Behind the scenes: narrative and self-referentiality in Edo illustrated popular fiction

Abstract

This essay provides an introduction to and an annotated, illustrated translation of Atariyashita jihon-doiya (It's a hit! The ‘local book’ wholesaler), a kibyōshi (a genre of heavily illustrated fiction dating from the late 1700s and early 1800s) written and illustrated by Jippensha Ikku and published by Murataya Jirobei in 1802. Contemporary scholars have given It's a Hit low marks for individuality, especially when comparing this late kibyōshi with works by such masters as Koikawa Harumachi and Santō Kyōden. However, by examining both text and image in this and related works, one can see that It's a Hit proves distinctive in that author, publisher and others involved in the craft of production appear explicitly in the text, so that reader/viewers can gain direct access to their world. By interpreting the work from such a self-referential perspective, this study suggests that the work in fact plays with Ikku's self-effacing persona, and allows for a new approach to appreciating kibyōshi production as readers vicariously share the author's own experience. Later authors, including Santō Kyōden and Shikitei Sanba, followed up on Ikku's lead with their own self-referential works, revealing the composition process itself.

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