I specialize in modern Japanese literature and currently undertake research on the history of literature during the Meiji era. This was the time of many novelists such as Shimei Futabatei, Ogai Mori, and Ichiyo Higuchi. The scope of my research is not limited to writers, but also includes people who influenced them, such as political commentators Soho Tokutomi and Shigetaka Shiga as well as Christian thinker Kanzo Uchimura.

Interestingly, up until the first half of the Meiji era, novels were generally dismissed as low-class reading. The exception was political novels, which were read by intellectuals. After the turbulent times at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, there was a period of intensified political movements, such as the movement for freedom and people’s rights.

It was against this backdrop that politics became an issue of concern to intellectuals, and Soho Tokutomi issued “Kokumin no Tomo (The Nation’s Friend),” the pioneering general interest magazine. The magazine published “Maihime (The Dancing Girl)” by Ogai Mori and other novels of the New School, breathing new life into the prevalent situation. As a result, novels began to be seen as high-class literature that could be appreciated by intellectuals.

Raicho Hiratsuka was also influenced by literature from the Meiji era

Soho Tokutomi also actively wrote literary critiques and discussed issues, including those of ideology and religion. Centered on the younger generation, more and more people came to think of literature as something interesting and saw writing literature as having a significant impact on society. This led to a growing craze for literature.

Doppo Kunikida, who was a political youth, also set his heart on the path of literature after being influenced by people like Soho Tokutomi. As many other writers also followed a similar course, I am digging through materials from that time to investigate such facts.

The materials I look at are not limited to literary works, but also include newspapers, magazines, and other such sources. The craze for literature also influenced politics, and I also study materials that contain episodes about politicians and activists. For example, Raicho Hiratsuka was an activist who fought to secure women’s rights during the Taisho and Showa eras, and it is possible to discern from several sources that she was influenced by literature from the Meiji era.

Knowing the history of literature leads to an understanding of our soul’s history

My research revolves around deep reading and copying materials and extracting passages of interest. It can be monotonous and tedious work, but there are times when I discover stunning facts. Such moments make me happy as I feel that, “Right now, I am the only person in the world who knows this.” Such discoveries also lead to other, subsequent ones, and I feel glad in working somberly when I can explain phenomena using even clearer terms.

The mainstream practice in research on modern Japanese literature is to focus on a single writer or their works. In this sense, my research—which looks at the history of literature—is unusual with only a few experts. I hope to carry on my research all the more because of this reason.

Literature influences many fields, such as politics, ideology, art, and religion. Knowing the history of literature leads to an understanding of our soul’s history. This is why I hope people in other fields will also read my academic papers, and also why I place importance on making the scope of my research something that can be conveyed to many people.

Going forward, I hope to study the theme of “confessions.” I want to try discussing autobiographical novels from the Taisho era. Autobiographical novels depict the author’s experiences and mental states with the author as the protagonist. There are people who criticize autobiographical novels as antisocial expressions, but there are more than a few disruptive autobiographical novels that challenge old morals. I hope to explore this point to see if I can find new discoveries.

The book I recommend

“Musashino”(The Musashi Plain)
by Doppo Kunikida, Shincho Bunko

This is a collection of selected short stories by Doppo Kunikida. These stories are overflowing with his intention to revamp conventional poetic expression. I was moved when I read this book in my third year at university. The desire to understand Doppo’s works better than anyone else led me to embark on my research.

Interviewed: November 2023