Description
Book SynopsisPresents the history of Japanese mass culture during the decades preceding Pearl Harbor. This work argues that the new gestures, relationship, and humor of ero-guro-nansensu (erotic grotesque nonsense) expressed a self-consciously modern ethos that challenged state ideology and expansionism.
Trade Review"Leaves the reader longing to know more, and regretting that the author is no longer here to help us satisfy that wish." Japanese Studies "This is a book not just for Japan specialists, but for anyone interested in a history of cosmopolitism and modern life." Journal Royal Anthro Inst
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations By Way of a Preface Acknowledgments Introduction PART I. JAPANESE MODERN TIMES Japanese Moddern within Modernity PART II. JAPANESE MODERN SITES 1. The Modern Girl as Militant (Movement on the Streets) 2. The Cafe Waitress Sang the Blues 3. Friends of the Movies (From Ero to Empire) 4. The Household Becomes Modern Life PART III. ASAKUSA--HONKY-TONK TEMPO 1. Asakusa Eroticism 2. Down-and-Out Grotesquerie 3. Modern Nonsense List of Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index
