Hakkenden

[Glynne Walley]

Dear PMJS readers,

Those of you who are interested in such things have probably heard the
rumor that a complete English translation of Kyokutei Bakin's Nanso
Satomi hakkenden (Eight Dogs) is in the works. That is, I'm translating
it. I mentioned this in a PMJS post a few years ago, talk it up at
conferences when I get a chance, and have been in correspondence with
various early modern Japan scholars about it. A few of you have even
seen chapters in draft form. So I think word has gotten around, more or
less. I have no publication arrangements yet, but am proceeding with
the translation, working it around teaching, research, etc. I'm
currently on Chapter 91 (out of 180). It's going to be complete: all
prefaces, frontispiece inscriptions, colophons, back-of-book publisher's
notices of coming attractions, even Bakin's patent medicine ads.

I mention this because it has recently come to my attention that
somebody else is embarking on a translation. It's being posted on this
website:

https://legendofeightdogs.wordpress.com/nanso-satomi-hakkenden/

I've already gotten an inquiry about this, so I thought I'd just make an
announcement here. That's not me. I wish that translator, whoever it
may be, all the luck in the world, and I think it's awesome that I'm not
the only person fool enough to try translating the whole thing! But I
just don't want there to be any confusion. I have, in fact, considered
skipping formal publication and just posting my translation on a blog,
the state of publishing being what it is these days. But if I do, it
won't be anonymous.

Glynne Walley
University of Oregon

[Radu Leca]

Dear Glynne,

I appreciate your post - we need to own up to our initiatives, and anonymous translations defeat the purpose of debating that person's individual approach to translation - after all it's always a very personal endeavour. And just from a quick glance I can see problems with the alternative wordpress translation (Kadzusa?). So best of luck with your endeavour, and I'm sure all of us hope you will publish it in a book deserving of its importance, not least so its reverberations in kabuki and ukiyo-e images.

Best wishes,

Radu Leca

Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Fellow

SISJAC

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[Richard Bowring]

Seconded. Keep going. There is no way that this can become a rival. It is a classic but not quite in the sense intended. A random example: ‘Indeed networking through lust for women is a prerequisite for the guileful’. Indeed.

Richard Bowring

[Cynthea Bogel]

Dear Glynne,

You know how many scholars of literature and Edo history are looking forward to your translation, now I can add that the art historians are as well!

(Explaining the Loyal Hero prints is difficult!)

Good luck, forge on, Cynthea

CJBogel

Kyushu University

[platypus]

Hi Glynne,

Gadzooks! However, since you've drawn attention to the core elements,
the medicine advertisements, I'm looking forward to the complete version
(as a book, not a blog), with rudity and all.

Cheers,

Andrew

---
Andrew Edmund Goble
Professor of Japanese History and of Religious Studies
1288 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1288 USA
FAX:541-346-4895
Phone:541-346-4800

>> https://legendofeightdogs.wordpress.com/nanso-satomi-hakkenden/ [1]

>>
>> I've already gotten an inquiry about this, so I thought I'd just
>> make an announcement here. That's not me. I wish that translator,
>> whoever it may be, all the luck in the world, and I think it's
>> awesome that I'm not the only person fool enough to try translating
>> the whole thing! But I just don't want there to be any confusion. I
>> have, in fact, considered skipping formal publication and just
>> posting my translation on a blog, the state of publishing being what
>> it is these days. But if I do, it won't be anonymous.
>>
>> Glynne Walley
>> University of Oregon
>>
>> --
>> PMJS is a scholarly forum.
>> You are subscribed to PMJS: Premodern Japanese Studies.
>> To post to the list, send email to pm...@googlegroups.com
>> To unsubscribe, send email to pmjs+uns...@googlegroups.com

>> Visit the PMJS web site at www.pmjs.org [2]

>> Contact the group administrator at edi...@pmjs.org
>
> --
> PMJS is a scholarly forum.
>
> You are subscribed to PMJS: Premodern Japanese Studies.
> To post to the list, send email to pm...@googlegroups.com
> To unsubscribe, send email to pmjs+uns...@googlegroups.com

> Visit the PMJS web site at www.pmjs.org [3]

> Contact the group administrator at edi...@pmjs.org
>
> --
> PMJS is a scholarly forum.
>
> You are subscribed to PMJS: Premodern Japanese Studies.
> To post to the list, send email to pm...@googlegroups.com
> To unsubscribe, send email to pmjs+uns...@googlegroups.com
> Visit the PMJS web site at www.pmjs.org
> Contact the group administrator at edi...@pmjs.org
>
>

> Links:
> ------
> [1] https://legendofeightdogs.wordpress.com/nanso-satomi-hakkenden/
> [2] http://www.pmjs.org/
> [3] http://www.pmjs.org