The Confessions of Lady Nijo is an example of Japan’s traditional women’s literature: the diary. Her father was the head of the Minamoto clan: Major Counselor Masatada, who served the Emperor from 1228-1272. Her mother was the niece of an Honorary Empress. Nijo herself was a lady-in-waiting and the concubine to the Retired Emperor Go-Fukakusa…
Neir:Automata, a Review of Its Themes
I’m an old school JRPG gamer. Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger still remain at the top of my list. I’m not much on action rpgs. I prefer menu-based combat. But when Neir:Automata went on sale on Steam, I bought it. It’s been a long time since an RPG grabbed me like Neir:Automata did. As…
The Possible Impact of NFTs
NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, have appeared throughout the news cycle recently. NFTs use blockchain technology similar to Bitcoin to make a certificate of authenticity for a digital item or to make what amounts to a digital trading card. A certificate of authenticity NFT basically states you own an original or serial-numbered copy of a digital…
The Fox Brothers and Old Tanuki’s Trick Chapter 3
Mitsu fidgeted with excitement. Father will finally know that I am as good at tricks and illusions as Kitsu. Once he gives me a chance, he will see that I am better, Mitsu thought as he held a silver tray with the wasabi cakes. He wobbled on his hind legs. He still wasn’t used to…
The Gossamer Journal
The Gossamer Journal is the memoir of a woman we know only as Michitsuna’s Mother. Michitsuna is the son she had through her marriage with Fujiwara no Kaneie. Michitsuna’s Mother, whom I will call the Gossamer Lady to follow literary convention, was born perhaps around 937 (we don’t know for certain) and died in 995….
Poems from the Frontier of Japan
Most people think of Basho and haiku when they think about Japanese poems. Japanese poetry encompasses more than lovely nature images. The word literature conjures, at least for me, feelings of stuffiness and boredom. It’s easy to forget that what we deem literature, that is, writing representative of a time period, was the love poems…