Among the most delightful genres of Japanese literature is that of the 'ukiyo-zoshi', or 'tales of the floating world'. These gay stories and novels reflect the milieu of the familiar 'ukiyo-e' prints, to which they offer the best possible introduction. In them we find an unsurpassed view of the manners and customs, arts and affectations, of the multifarious city life of Tokugawa Japan. That view is focused on the search for pleasure that was the obsession of the age : like the authors themselves, most 'ukiyo-zoshi' characters belong to the cafe society of courtesans, entertainers, and their patrons which flourished the brilliant Genroku era (1680 - 1740). It was a time of innovations in popular literature, as well as in music, the kabuki theatre, and the graphic arts; and the excitement of the 'Japanese renaissance', together with its satirical wit and its sense of style, is vividly displayed in the fiction of the floating world.

Not sure how to rate this one; it was very informative, but I wasn't especially stimulated by the stories. ( )