is an

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

text written by Japanese

Edo-period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteri ...

scholar-official

Arai Hakuseki was a Confucianist, scholar-bureaucrat, academic, administrator, writer and politician in Japan during the middle of the Edo period, who advised the ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ienobu. His personal name was Kinmi or Kimiyoshi (君美). Hakuseki (白� ...

(1657–1725). It describes Arai's ancestors, his childhood, and his work as an official of the

Tokugawa government The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia' ...

, providing an invaluable perspective on the Tokugawa government of his day.

Title

Hakuseki does not explain the meaning or significance of the title. The general view is that it is in reference to poem in the ''

Shin Kokin Wakashū The , also known in abbreviated form as the or even conversationally as the Shin Kokin, is the eighth imperial anthology of waka poetry compiled by the Japanese court, beginning with the ''Kokin Wakashū'' circa 905 and ending with the ''Shinshok ...

'' poetry anthology: :''omoiizuru ori taku shiba no yūkeburi musebu mo ureshi wasuregatami ni'' :At dusk when I think of the one who is no longer here, I am happy to choke on the smoke of the burning brushwood twigs. It is a memento of the one who I can not forget. This poem was written by

Emperor Go-Toba was the 82nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1183 through 1198. This 12th-century sovereign was named after Emperor Toba, and ''go-'' (後), translates literally as "later"; an ...

. The smoke that he chokes is an illusion for sobbing for his wife Owari, who died in 1204. The smoke from the burning brushwood twigs reminds him of the smoke from her cremation ceremony. For Hakuseki, the one who he yearns for and can not forget is

Tokugawa Ienobu (June 11, 1662 – November 12, 1712) was the sixth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the grandson of Tokugawa Iemi ...

, the sixth ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

'' of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

. An alternative explanation is suggested by

Katsuta Katsutoshi is a district located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. As of May 1, 2004, the population was 17,888. The area is 123.63 km2. Towns and villages * Nagi * Shōō History Prior to February 28, Katsuta District consisted of: *Katsuta * Nagi * ...

. He argues that Hakuseki did not have a talent for

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

and hence he could not have based the title on this poem. Further, in a correspondence with

Mura Kyūsō Mura may refer to: Places * Mura (Drava), a tributary of the Drava in Austria, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia * Mura (Angara), a tributary of the Angara in Russia * Mura, Lombardy, a ''comune'' in the Province of Brescia, Italy * Mura, Barcelona ...

(), Hakuseki writes about his father saying "They would burn brushwood and talk of things past and present throughout the night". Katsuta argues that burning brushwood is a euphemism for reminiscent discussion.Odaka 135–136

Translations

''Oritaku Shiba no Ki'' has been translated into English by

Joyce Ackroyd Joyce Irene Ackroyd, (23 November 1918 – 30 August 1991) was an Australian academic, translator, author and editor. She was a scholar of Japanese language and literature. Early life Ackroyd apparently acquired an interest Japan during her ...

and released in 1979 under the title ''Told Round a Brushwood Fire'' and published by

Princeton University Press Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large. The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financial su ...

Notes

References

* * * Edo-period works Japanese autobiographies {{Japan-lit-stub