had the privilege of living in theMatsudaira mansion until their piecemeal departure fromMatsudaira Nobunari's service that reached its completion in 1780. Her eldest son,Rabun (1759-1798) was the only child not born on theMatsudaira estate and served the family until becoming arōnin in 1776. His departure led toOmon and her remaining children includingBakin and his two younger sisters,Ohisa (1771-?) andOkiku (1774-?), being forced into a much smaller dwelling.Bakin's older brother,Keichū (1765–1786), was adopted out to lessen the financial burden andBakin was declared the head of the family at age nine.[3] WhenRabun found service with a new family in 1778,Omon pretended to be ill to move in with him. While living there,Omon grew ill due tomalnutrition and died 1 August 1785.[3]
Bakin served theMatsudaira lord's grandson until 1780 when he declared himselfrōnin at age 14 leaving the followinghaiku:
Rabun was able to secure a position for him in 1781, the longestBakin would hold, until he departed in 1784 due to dissatisfaction.Bakin then moved in withKeichū for a short time untilKeichū's lord died, discharging him from service in 1785. He found a position forBakin, though the youngsamurai stayed on for less than a year.Keichū died unattended in September 1786.
Keichū's death humbledBakin who became ill in 1788. He left his post as asamurai and moved in withRabun who had spent most of his savings on medicine. This was the last timeBakin would serve as asamurai. He would study medicine but find the profession uncomfortable before pursuing jobs as a comic poet, fortuneteller, comedian, andConfucian Scholar.[5]Bakin's turning point came in 1790 when he approached the very successful author,Santō Kyōden, seeking help with the publication of the formersamurai's first work,Tsukaihatashite nibu kyogen (尽用而二分狂言).[6]
In 1798Rabun died of dysentery leavingBakin as the sole male heir of theTakizawa line. He swore to restore the family line.Rabun's two daughters had died of illness in infancy.
Tsukaihatashite nibu kyogen (尽用而二分狂言) was published in 1791 under the pen name "Daiei Sanjin, Disciple ofKyoden". This first book had a didactic tone thatBakin would carry through most of his works going forward. This choice in tone would benefit him as literature and the laws around it had changed in 1790 with the adoption of theKansei Reforms.Bakin was able to avoid the punishments levied on his contemporaries likeShikitei Sanba,Jippensha Ikku and his friend and patron,Santō Kyōden.Bakin chose to stay silent on any controversies in his writings.Kyōden's own humiliation deeply affected him. He requestedBakinghostwrite for him as a deadline for two works approached. These two works,Tatsunomiyako namagusa hachinoki andJitsugo-kyō osana kōshaku were written byBakin and copied byKyōden before being sent off for publishing.[3] 1792 marked the first time "Bakin" appeared in a published work.
In 1793Bakin marriedAida Ohyaku, a widow and owner of a footwear shop, mainly for financial reasons.Ohyaku gaveBakin four children during their marriage: three daughters;Osaki (1794-1854),Oyū (1796-?) andOkuwa (1800-?), and one son,Sōhaku (1798-1835).Bakin helped with the shop until the death of his mother-in-law in 1795 when he acquired time to write more regularly. In 1796, he published his firstyomihonTakao senjimon (高尾船字文) and his works spread toKyoto andOsaka, earning him nationwide acclaim. He had eleven other works published in 1797, setting a pace of about ten books per year until 1802. If he wrote a story he didn't enjoy, he would sign it "Kairaishi, disciple ofKyokutei Bakin" causing other aspiring authors to seek out this fictional disciple.[3]
In 1800Bakin embarked on a walking tour and his experiences would play pivotal roles in both his life and writing. The first tour lasted two months and provided him with several historical locations that would appear in his works. During this trip he also fully resolved to restore his family position using his writing.
A second walking tour in 1802 lasted three months and was a tour along theTōkaidō Post Road. On this tour,Bakin visited many places that would appear in his future work. He also encountered people of various social standing and professions. His travels coincided with extensive flooding across the nation.Bakin witnessed recent destruction and displaced peoples all along the road. These encounters and experiences made their way intoBakin's novels and lent them an honesty that would make his works popular through the entire social strata of Japan.[3]
From 1803 to 1813,Bakin published thirty historical novels, marking the beginning of his full career as a professional writer. Several of these works were adapted to various forms of theater across Japan. By 1810Bakin was making a comfortable living as a writer, exceeding the stipend that had been allotted to his family while they served underMatsudaira and he was considered the preeminent author of historical novels.[3]
This success was partly due to his collaboration with famous artists. Between 1804 and 1815,Bakin and the creative illustratorHokusai collaborated on 13 works. In particular,Chinsetsu yumiharizuki, published between 1807 and 1811, which borrowed the concept ofThe Tale of Hōgen,Taiheiki andWater Margin. There are various theories as to whyBakin andHokusai dissolved their cooperation, such as discordant personalities and conflicting opinions on how to draw illustrations.[7][8][9][10] By 1818, with the purchase of a second household with the profits of his book sales and wife's business, theTakizawa family was officially restored. In 1820,Bakin's son,Sōhaku was appointed clan physician by LordMatsumae Akihiro making his social class officiallysamurai andBakin felt his family's future was secured.
TheBunka-Bunsei cultural renaissance which started in 1804 lent momentum to fiction as a whole and art flourished until the renaissance concluded around 1830. Serialized long-form works became more prevalent, not just among historical novels. It was during this time thatBakin continued publishing profitable and popular works. These ranged among scholarly essays and journals, though his most prevalent fiction remained the historical novel. He also embarked on creating his signature piece,Nansō satomi hakkenden. This work consisted of 106 volumes, making it one of the world's longest novels, and took 28 years to complete (1814–1842). Like most of his works,Hakkenden focused onsamurai themes, includingloyalty and familyhonor, as well asConfucianism, andBuddhist philosophy. During its production,Bakin would recede from public life and split from his contemporaries causing rumors to circulate that he had died. Unfortunately, while working on this voluminous work,Bakin would experience the loss of his eyesight and the death of his wife and only son.
While writing,Bakin also went about ensuring his children married well.Oyu had married in 1815 and given birth to a son.Osaki marriedYoshida Shinroku (1787-1837) in 1823 and her new husband took on the management of the family business under the nameSeiemon.Sōhaku, after a prolonged illness that kept him from his duties as a clan physician, married a young woman namedOtetsu in 1827. She was later calledOmichi and would play a pivotal role in her father-in-law's later life.Omichi bore three children; sonTarō (1828-?), daughterOtsugi (1830-?) who was adopted byOsaki andSeiemon, and daughterOsachi (1833-?). The final parts of the work were dictated to his daughter-in-law.
Bakin's health, which had started a slow decline in 1818 worsened into the 1830s. He continued to publish but at a much slower pace than before. His wife's frequent illnesses taxed him as did his son's continued invalidity andBakin'srheumatism and vision loss progressed. He would feel bouts of energy between 1825 and 1835 that would allow him to continue working.[3] In 1835,Sōhaku passed and the blow was so devastating toBakin that he considered retiring from writing.
Fearing the collapse of his newly restored family,Bakin decided in 1836 to hold a party to celebrate his birthday. In reality, he did so to raise funds forTarō to afford a position as a low-ranking samurai. The gala attracted leading writers and publishers, poets and entertainers, and important officials form theShōgun's court.Tarō's future was secured though he was too young to serve at the time.Omichi's cousin served in his place until 1840 under the nameTakizawa Jirō. In order to be closer to his grandson's post,Bakin sold the family house in the city and moved into a rural estate. He would spend the last twelve years of his life there.
Bakin lost vision in his right eye in 1834 and was completely blind by 1840.Omichi, who could read complex literature acted asBakin'samanuensis from 1840 till his death in 1848. With her assistance he finished several works and answered many letters and critiques. She also attended to the house asOhyaku had slipped into mental instability with the death ofSōhaku.Aida Ohyaku died in 1841.[3]
In the autumn of 1848,Bakin felt chest pains and had difficulty breathing. After a short recovery he relapsed and declined the services of a physician. On November 30, he gave his final testament and passed early in the morning of December 1. He was interred in theJinkōji Temple beside his ancestors.[3]
Nearly four decades after his death,Bakin's works were still popular. Many writers, such asKanagaki Robun kept his works in the public eye. There was, however, push back from students who had become versed inWestern literature. Foremost among them wasTsubouchi Shōyō who heavily criticizedBakin's didactic method of writing as pre-modern without directly attackingBakin in his workShōsetsu shinzui.[2] This attitude was countered by scholars likeYoda Gakkai.
Bakin made also the Japanese version ofHaoqiu zhuan, titledKyōkakuden.[11] and authors likeMori Ōgai usedBakin's methodology for adapting Chinese literature to bring Western works to Japan.
A series ofukiyo-e containing 50 pictures depicting characters fromNansō Satomi Hakkenden and featuring leading kabuki actors was created byUtagawa Kunisada II. These prints were published in the early 1850s byTsutaya Kichizo.[12] Excerpts translated by Chris Drake are included inEarly Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600-1900, edited byHaruo Shirane (Columbia University Press, 2002).The Eight Dog Chronicles has been adapted many times in, for example, theanimeOVAThe Hakkenden.
HisChinsetsu Yumiharizuki (Strange Tales of the Crescent Moon) was adapted for thekabuki stage byYukio Mishima.
Kyokutei Bakin has been released as a playable 5★ Rider-class Servant inFate/Grand Order during early summer 2022. However, this version of Bakin is actually a fusion between him and his daughter-in-law Tokimura Michi, since Michi served as Bakin's substitute writer after he lost his eyesight. The Servant Kyokutei Bakin contains the souls of Bakin and Michi which both share Michi's body, and both of them can switch personalities depending on the situation, and the Servant is accompanied by the eight Dog Warriors as their familiars. If Kyokutei Bakin reaches their Third Ascension, the spirit of Fusehime takes over Michi's body who is then accompanied by the dog familiar Yatsufusa.
Media related toKyokutei Bakin at Wikimedia Commons
