Snow Country Tales: Life in the Other Japan

by Suzuki Bokushi

English, Japanese (translation)

Genres: Japan

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1986

Reviews

[Andrew Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so wonderful, and reading the story of how it came to be written and published and then finally translated is a good reminder of how tenuous the threads of literary memory and wisdom that come down to us are, and how much is left in the past. I am left with two dominant feelings: the strong impression that Bokushi is a very wise man (perhaps not about marriage), and a profound nostalgia for Hokuriku, for the snowy part of Japan I used to live in.

"We are caused great difficulty by the snow, but there are also some benefits it brings us. One is the convenience of sleds; snow makes crepe production possible; we can build snow houses, and, in the case of our amateur theatricals, the stage, the boxes, and the hanamichi ramp can all be made out of snow. The stalls and shelves of street-corner vendors are made from snow and called satsuya. Snow assists in the capture of birds and beasts. Snow-buried houses keep out the cold. In the snow that remains in the mountain valleys even in summer we can pack fish and fowl to prevent them from spoiling. The snow feeds the rivers and streams. If I went into detail, the list would be much longer. All of this only leads us to conclude that there is nothing among the myriad of things of heaven and earth that should be shunned-- except for the evil of man."

"The wolfishness of man is far more terrible and hateful than that of real wolves. Men who give themselves the appearance of honest persons but inside are full of insatiable greed we call 'wolf men' (okami mono), and a mother-in-law who treats her daughter-in-law badly is an 'old wolf woman' (okami baba). Well they might be able to hide the wolfishness in their hearts; yet the wise man's eye still sees the truth's reflection. Wolves! Wolves! How terrible, how disgraceful! Be on guard against wolves!"

[Floris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieses Buch ist prall gefüllt mit hübschen Geschichten allerlei Genren, von Mythologie bis Kulturanthropologie, von Geografie bis Linguistik, die die historische Provinz an der Westküste Japans Echigo betreffen. Hokuetsu Seppu wurde ursprünglich zwischen 1835 und 1842 veröffentlicht, und ist gleich ein Bestseller geworden. Mit Recht, da es einen einzigartigen Einblick in das „Schneeland“ Japans gibt.

Die Ausgabe vom Verlag Diederichs aus 1989 ist reich illustriert, mit vielen lebendigen Blockdrucken aus der ursprünglichen Ausgabe, ergänzt mit einigen schönen schwarz-weiß Fotos. Dazu gibt es auch viele erklärende Notizen. Die Geschichte der Übersetzerin ist auch sehr spannend, da sie während des Kriegs als deutsche Witwe in Japan allein an dieser Übersetzung gearbeitet hat.

Die Thematik und das Tempo des Buches ist auf keinen Fall gleichmäßig: auf ein mehrseitiges Kapitel über einen lokalen Mönch kann plötzlich ein Einzelabsatz über Schneefall im Frühling folgen. Manche Geschichten sind auch interessanter als anderen. Deswegen sollte ein solches Buch vielleicht eher durchgeblättert als vom Anfang bis Ende gelesen werden.

[Antonella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro denso di informazioni su quella parte del Giappone ricoperta dalla neve per 8-9 mesi all’anno. Dalle difficoltà di vivere coperti dalla coltre bianca alle varie abitudini, dalle superstizioni e credenze alle descrizioni di momenti gioiosi e di festa, i racconti delle vicende dei vari paesi e un certo stile documentaristico, questo libro racconta davvero tutto quello che c’è da sapere di quelle regioni del Sol Levante.
Può risultare un po’ pesante (in alcuni casi ripetitivo) se letto tutto di seguito, ma preso a piccole dosi o come indagine di quelle zone (magari per delle ricerche o come studio) risulta piacevole e interessante, sicuramente si scopre qualcosa di nuovo!
Belle le illustrazioni (in bianco e nero)