Japanese Literature

In this third piece, I turn to Yukio Mishima. He was queer (or at least MSM, a man who had sex with men), a sad boy, a fascist, a modern samurai, and a critical thinker. His often contested legacy complicates how we understand the intersection of queerness, ultranationalism, and far-right politics in Japan.

In Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day, a system of metaphors built around objects such as silverware, corridors, and banquet halls constructs a paradox of existence in which the butler Stevens dissolves his humanity in the pursuit of professional dignity. Silverware, as the material embodiment of the butler’s spirit, and the sacred ritual of its polishing—alongside the meticulous spatial order of corridors and other domestic spaces—together weave a disciplinary network of professional myth. This transforms Stevens’s sense of self-worth into a mechanical gleam and order akin to that of objects. Yet as silverware becomes historical evidence of Nazi complicity, and as the spatial order of Darlington Hall is restructured by an American businessman, both elements metaphorically expose the hollowness of professional dignity. The rise and fall of this system of metaphors not only deconstructs the emotional void Stevens conceals beneath the identity of the “great butler,” but also reflects the crisis of British cultural identity in the postcolonial era. When silverware is reduced to a historical relic and spaces of power are reshaped by the new world order, the individual’s adherence to "English dignity" becomes, like a drooping curtain, the last fig leaf of a fading empire.

Mehmet Rauf is one of the most significant writers of the “Modern Turkish Literature”. He started to write in the Servet-i Funun period and achieved great success particularly with his novel Eylul. Mehmet Rauf's short story, “Verven” is also interesting due to the fact of being one of the first novels making a correlation between the sense of smell and the feeling of love. In the present study, compact information is given about the story-telling aspect of Mehmet Rauf and then the story is analysed in terms of “teĢrih-i ruh” (psychological dissection) which occupies a significant place in Mehmet Rauf's conception of literature. While psychological dissection is carried out in “Verven”, techniques that are currently called “psychological analysis”, “quoted monologue/direct free speech” and “narrated monologue/combined speech” are analysed with examples in the story. Afterwords “Verven” is converted into the Lâtin alphabet.

This book examines the public perception, scholarly reception, and critical analysis of Japan through translations of its literature and artistic endeavors within the temporal frame and geopolitical confines of the countries that were either occupied or left under the influence of the Soviet Union after World War II.

By engaging with literary translations from Japanese into languages such as Romanian, Russian, Czech, Hungarian, German, and Slovenian, alongside art exhibits and performance shows focused on Japan, this book provides an original contribution to the field of Japanese studies in Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet space. In addition, by offering a multifaceted, multilingual, and multicultural approach to the diverse realities of countries from the former communist bloc, the book sheds light on the unique relationships they created with literary and artistic Japan, as well as the unique ways in which they attempted to lift the Iron Curtain and gaze at the Asian Other, a subject of both fascination and identification.

Approaching the subject of Japanese culture through the unique lens of former communist bloc nations, this book will appeal to students and scholars of Japanese studies and Japanese literature, particularly in the context of translations.

本研究は、ブラジルと日本における三島由紀夫『憂国』研究の傾向を把握し、両国でどのような方法で研究が進められているか、類似点や相違点に着目しながら示すことを目的としている。まずはブラジルにどのような研究があるかを調べ、論文の内容を検討した。その結果、明らかになったのは、ブラジルの研究者はアプローチとして『憂国』の背景を分析する傾向にあることである。主人公らの文化的、行動的特徴に焦点が当てられているのである。一方、日本の研究を把握する際には、最新の論文を取り上げて検討した。日本の論文では文体の分析が中心であった。本研究は、ブラジルの研究者が日本の作品についてどのように考えているかという点について、いくつか新しい情報を提示することができた。これらが日本の研究者に生かされることが、両国の研究にとって有益ではないかと考える。

This essay examines the contested landscape of contemporary Chinese She-SF as a queer utopia-an intricate blend of literary genre, highly gendered imaginings, and socio-cultural blueprints. The first section explores and defines She-SF in its socio-historical context, providing a brief introduction of the She-SF panorama. The second part introduces two crucial concepts: China's "new women" and "queer utopia." The term "new women" is derived from Tani Barlow's analysis of the historical catachresis nüxing 女性 and the intricate historical context surrounding this concept in modern China, as well as the concept of "queer utopia" built on queerness found in Virginia Woolf's endorsement of "androgyny." I connect these two concepts to situate She-SF within the realm of Chinese feminist development and Western queer theory, complicating our understanding of Chinese new women.

Senryū is a Japanese short poem written in 5-7-5 syllables and reflects the various aspects of human life in a humorous or satirical way. Every year, numerous senryū competitions covering various topics are held in Japan. Daiichi Life Insurance Company's senryū competition (サラっと一句！わたし の川柳コンクール/Saratto ikku! Watashi no Senryū Konkūru) (old name: サ ラリーマン川柳(Sararīman Senryū/Salaryman Senryū)) is the most popular and longest-running competition in Japan. In this competition, people express what they experience daily and the difficulties they encounter in business, etc. So, in the present study, the poems compiled from Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company's Senryū Competition in the years 1990-2020 related to family relations will be analyzed from the perspective of the Superiority Theory of Humor. This theory can be identified as a feeling oneself superior to others' mistakes and misfortunes. In conclusion, the Superiority Theory of Humor is seen in most of the senryū poems. The topics are behind the technology and trends, which are below the beauty standards of society, such as being ugly and fat. The reader feels superior by experiencing a sudden victory that he/she has not experienced the above-mentioned bad situations himself/herself.

This article studies the archetype of the persona in Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, The Remains of the Day (1989). It deals with the journey that the protagonist Mr. Stevens takes through the unconscious in search of his real self, in which his true persona is revealed. The article mentions, also, the archetype of shadow, which is considered, in most cases, inseparable from the persona archetype. The article clarifies to what extinct the absence of a real self leads to distorted archetypes. The article uses Carl Jung's theory of individuation, concentrating mainly on the idea of archetypes. Thanks to memory, a real sense of self, and thus persona is discovered. The persona, in this article, is discussed as one of the astonishing abilities of the unconscious that enables people to hide a lot about their real selves behind it, reminding the reader, therefore, not to be cheated by the appearances.

This paper reads Murakami's novel as a postwar critique of Japanese interwar conduct, arguing that A Wild Sheep Chase is also an expression of an idealized Japanese identity, a conservative scheme that resolves opposites into an unchanging unity. In the novel, this unified resolution accounts for the persistence across generations of more extreme forms of Japanese nationalist identification. It is significant that the link between Japanese colonial excesses on the continent and that generation of postwar pacifists is made possible by the indigenous presence of an Ainu character. The paper concludes by noting various categories destabilized by Murakami. Murakami Haruki(b. １ ９ ４ ９)invites readers to consider the possibilities of challenging the edifice of state power. By depicting characters engaged in physical struggles with the subconscious of the Japanese national psyche, Murakami highlights the persistence of the more virulent forms of Japanese na-＊ Associate Professor, Faculty of Humanities, Fukuoka University 福岡大学人文論叢第４ ３巻第２号 ( 1 ) -391tionalism that fuelled the Japanese colonial project in East Asia. The presentation of sustained and violent confrontations is one device for politicizing the narratives of Japanese novels: the premise of cultural nationalism that assumes it is the harmony of Japanese culture and the beauty of the four seasons defines Japanese-ness is dismissed by the comment that 'we Japanese seem to live from war to war.' １ In addition to presenting intensely physical and moral struggles, Murakami Haruki also juxtaposes the details of the everyday with the social trends of the time. Imported youth culture is central to capturing that pulse: Those were the days of the Doors, the Stones, the Byrds, Deep Purple, and the Moody Blues. The air was alive, even as everything seemed poised on the verge of collapse, waiting for a push. She and I would trade books, talk endlessly, drink cheap whisky, engage in unremarkable sex. You know, the stuff of everyday. Meanwhile, the curtain was creaking down on the shambles of the sixties. ２ In commenting on the ability of Murakami to blend deep psychology, surreal magic that teases the neat line around imagination separating the real from the artificial, formulaic variation, and historical revision with political concerns, Mathew Stretcher notes: Kawamoto Saburo ¯said in １ ９ ８ ５ that Murakami was a "totally un-political" writer whose works nevertheless always made us think of politics. This is one way to phrase the matter. Another would be to say that Murakami is a totally political writer who always pretends he is not. In that regard his literary style is capable of obscuring the political content of his work, but only so far; his political agenda never fails to emerge at some point. ３ ( 2 )

The Onimusha series is a historical survival action game set in the Sengoku and Azuchi-momoyama Periods in medieval Japan. The original plan was to complete the trilogy, but due to better-than-expected receptions from users, sequels have continued to be released, with a total of approximately 8.7 million copies sold worldwide to date. The concept of the game is that samurai slay demons, however, the control system follows that of the horror-survival action game the Resident Evil series set in modern-day America, and the game is also characterised by its strong reflection of modern elements, with today's actors playing real historical characters. In Onimusha 3: Demon Siege, the third game in the series, a twist of space-time occurs and a protagonist Samanosuke Akechi travels back in time to Paris in 2004, while a French DGSE officer Jacques Blanc, travels from contemporary France to Kyoto in 1582, with the heroes from medieval Japan and modern Europe, the game depicted a novel story in which heroes from medieval Japan and modern Europe fight together in their respective eras. In this way, it provided an excellent opportunity for the masses with no interest in Japanese culture or medieval studies to be introduced to Japanese medieval history, as it dealt with real medieval Japanese characters and weapons in the modern setting. On the other hand, since the release of this game, many games, comics, animations and films have been released in which contemporary figures have travelled back in time to medieval Japan and are included alongside real historical figures, etc., and the social impact of this game is significant. In this paper, using Onimusha as a case study, the stereotype of the Japanese Medieval times in global society and its influence on historical subcultures will be discussed from the concept of time and space.

はじめに
「月日は百代の過客にして、行かう年も又旅人なり」
この句は、江戸時代の俳人・松尾芭蕉が書いた『奥の細道』の冒頭を飾る、あまりにも有名な言葉である。しかし、この美しい文章の背後に隠されている深い哲学的意味を、現代の私たちはどれほど理解しているだろうか。
芭蕉がこの句に込めた思想は、単なる文学的表現を超えて、17世紀に体験した旅の中で見つけた深遠な人生哲学なのである。それは、現代の私たちが忙しい日常の中で見失いがちな、極めて重要なメッセージを含んでいる。
現代社会は、スマートフォンやSNSに追われ、時間に追われ、効率性を重視する文化の中にある。私たちは「今この瞬間」を十分に味わうことなく、常に次の予定や未来の心配に心を奪われている。そんな現代だからこそ、300年以上前の芭蕉の智慧が、新鮮な驚きとともに私たちの心に響くのではないだろうか。
今回は、この芭蕉の言葉を現代のシステム思考という新しい視点から分析することで、古典的な智慧が現代においても変わらぬ価値を持っていることを探求していきたい。システム思考とは、複雑な問題や現象を、個別の要素ではなく、要素同士の関係性や全体の構造として理解しようとするアプローチである。この手法を用いることで、芭蕉の哲学の奥深さと現代性をより明確に浮き彫りにすることができるだろう。
芭蕉の『奥の細道』は、単なる旅行記でも、単なる俳句集でもない。そこには、人生とは何か、時間とは何か、美とは何かという根本的な問いに対する、詩人の魂からの答えが込められている。そして、その答えは今もなお、私たちの心の奥深くに響く普遍的な真理を含んでいるのである。

As more and more computer-generated forms of art are evident within media venues such as film and television, the degree to which they might eclipse the human-made "fine arts" or "crafts" in efficacy and popularity is called into question. This study argues that for works to be considered forms of art or craft in the traditional sense, they must resonate with the viewer or user in a manner that transcends mere practicality or visual appeal. The appreciation of art may be felt on a highly emotional level that seems to defy words, and while these experiences may evoke deeply personal responses within an individual, there are also references to worldviews traditionally shared by others within the culture of origin.

Michel Foucault in his book Aesthetics, Method, and Epistemology notes with reference to Jorge Luis Borges’ work how language forms an invisible labyrinth of repetition while becoming its own mirror as it places “the infinite outside of itself”. In Haruki Murakami’s The Strange Library we are faced with a narrative that not only draws our attention to the fictionality of the text as a language game but also the variance of interpretive freedom it offers to the reader. Thus it essentially raises the question of authorship as well as the human condition of being always already inside the labyrinth of language, culture and discipline. The aim of this paper is to explore the themes of discipline, imprisonment, and textuality as implicated by the text The Strange Library as well as to discuss the problematics involved with the relationship between the author, the text and the reader with reference to selected writings of Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes and Tzvetan Todorov.

Poetry and Translations by: Mat Chiappe, Alvin Wong, Zoria Petkoska, Taylor Mignon, Sarah Caulfield, Andrew, David Severn, Jordan A. Y. Smith, Simon Scott, Andrew Hanson, Carl Walsh, Alan Ojeda (tranlsated by Griselda Perrota), Seira Duncan, Kana Hozoji, Kathleen Hellen, Misumi Mizuki (translated by Andrew Gebert), Nagae Yūki (translated by Jordan A. Y. Smith), Terayama Shūji (translated by Marc Sebastian-Jones), Matthew Zuckerman, Trish Shishikura, Christian Hernández, Barbara Summerhawk, Ibaragi Noriko (translated by Peter Robinson and Andrew Houwen).

Reviews of works by Tanikawa Shuntaro and Miho Nonaka.

Art by Simon Kalajdjiev (cover), Erica Ward, & Apolo Cacho.

Available at major online stores such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more.

Order link: https://www.topojo.com/product-page/tokyo-poetry-journal-volume-11-tokyo-city-slice

To read the book review: https://www.topojo.com/post/shuntar%C5%8D-tanikawa-the-art-of-being-alone-poems-1952-2009-review-from-tpj-v11

ISBN: 978-1-957704-03-6

t h e c o a s t o f J a p a n ' s T o h o k u r e g i o n o n M a r c h 1 1 , 2 0 1 1 , c a u s i n g c a t a s t r o p h i c d a m a g e t h r o u g h b o t h t h e e a r t h q u a k e a n d t h e e n s u i n g t s u n a m i . Wha t d i s t i n g u i s h e s t h i s d i s a s t e r f r om o t h e r s , h o w e v e r , i s t h e r a d i o a c t i v e c o n t am i n a t i o n t h a t f o l l o w e d t h e s e v e r e a c c i d e n t a t t h e F u k u s h i ma Da i i c h i N u c l e a r P l a n t . A s R a c h a e l Di Ni t t o d e s c r i b e s i t , t h i s e v e n t c o n s t i t u t e d a " t r i p l e d i s a s t e r . " P o s t -3 . 1 1 l i t e r a t u r e e x a m i n e s n o t o n l y t h e e a r t h q u a k e a n d t s u n a m i b u t a l s o r a d i o a c t i v e c o n t am i n a t i o n , a l o n g s i d e c r i t i c a l r e f l e c t i o n s o n t h e n u c l e a r i n d u s t r y a n d n u c l e a r t e c h n o l o g y a s c e n t r a l t h e m e s ( D i Ni t t o 2 0 1 9 ) . R a d i o a c t i v e c o n t am i n a t i o n i s f r e q u e n t l y a n a l y z e d t h r o u g h t h e l e n s o f e c o c r i t i c i s m , p a r t i c u l a r l y wi t h i n t h e f r a m e w o r k o f " t o x i c d i s c o u r s e . " Th i s t e r m w a s f i r s t i n t r o d u c e d b y L a w r e n c e B u e l l , w h o d e f i n e s i t a s " t o x i c r h e t o r i c , c o n c e i v i n g i t a s a n i n t e r l o c k e d s e t o f t o p o i w h o s e f o r c e d e r i v e s p a r t l y f r om t h e e x i g e n c i e s o f a n a n x i o u s l y i n d u s t r i a l i z i n g culture[ …]"(Buell 6 3 9 ) . T h e a d v a n c e m e n t o f

Exploring the extensive work of Nelly Naumann and the folklorist Yanagita Kunio in the investigation of Jomon clay fertility figurines, including the Jomon ‘venus’. The work in English on Japanese prehistory is remarkably low, considering it has one of the world’s richest archaeological records; and this paper explores some of the themes of Japanese tangible cultural heritage and artifacts - which pertain to the richness and importance of the region for scholarly inquiry.

Corpora are argued to enhance language knowledge and improve translation quality. For this reason, they have been increasingly used in academic settings. This paper deals with corpus-driven translation training at tertiary level and investigates the quality of the corpus-based translations of academic abstracts vs non-corpus-based translations. For this purpose, Italian Bachelor students enrolled in the third year of a course in Translation Studies participated in a translation project. The students were divided into two groups. The first group translated an academic abstract from their native language (Italian) into English by consulting the language resources they were familiar with, i.e., online multilingual platforms and online bilingual dictionaries. The second group used a bilingual dictionary indicated by the lecturer and a pre-compiled DIY (do-it-yourself) corpus of academic abstracts addressing translation studies, English as a second language and/or as a lingua franca. The paper finds that the translations performed by the first group of students had some inaccuracies, which were mainly concerned with word order, collocations, redundancies, and grammatical shortcomings. Conversely, the second group of students performed better, although, in some cases, influences from the students’ first language could be noticed. As a whole, the second group outperformed the first group, as their translations contained fewer grammatical and collocational issues.

Reading, writing, and literary engagements are often assumed to be solitary practices, but looking at the places where books are sold and discussed, and amateur literature written, reveals the relational side to this creative engagement. This article presents an ethnographic study of haiku composition in Booktown Jimbōchō in Tokyo, Japan, an area known for its literary bookstores, to explore how the social practices of literature unfold. Sketching the social life of a bar in Jimbōchō, I explore collaborative creativity through an ethnographic study of a bimonthly haiku meeting that takes place in this social space.

In every man's memory there are things which he does not divulge to everyone, but really only to friends. And there are those things which he doesn't even divulge to friends, but really only to himself, and then as secret. And finally, there are those which a man is afraid to divulge even to himself…" /Dostoevsky/

This research paper delves into the complex interplay between Haruki Murakami's literary oeuvre and the concept of diaspora, examining how his novels articulate themes of displacement, alienation, and the search for identity. Murakami's characters often navigate liminal spaces-both physical and psychological-reflecting the diasporic experience of existing between cultures, histories, and identities. Through an in-depth analysis of the novels such as Kafka on the Shore, Norwegian Wood, this paper explores how Murakami uses elements of surrealism, memory, and existentialism to portray the dislocation and fragmentation inherent in diasporic life. By situating Murakami's work within broader discussions of global literature and transnationalism, the study illuminates the ways in which his narratives resonate with the universal human experience of searching for belonging in a constantly shifting world. Ultimately, this paper argues that Murakami's portrayal of diaspora transcends mere geographical or cultural displacement, offering a nuanced exploration of the psychological and emotional landscapes of individuals caught between worlds.

This paper examines the evolution of societal perceptions and role of women in Japan, particularly in the context of patriarchal ideologies, social and cultural constructs. Drawing on various scholarly perspectives this endeavour explores significant shifts in perceptions and treatment of women in Murakami's novel After Dark. Through his novel, Murakami aims to explore the male dominance and female resistance in Japanese society, highlighting the ways in which women have been marginalised and relegated as secondary to men due to the ingrained customs. The study also looks at how women respond to these opinions within the family and society. Using literary analysis, this work contributes to a deeper understanding of the ongoing struggle for gender equality and the quest for female authority by encapsulating the complex interplay of historical, societal, and literary dimensions shaping the status and agency of women in Japan. Murakami delineates the intricacies of societal expectations, interpersonal relationships, and individual autonomy by portraying women with multifaceted identities, each navigating their own struggles and aspirations. This study portrays the female confinement in Japanese tradition which took several years to gain recognition but has since become a distinctive metaphor of the evolving literary period.

A hazai történetírás csekély figyelmet szentelt a brit orientációjú hírszerzési és kém elhárítási ügyek vizsgálatára. A témával kapcsolatban érdemes megemlítenünk Bán D. András monográfiáját,2 amely a magyar-brit diplomáciai kapcsolatokat vizsgálta 1938 és 1941 között, valamint ne felejtsük el Czettler Antal opus magnumát sem, amely egészen az 1944es német megszállásig vizsgálta Magyarország külpolitikáját.3 Külön kiemelendő Pritz Pál Az objektivitás mítosza című munkája,4 amelyben Barcza György emlékiratát vizsgálja. A brit titkosszolgálatok korabeli tevékenységével kap csolatban a vizsgált időszakot tekintve kevés magyar nyelvű feldolgozás született.5 Faragó László újságíró és történész a The Game Of The Foxes: The Untold Story of Ger man Espionage in the United States and Great Britain During World War ii6 című könyvében azt állítja, hogy újlaki Utassy Loránd értékes és kulcsfontosságú jelentéseket jutatott el Berlinbe. Sajnos a kötetet nem látták el olyan jegyzetappará tussal, amelyre nyugodt szívvel lehetne hivatkoznunk. Végül Révész Béla7 könyvét sem szabad elfeledni, aki kötetében akkurátusan vizsgálja a brit kémelhárítás törté netét és jelentős ügyeit, ebből kifolyólag a munkája hiánypótlónak számít, de Wieser Jenő rádióbeszerzési tevékenységéről nem ejt szót. Az alábbi írás Wieser Jenő életútjának bemutatása mellett kísérletet tesz, hogy a brit titkosszolgálatok által feltételezett kémtevékenységét bemutassa az egykori 1 = = Köszönettel tartozom mindazoknak, akik a tanulmány korábbi változataihoz értékes megjegyzéseket fűztek: Joó Andrásnak, Kovács Zoltán Andrásnak, Szécsényi Andrásnak, Takács Tibornak.

In her extensive corpus of essays, tanka and prose poems, Yosano Akiko clearly articulates her interest in Heian literature and ancient and modern feminine voices. To consolidate these tropes, Yosano repeatedly used modernity and a certain wit pertaining to her own embodied experience of life. In the intricate web of these multimodal and multi-layered works, which interweave past and present, interiority and sociality, the kimono emerges as a particularly eloquent motif. It is repeatedly present throughout her career, from her seminal volume of poems Midaregami to the Hyakusenkai exhibition pamphlets published by Takashimaya Department Store. By following these kimono threads, we can see that Akiko delicately yet potently delineates the complexity of the intimate and social meanings of the garment, both for her, the narrator in her poems and her readership. This article explicates the many references Akiko makes to kimono, through an analysis of specific pieces that effectively combine sentimental and physical experiences, formulating the conceptions of somewhat classic allusive beauty and more modern individuality, of Akiko herself as well as of the subjects she describes. Through this analysis, the importance of fashion, reality effect, comparative analysis and literary dress in the construction and expression of Meiji, Taishō, and early Shōwa femininity is revealed and contextualized.

Entre otros, hay dos recursos narrativos para la construcción retórica de la ambigüedad narrativa; el “narrador no fiable” y el “narratario”. Este artículo estudia la especificidad combinada de los dos procedimientos en el cuento “En un bosque” (1921) del escritor japonés Ryunosuke Akutagawa para hacer un acercamiento estético a la figura del in dubio pro reo y comprender que en la hermenéutica del juez hay un proceso de lectura e interpretación, distinto al literario, pero que pueden iluminarse comparativamente para reflexionar sobre las pruebas imperfectas de los testimonios en los tribunales y la ambigüedad literaria de los testimonios narrativos, sus respectivas naturalezas y condicionamientos.

This paper explores the development of haiku from its origins in 17th-century Japan to its contemporary forms in English-language poetry. Through an examination of classical works by Matsuo Bashō and Kobayashi Issa, as well as modern adaptations, this study considers how haiku has preserved its essence while adapting to new audiences and mediums. The paper also discusses the role of haiku in mindfulness practice and literary education.

As a result of the combined effect of different factors a political-ideological movement known as Turanism gained traction among certain circles of the Hungarian intellectual life in the first decades of the 20th century. On the pages of Turán, the official magazine of the Turanian Society in Hungary, one could often find information about Bulgarians regarded as one of the main representatives of the "Turanian peoples" in Europe. As a reaction against Turánʼs statements, Sándor Bonkáló, a leading Hungarian Slavist at that time, took issue with some of the main advocates (Péter Móricz, Alajos Paikert) of the Turanian origin of the Bulgarians. The present paper analyzes the debate between Bonkáló and his opponents, and focuses on the scientific arguments presented by both sides in it.

Reexamination of the “Yaoshijingshu” (S.2512, attributed titl) by an unknown author

　This paper focuses on Dunhuang manuscript S.2512 Yaoshijingshu （薬師経疏） (Commentary on the Bhaiṣajyaguru Sūtra, attributed title) to explore aspects of the belief in Bhaiṣajyaguru in early Chinese Buddhism. Departing from the perspective of Buddhist art history, I examine the canonical references and provide interpretations of the Yaoshijingshu from philological approach.
        Therefore, through the work of comparing the sūtras quoted in Yaoshijingshu, it becomes evident that the author of the commentary quoted the Buddha's body theory and the two kinds of adornment theory from WeimoYiji (Commentary of Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa-sūtra、維摩義記) by Jingyingsi  Huiyuan , and references of Jātaka stories from Dazhidulun（大智度論）. In addition, Yaoshijingshu seems to be aimed at a certain group of believers that anyone who believes in Buddha and listens to Buddha's preaching can be saved from evil deeds. The commentary also emphasized the theory of karma and exalted that practitioners should emulate the Buddha's previous lives by dedicating themselves to the practice of wisdom ( for self-improvement) and compassion (for the benefit of others).

This paper aims to analyze Death Stranding’s plot and gameplay mechanics to demonstrate how the video game and its protagonist, Sam, exhibit elements of absurdism as defined by Albert Camus. Death Stranding is not merely a video game but an intricate philosophical exploration of the human condition. Sam’s journey through an inherently absurd world allows players to vicariously experience existential sentiments through the video game’s narrative and ludic elements. As the story progresses, Sam’s quest resembles a Sisyphean struggle which engages players in an absurd procedural rhetoric. This absurdity is further enriched by allusions to Kobo Abe’s literary works. The referenced plays and short stories of Abe evoke tangible yet contradictory poetic visuals that capture the complexity of the human condition. The concepts of rope and stick, as defined by Abe, persist their paradoxical nature within Death Stranding, further emphasizing the video game’s absurdist themes. Through this analysis, Death Stranding is presented as a profound interactive medium that mediates existential and absurdist ideas, offering players a unique philosophical experience.

Este trabalho introduz um estudo da representação da Amazônia na literatura japonesa, tomando como exemplo o romance "Canção da Amazônia" (Amazon no uta), da escritora japonesa Fusako Tsunoda, publicado no Japão em 1965, adaptado para a televisão japonesa em 1979 e traduzido para o português em 1988. O trabalho encontra-se inserido no contexto da elaboração da Plataforma Shiori, cujo objetivo é a produção e divulgação de conteúdo ligado às relações Brasil-Japão através da literatura. O projeto foi desenvolvido e executado como produto de estágio pós-doutoral realizado no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras (PPGL) da UFAM de maio de 2023 a agosto de 2024. Este período diz respeito à elaboração da plataforma, que segue ativa, com publicações mensais (postagens realizadas entre os dias 15 e 25 de cada mês), contemplando estudos sobre diferentes textos, autores e épocas.
Palavras-chave: Amazônia. Literatura Japonesa. Intercâmbio literário.

Цукиока Ёситоси - автор, творивший на стыке двух эпох: он начал карьеру незадолго до эпохи Мэйдзи, в период Эдо. Творчество Ёситоси амбивалентно, он выделяется среди всех японских граверов того периода по темам и образам, которые выбирал: демоны, мифические существа и различные события (военные сражения и актуальные для того времени происшествия, которые публиковались в газетах и журналах). В связи с этим целью настоящего доклада является анализ влияния смены периодов на творчество японского художника Цукиоки Ёситоси.

In this paper, I adopt the manga One Piece by Eiichirō Oda as a theoretical object and a model in order to develop some theoretical remarks on semiosis. Firstly, I discuss Oda’s writing device of narrative repetition, that I frame as a figural process of retrospective fulfillment of sense where different stories interact. Then, I reconstruct the theme of 自由 (freedom) in the diegesis, on three different regimes of valorization: morality, sociopolitical power and nature. What emerges from the survey is that in the achievement of every declination of freedom actions and stories, whose combined effect is to renegotiate values, play a key role. I propose that freedom in One Piece is the condition for and the result of (re)creating one’s own 伝説 (legend), i.e. an enacted story, which makes action a semiopraxis. I therefore define a semiopraxis as an enunciate with a narrative structure which precedes its own actual enunciation, that can also remain forever virtual. I therefore claim that narrative repetitions in One Piece can be considered a depiction semiopraxis. Then, I focus on Oda’s characters whose concept is that of a trickster (most notably, the protagonist Monkey D. Luffy), as instances of the zero of a semiotic structure, which allows any transformation of values to take place. I conclude that One Piece can be considered an effort to delve into the ways through which comics can expose figurality, the capacity of a semiotic token to be both itself and other, and hence to free from any unilateral narration.

櫻井典夫、リュシアン= ロラン・クレルク共訳、貫塩喜蔵︵法枕︶著
﹃ アイヌの同化と先蹤︱︱先駆的先住民宣言﹄
Nukishio Kizô, Assimilation et vestiges des Aïnous: Manifeste précurseur autochtone, traduction du japonais par Sakurai Norio et Lucien-Laurent Clercq - 『日本研究』 No. 70（2025）pp. 277-281, ジェラルド・プルー

From being forced to exile at the age of twelve, to getting
assassinated by the Israeli Mossad at the age of thirty-six, Ghassan
Fayiz Kanafani’s life has stood as a testimony to the horrors
created by Israeli occupation. As a teenager, Kanafani became
more politically aware and joined the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) as its spokesperson and the editor
of its weekly magazine, Al-Hadaf. Palestinian journalist Rassem
Al-Madhoun was awestruck to witness the transformation of
Kanafani from having a fragile grasp of Arabic to one of the most
influential writers of the Arab World. Madhoun says, “He
extracted the language’s most beautiful expressions and became
one of its most captivating writers.” Men in the Sun by Kanafani
skillfully depicts the predicament of three Palestinian men who
emigrate to Kuwait in search of better living conditions, but die
tragically. The author deftly weaves the aspirations of the three
men into a poignant narrative that explores the cost the displaced
people have to pay in realizing their dreams. Their journey to
Kuwait depicts a dream of escape from their constrained status of
being a refugee to creating a new life. This article aims at shedding
light on the instances in Men In The Sun that depict the
“Devastation of Dreams,” a recurring theme in the novel.
KEYWORDS: Occupation, Resistance, Exile, Aspirations,
Homeland, Escape, Dream