"Shinobu Orikuchi: The Path of Secret Love"

2018/12/18

One major reason I aspired to attend Keio University at the age of 17 was that the poet-scholar Shinobu Orikuchi was active as a professor in the Department of Japanese Literature.

I liked Shinobu Orikuchi that much. I was deeply moved and drawn to his works, including "Kodai Kenkyu" (Ancient Studies), his novel "The Book of the Dead," and his travel poems.

Later, I had the opportunity to study in the Doctoral Programs at Kokugakuin University, Orikuchi's alma mater, and was involved in the revision, editing, and writing of bibliographical notes for the Complete Works of Shinobu Orikuchi.

I think I have wanted to write about him ever since I first encountered his work. Shinobu Orikuchi was a man of love. He was someone who placed the nobility of the loving soul at the center of his life, scholarship, and creative work. I truly wanted to write a romance novel with him as the protagonist.

I started with the scenery of the rivers and market towns of Osaka, where he was born and raised. I introduced his Aunt Ei, who loved him and protected him throughout his life with her warm wings.

In her youth, Aunt Ei went to Tokyo to become a female physician. Her enterprising spirit was deeply passed on to Shinobu.

I also depicted the people around Shinobu who influenced and helped him: his close friend and scholar of antiquity Yukichi Takeda; his ally Takashi Iba, who was active on the grand stage of the Shingeki (New Theater) movement led by Ogai Mori and Kaoru Osanai; Professor Shigematsu Mitsuya, who conveyed the splendor of the soul of love in "The Tale of Genji" to Shinobu; and Tekkan and Akiko Yosano, Katai Tayama, and Homei Iwano, whom the young Shinobu read with great emotion. And of course, Kunio Yanagita, the pioneer of folklore studies whom Shinobu admired.

Into Shinobu's words in the novel, I incorporated his unique inquiries into the history of Japanese literature and the spiritual beliefs of the Japanese people in an easy-to-understand way, including concepts such as "irogonomi" (amorousness), "kishu ryuritan" (the tale of the wandering noble), "marebito-gami" (visiting deity), and "kataribe" (storyteller).

While based on historical materials, I used fictional wings for scenes that delve into the depths of his heart. This is the true pleasure of a "novel."

Recently, with the rise of historical fiction, I felt it was a pity that only figures like Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu were so popular. Scholars and artists can also be the subjects of brilliant novels. I want people to use this as an entry point to open his works. In particular, the poet-scholar of love, Shinobu Orikuchi—who held many beautiful beloved figures in his heart and sometimes pursued them intensely—has flair and is very picturesque.

I put such ambitions into this work. I would be happy if you would pick it up.

"Shinobu Orikuchi: The Path of Secret Love"

Nobuko Mochida (Author)

Keio University Press

480 pages, 3,200 yen (excluding tax)

*Affiliations and job titles are as of the time of publication.