Full Description
First published in 1939 and extensively revised in 1943, The Book of the Dead, loosely inspired by the tale of Isis and Osiris from ancient Egypt, is a sweeping historical romance that tells a gothic tale of love between a noblewoman and a ghost in eighth-century Japan. Its author, Orikuchi Shinobu, was a well-received novelist, distinguished poet, and an esteemed scholar. He is often considered one of the fathers of Japanese folklore studies, and The Book of the Dead is without a doubt the most important novel of Orikuchis career-and it is a book like no other. Here, for the first time, is the complete English translation of Orikuchis masterwork, whose vast influence is evidenced by multiple critical studies dedicated to it and by its many adaptations, which include an animated film and a popular manga. This translation features an introduction by award-winning translator Jeffrey Angles discussing the historical background of the work as well as its major themes: the ancient origins of the Japanese nation, the development of religion in a modernizing society, and the devotion necessary to create a masterpiece. Also included are three chapters from The Mandala of Light by Japanese intellectual historian Ando Reiji, who places the novel and Orikuchis thought in the broader intellectual context of early twentieth-century Japan. The Book of the Dead focuses on the power of faith and religious devotion, and can be read as a parable illustrating the suffering an artist must experience to create great art. Readers will soon discover that a great deal lies hidden beneath the surface of the story; the entire text is a modernist mystery waiting to be decoded.
Contents
Contents
Note about Japanese Names
Bringing the Dead to Life: Translator's Introduction
Jeffrey Angles
The Book of the Dead
The Book of the Dead
Orikuchi Shinobu
Glossary of Nouns, Place Names, and People Mentioned in the Novel
Essays from The Mandala of Light by And Reiji
Unraveling the Mysteries of Shisha no sho (The Book of the Dead)
The Mandala of Light: On the First Version of Shisha no sho (The Book of the Dead)
The Revolution of Religion in the Meiji Period: The Origins of Fuji Musen
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
