Ihara Saikaku

The New Year's Eve is more precious than a thousand pieces of gold. It is the Great Divide between winter and spring, which none can pass over without copper and silver. Ihara Saikaku is regarded as Japan's first popular writer. The twenty lively stories in This Scheming World recount raucous events surrounding New Year's Eve, as crafty money lenders attempt...

Japan's first modern novel—an unforgettable exploration of love and desire! The Life of an Amorous Man is a groundbreaking work by Ihara Saikaku, Japan's first popular novelist. This is the only unabridged English translation of Saikaku's seminal work, which includes the 54 illustrations drawn by the author and published in the original Japanese version. The story follows Yonosuke, a passionate...