Five Women Who Loved Love by Ihara Saikaku
"Five Women Who Loved Love" by Ihara Saikaku is a collection of stories that delve into the complexities of love, desire, and societal constraints in 17th-century Japan. Each narrative centers on a female protagonist whose pursuit of love leads to tragic consequences, highlighting themes such as jealousy, betrayal, and sacrifice. In the first story, Seijūrō and Onatsu’s elopement ends in tragedy when they are caught, underscoring the severe repercussions of love outside societal norms. The second tale follows Osen, who, after being wrongfully accused of infidelity, seeks revenge through a doomed affair, ultimately leading to her suicide. Osan’s story portrays a complex web of deception and love, resulting in fatal consequences for her and her lover. The fourth story, featuring Oshichi, tragically illustrates the lengths one might go for love, as her attempt to reunite with her lover leads to her execution. Lastly, the fifth story presents a unique perspective on love between genders through Gengobei, intertwining themes of identity and societal expectations. Collectively, these narratives offer a poignant exploration of love's power and peril in a historical context.
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Five Women Who Loved Love by Ihara Saikaku
First published:Kōshoku gonin onna, 1686 (English translation, 1956)
Type of work: Short fiction
Type of plot: Love
Time of plot: Seventeenth century
Locale: Japan
Principal characters
SeijŪrŌ , an apprenticeOnatsu , his master’s younger sisterOsen , a young wifeThe Cooper , her husbandChŌzaemon , a yeast makerChŌzaemon’s wife ,Osan , a merchant’s wifeRin , her maidMoemon , the merchant’s clerkOshichi , a young womanHer mother ,Onogawa KichisaburŌ , a young samuraiGengobei , a Buddhist monk, formerly a pederastHachijŪrŌ , Gengobei’s former loverOman , a young girl
The Stories:
The First Story. Seijūrō, a handsome, gallant young man disowned by his wealthy father for his profligacies, apprentices himself to a shopkeeper and proves hardworking and reliable. When Onatsu, his master’s younger sister, falls in love with him, he, after some reluctance, at last fully returns her affection. As an apprentice, he is far from an eligible suitor, and so the lovers are forced to elope. Seven hundred gold pieces disappear at the same time. When the lovers are discovered, Seijūrō, condemned for theft as well as for seduction, is executed. The gold is later found where it was mislaid. Onatsu goes mad for a time. Later, she enters a nunnery.
The Second Story. Osen, a country woman, is married happily to a cooper. When Chōzaemon, the yeast maker, is planning to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his father’s death, Osen offers to help in the preparations. While she is arranging sweetmeats, Chōzaemon accidentally drops a bowl on her head, disarranging her hair. Chōzaemon’s suspicious, jealous wife accuses Osen of adultery. Because she is unjustly accused, Osen impulsively decides to revenge herself on the wife by truly making love to Chōzaemon, although she cares nothing for him. When her husband, the cooper, discovers the lovers, Osen commits suicide and Chōzaemon is executed.
The Third Story. Osan’s husband goes to Edo on business. Her maid, Rin, is in love with Moemon, a clerk. Moemon, however, feels coldly toward Rin and only reluctantly agrees to visit her bed. Together, Rin and Osan decide to punish him, and Osan takes Rin’s place in the bed. The trick has other results, however, when Osan and Moemon find themselves hopelessly in love. After pretending to commit suicide together, they hide in a faraway village for a time. Eventually, they are discovered and executed.
The Fourth Story. Oshichi, an innocent young woman, is taken by her mother to find refuge in a temple after their house burns down. There she meets and falls in love with Onogawa Kichisaburō, a young samurai. When Oshichi and her mother return to their home, the lovers are not able to meet in secret. Oshichi, remembering how she first met her lover, decides to start another fire, but she is discovered, arrested, exposed to shame, and burned at the stake. Kichisaburō, who was ill, does not know of her death until he accidentally sees her gravestone. At first, he plans to commit suicide, but he is persuaded to delay his plan until after a talk with his mentor and sworn brother. As the result of his friend’s advice, Kichisaburō decides to become a monk.
The Fifth Story. Gengobei, a pederast, takes priestly vows after the death of Hachijūrō, his lover. Later, he falls in love with another boy who returns from the dead to see him again. In his grief, Gengobei retires to a mountain hut. Meanwhile, a girl, Oman, sees and falls in love with Gengobei. Determined to win him, she disguises herself as a boy and visits his retreat. There she succeeds in winning Gengobei’s love, even after her sex is revealed. Gengobei leaves the priesthood, and the lovers live in great poverty together until Oman’s parents finally find her. Rejoicing at her recovery, her parents decide to have the two lovers marry and then give their family fortune to Gengobei. Oman’s love story, therefore, comes to a happy ending.
Bibliography
Kato, Shuichi. The Years of Isolation. Vol. 2 in A History of Japanese Literature. New York: Kodansha International, 1983. Pages 104-112 deal primarily with the third story in the collection, relating it to Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s dramatic version of the same episode.
Keene, Donald. World Within Walls: Japanese Literature of the Pre-modern Era, 1600-1867. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1976. Reprint. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999. Chapter 8 discusses Five Women Who Loved Love in relation to Ihara’s other works, particularly Life of an Amorous Man and Life of an Amorous Woman. The 1999 edition contains a new preface by Keene.
Kirkwood, Kenneth P. Renaissance in Japan: A Cultural Survey of the Seventeenth Century. Rutland, Vt.: Charles E. Tuttle, 1970. Pages 192-223 provide a general biographical sketch of Ihara, including his work as a poet, playwright, and fiction writer. It comments particularly on the Osaka cultural milieu.
Morris, Ivan. Life of an Amorous Woman, and Other Writings. New York: New Directions, 1963. Pages 3-51 deal with Ihara and his cultural and historical context. Comments on elements of literary style and illustrations.
Richie, Donald. Japanese Literature Reviewed. New York: ICG Muse, 2003. Richie’s survey of Japanese literature includes a chapter on Ihara.
Rimer, J. Thomas. A Reader’s Guide to Japanese Literature from the Eighth Century to the Present. New York: Kodansha International, 1988. Pages 66-69 contain a brief discussion of one of the five stories in the collection. Also comments on Ihara’s literary background.