Abstract
There are three sections in 'Travel and Tabibanashi in the Early Modern
Period: Forming Japanese Geographic Identity.' The first is about
travel in the Edo period (1600-1868). In this section travel and
the important role it played in forming the foundations of Japanese
identity are presented. The second section is about tabibanashi (travel
stories), a subgenre of rakugo, a form of comic storytelling that
was especially popular in early modern Japan. The author's contention
is that geographical and cultural information presented in tabibanashi
served to educate the common people about travel and social values
of the world in which they lived. In the third section a brief summary
of tabibanashi and the information that it conveys to its listeners
is given. This article presents the initial findings of research
that suggest that tabibanashi and rakugo played a much bigger part
in helping shape the foundations of Japanese identity than has been
thought to be the case until now.
Users
Please
log in to take part in the discussion (add own reviews or comments).