Jakucho Setouchi
Jakucho Setouchi | |
---|---|
Born | Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan | 15 May 1922
Occupation | Writer |
Genre | Novels |
Notable works | Kashin, Natsu no Owari, Hana ni Toe |
Jakucho Setouchi (瀬戸内 寂聴, Setouchi Jakuchō, born May 15, 1922), formerly Harumi Setouchi (瀬戸内 晴美, Setouchi Harumi),[1] is a Buddhist nun, writer, and activist.[2][3] Setouchi is noted for her biographical novels written as first-person narratives.[4] She won the 2006 International Nonino Prize in Italy.[5]
Early career[]
Setouchi was born in Tokushima, Tokushima Prefecture to a family that dealt in the sale of religious goods.[3] She attended Tokyo Woman's Christian University and graduated with a degree in Japanese literature. Setouchi married a foreign exchange student sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Beijing. She returned to Japan in 1946 with her daughter.[6] After a love affair with one of her husband's students, she left her house and got an official divorce before leaving for Tōkyō and in order to pursue a writing career.
Setouchi's first literary award reception for Kashin was criticized as pornography. Upon being awarded the in 1963 for Natsu no Owari, she proved herself as a writer.[3] She has also received one of Japan's more prestigious literary awards, the Tanizaki Prize for her novel Hana ni Toe in 1992.[6]
Ordination[]
In 1973 she took vows and became a Buddhist nun in the Tendai school of Buddhism. In 2007 she was installed as a nun at Chūson-ji, a temple in Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture, and received her name Jakuchō.[3] Her name means "silent, lonely listening."[2] At this time Setouchi also became a social activist, built a center for women, and became a spiritual advisor.[7] She is noted for her opposition to the death penalty in Japan.
The Tale of Genji[]
Setouchi's vernacular translation of The Tale of Genji from Classical Japanese was published in ten volumes in 1998. The translation used a contemporary voice of the Japanese language and emphasized the heroines of The Tale of Genji over its main character, Genji.[8] The novel was a best seller, and sold more than 2.1 million volumes.[6][9]
Works[]
- Joshidaisei Chu Airin (1957) Qu Ailing the Coed – received the Shinchosha Coterie Magazine Award
- Miren (1963) Lingering Affections
- Kiji (1963) Pheasant translated by Robert Huey in ISBN 978-4-77002-976-8
- Beauty in Disarray translated by Sanford Goldstein and Kazuji Ninomiya ISBN 978-0-80483-322-6
- Natsu no owari (1963?) The End of Summer translated by Janine Beichman ISBN 978-4-77001-746-8. A collection of linked stories detailing her own adulterous affair.
- Hana ni toe (1992?) Ask the Blossoms, a novelized biography of the classical poet-priest, Saigyo.
- Basho (2001) Places
Later career[]
Setouchi served as president of Tsuruga College in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, from 1988 to 1992.[6] She received the Japanese Order of Culture in 2006.[6]
Prizes[]
- 1962 for Natsu no Owari [3]
- 1992 Tanizaki Prize for Hana ni Toe [3]
- 2001 Noma Prize in literature for Basho[citation needed]
- 2006 Order of Culture of Japan [6]
- 2006 International Nonino Prize in Italy
References[]
- ^ Mulhern, Chieko Irie (1994). Japanese Women Writers: A Bio-critical Sourcebook. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 345. ISBN 9780313254864.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Harding, Christopher. Couched In Kindness: "Jakucho Setouchi: a revered nun and famous novelist " Aeon Magazine. .
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "瀬戸内 寂聴" [Jakucho Setouchi]. Nihon Jinmei Daijiten (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
- ^ "瀬戸内 寂聴" [Jakucho Setouchi]. Dijitaru Daijisen (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
- ^ https://premio.grappanonino.it/en/winner/harumi-setouchi/
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "瀬戸内 寂聴" [Jakucho Setouchi]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 153301537. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
- ^ Watanabe, Kazuko (1986). "Writing as political strategy: Asian women's writing". Feminist Issues. Springer-Verlag. 6 (2): 41–52. doi:10.1007/BF02685642. S2CID 143470431.
- ^ Kristof, Nicholas D. (May 28, 1999). "The Nun's Best Seller: 1,000-Year-Old Love Story". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. 4.
- ^ Walker, James. Big in Japan: "Jakucho Setouchi: Nun re-writes The Tale of Genji," Archived 2009-04-26 at the Wayback Machine Metropolis. No. 324.
External links[]
- 1922 births
- Japanese writers
- Japanese Buddhist nuns
- 20th-century Buddhist nuns
- 21st-century Buddhist nuns
- Living people
- People from Tokushima (city)
- Tokyo Woman's Christian University alumni