Breve historia de Japón Quotes

“Los críticos ven en los poemas la expresión de los sentimientos naturales humanos que prevalecían en el país antes de la incorporación de los ideales confucianos de corrección y moderación.”
― Mikiso Hane, Breve historia de Japón

“The life of austerity and frugality that was the old samurai ideal was not adhered to in the years of Tokugawa peace. The samurai’s income was fixed in terms of rice stipends but their expenses grew as they adopted a less austere lifestyle. They tended to live in fine houses and wear quality clothes. Many pursued hedonistic lives attending kabuki performances or frequenting expensive brothels and patronizing “geishas.”
― Mikiso Hane, Japan: A Short History

“For the haiku to be effective, Donald Keene explains that there should be two electric poles between which the spark leaps. For example, “The ancient pond. A frog leaps in. The Sound of the water.”
― Mikiso Hane, Japan: A Short History

“Haiku – a seventeen syllable poem – also emerged as a popular form of poetry among the townspeople. Its composition and appreciation were not limited to the townspeople. The greatest haiku poet, Matsuo Bashō (1644–94), a member of the samurai class, wandered around the countryside as a Buddhist monk.”
― Mikiso Hane, Japan: A Short History

“The most significant cultural development in the Tokugawa period was the culture of the townspeople. The creative energy of the townspeople was manifested in all areas – prose fiction, haiku poetry, kabuki theatre, woodblock printing, and ceramics.”
― Mikiso Hane, Japan: A Short History