2008-06-24 On Yomota Inuhiko’s Remark
In Shincho (2008, May), YOMOTA Inuhiko makes a report on the Internatioal Symposium on Mizoguchi Kenji at Udine in Italy. According to Yomota, Mark Le Fanu from Denmark, who wrote a book on Mizoguchi, but was unable to read Japanese at all, appreciated Mizoguchi's Chikamatsu Story so highly that Yomota told him that in Japan, until Meiji Era there was not any idea of love at all and made Le Fanu aghasted, and Yomota said he was not an expert of the theme then recommended SAEKI Junko's The Origin of Love. But someone said unfortunately the book has not been translated into English. After that, Yomota dares to deplore that unaware of such a fundamental cultural facts Le Fanu could make researches on Mizoguchi.
Though, I, as an expert, asserts Yomota's remark is not true. If you know The Tale of Genji, it could be easily seen through. I have repaeatedly criticized SAEKI's theory and it is difficult to imagine Yomota is completely unaware of that. In this report, Yomota writes 説教節 instead of 説経節. I dare to deplore that Yomota is not sufficiently sincere and seems to have scarce knowledge on Japanese classical literature and I have to see this sort of figure appear on the international stage as if a representative of Japanese scholarship. Of course, the theme of love in Mizoguchi's films based on Chikamatsu or Saikaku are modernized. But the reality is far from Yomota's exaggerated expression.
Therefore, I recommend Mr. Le Fanu to forget Yomota's remark.
