Reading is fun. Really.
Tales of Moonlight and Rain finally made its way from one of the university libraries in the circuit to my local library, so I'm reading that instead of the poll leader, The Golden Compass.
From the title explanation of the story "The Chrysanthemum Vow" on page 75 of Tales of Moonlight and Rain by Ueda Akinari, study and translation by Anthony H. Chambers:
"The choice of the Chrysanthemum Festival as the day on which the central characters will reunite defines their relationship. In early modern Japan, the chrysanthemum blossom (kikka) was a common symbol of homosexual intercourse because it was thought to resemble an anus. Both kiku no chigiri (chrysanthemum vow) and kiku asobi (chrysanthemum play) are euphemisms for homosexual intercourse. The story's title, then, tells the alert reader that Samon and Soemon are not just friends, but lovers."
Mind you, these stories were originally published in what would be the Kansai region of Japan in 1776. The symbolism of chrysanthemums has evolved by then, I suppose, since isn't it a symbol of the Japanese emperor now?
This is the story that Oshima name-dropped in Murakami's Kafka on the Shore. I suppose this should've been a hint of which way Oshima swung.
From the title explanation of the story "The Chrysanthemum Vow" on page 75 of Tales of Moonlight and Rain by Ueda Akinari, study and translation by Anthony H. Chambers:
"The choice of the Chrysanthemum Festival as the day on which the central characters will reunite defines their relationship. In early modern Japan, the chrysanthemum blossom (kikka) was a common symbol of homosexual intercourse because it was thought to resemble an anus. Both kiku no chigiri (chrysanthemum vow) and kiku asobi (chrysanthemum play) are euphemisms for homosexual intercourse. The story's title, then, tells the alert reader that Samon and Soemon are not just friends, but lovers."
Mind you, these stories were originally published in what would be the Kansai region of Japan in 1776. The symbolism of chrysanthemums has evolved by then, I suppose, since isn't it a symbol of the Japanese emperor now?
This is the story that Oshima name-dropped in Murakami's Kafka on the Shore. I suppose this should've been a hint of which way Oshima swung.