Abstract
Kotan Chronicles by Genzō Sarashina takes the reader into the lives of the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido, and their interaction with Japanese settlers in the 1920s and 1930s, a period when the traditional world of the kotan, or Ainu village, was being destroyed by the rapid development of the island. With a distinctive and powerful artistic voice, vividly captured in Nadine Willems‘s translation, the poems probe this extraordinary cultural encounter in Japan’s far north, depicting both the beauty of the Hokkaido landscape and the back-breaking work required to survive there in an era of economic hardship. Kotan Chronicles constitutes an exceptional witness of its times.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Tokyo & London |
| Publisher | Isobar Press |
| Number of pages | 108 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-4-907359-19-5, 978-4-907359-20-1 |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2017 |
Keywords
- Japan
- Poetry
- Anarchism
- Ainu
Profiles
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Nadine Willems
- School of History and Art History - Associate Professor in Japanese History
- East Centre: UEA Centre for the Study of East Central Europe and the Former Soviet Space - Member
- Heritage and History - Member
- Centre for Japanese Studies - Member
Person: Research Group Member, Research Centre Member, Academic, Teaching & Research