http://www.inspringitisthedawn.com/2010/11/japanese-gothictales-by-izumi-kyoka.html Friday, !

o"ember 0#, 2010

$apanese %othic &ales by 'zumi (y)ka *+&he ,urgery -oom+ and +&he .oly /an o0 /ount ()ya+1

Izumi Kyka ( ) was the pen name of Kytar Izumi (1873 1939), a Japanese author who wrote urin! the "ate #ei$i era an the ear"y %hwa perio s& 'e was known primari"y for his short stories an p"ays an ( e)e"ope a reputation for writin! a*out the !rotes+ue an the fantasti,(& -rawin! on (. o perio popu"ar fi,tion, fo"k"ore an /oh rama, more than ha"f of Kyka 0s works in,orporate some form of supernatura" e"ement&( 1nfortunate"y )ery "itt"e of his work has *een trans"ate into .n!"ish& 2our of his stories ha)e *een ,o""e,te into the *ook, Japanese Gothic Tales, trans"ate *y 3har"es %hiro Inouye& 4o ay, for the 3"assi,s 3ir,uit 2and o0 the -ising ,un: /eiji-era $apanese 3lassics tour, I0m !oin! to ta"k a*out the first two, 04he %ur!ery 5oom0, an 04he 'o"y #an of #ount Kya0&

&he ,urgery -oom (a"so ,a""e 04he 6peratin! 5oom0)

Kyka0s ear"iest stories were not )ery we"" re,ei)e *ut he fina""y a,hie)e some su,,ess an re,o!nition with 04he 6peratin! 5oom0& In this story, a *eautifu" 3ountess has *een *rou!ht to the hospita" so that the o,tor, a -o,tor 4akamine, ,ou" perform sur!ery on her& 'owe)er, the pro,ee in!s are ,omp"i,ate *y the fa,t that the 3ountess refuses to *e anaesthetize & 7hen presse on why e8a,t"y she won0t a""ow it, she ,onfesses, (I0)e *een keepin! a se,ret in my heart& 9n now I0m afrai the me i,ation wi"" make me re)ea" it&( Just what that se,ret is, an what happens ne8t thou!h, I ,an0t te"" you without spoi"in! the story& 7hen I first rea it, I a mit that it seeme a *it too a*rupt an is$ointe & .)en the f"ash*a,k, essentia""y to e8p"ain the se,ret, was +uite )a!ue& 'owe)er, "ookin! *a,k on it, it has a ,ertain poi!nan,y to it, a"on! with some powerfu", )isua" s,enes& 9n at $ust 1: pa!es I think it0s the kin of story that shou" *e rea a!ain an appre,iate more *y rea in! it throu!h with a *etter un erstan in! of what it0s a*out& &he .oly /an o0 /ount ()ya The Holy Man of Mount Kya is usua""y ,onsi ere Kyka0s most we"";known, an representati)e work& 4his story was mu,h "on!er, at $ust o)er <: pa!es, an where I fe"t the first one too ,ompa,t, an rushe , in this one he took his time "ettin! the narrati)e unfo" & 9 youn! man *efrien s the monk of the tit"e on a train& 9s they are tra)e""in! some istan,e in the same ire,tion, they e,i e to *e,ome tra)e""in! ,ompanions& 4hey spen the ni!ht at an inn, an the monk *e!ins to te"" the story of a stran!e en,ounter he on,e ha whi"e on a pi"!rima!e& 2rom the 9fterwor = 4he youn! priest ,rosses a f"oo e roa an enters a mountain wi" erness& 'e en,ounters an o" er woman who is a""urin! yet a"so nurturin!& 7hi"e with her, he is horrifie urin! his ni!ht on the mountain an a"so fas,inate *y the woman0s powers& >e,ause his se8ua" esire is *ri "e *y the ,ommitment he has ma e to a re"i!ious or er, he o)er,omes temptation "on! enou!h to "earn the truth a*out the woman& 9ffor in! *oth horror an ,omfort, his ,"ose en,ounter with her tea,hes him somethin! a*out his own se8ua" nature an the meanin! of "o)e& 4he framework of The Holy Man of Mount Kya raws hea)i"y on the o" fo"kta"es an "e!en s that he first is,o)ere in his mother0s "i*rary of kusazshi an as su,h it remin e me of the fantasti,a" stories with supernatura" e"ements in Tales of Moonlight and Rain *y 9kinari 1e o or the fo"kta"es reto" *y ?af,a io 'earn in Kwaidan & 4he iso"ate settin! an the unusua" happenin!s "ent the story a ,ertain sense of unease& I a"so en$oye the story within a story stru,ture, an the ,are he took with es,ri*in! the ,hara,ters an the mytho"o!y& 4he ima!es I ha)e from this story won0t soon *e for!otten& I0 hear of Izumi Kyka *efore, pro*a*"y ue to the fa,t that there is a Japanese "iterary awar name after him, the Izumi Kyka @rize for ?iterature, *ut this was the first time for me to rea any of his writin!& 4hese two stories were rea""y +uite istin,t from ea,h other, an it0"" *e interestin! now to rea the "ast two stories in Japanese Gothic Tales, an ,ompare them& %tay tune for that&

http=AAwwwBs&*i!"o*e&ne&$pACantAnenpu&htm"

'zumi (y)ka 4rize 0or 2iterature ( , Izumi Kyouka Bungaku Shou) is a prize for "iterature in Japan name for Kyka Izumi&D1