JAPONICA BOOK REVIEW
Reading “Takaoka’s Travels” by Tatsuhiko Shibusawa
A 9th century adventure story by a Showa-era master
Over the years, I’ve read a lot of Showa-era Japanese literature, so I’m embarrassed to admit I wasn’t familiar with Tatsuhiko Shibusawa (澁澤 龍彦).
Shibusawa (1928–1987) was primarily known as a Japanese translator of French literature, especially avant-garde and surrealist works by André Breton, Jean Cocteau, and Marquis de Sade, and for his essays in Japanese about black magic, demonology, and eroticism.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of surrealism, so when Stone Bridge Press announced the release of an English translation of Shibusawa’s only novel, Takaoka’s Travels (高丘親王航海記), described as a “surrealist Japanese cult classic”, it didn’t make the top of my must-read list.
But when I noticed the novel won the prestigious Yomiuri Prize in 1987 and the Sibley Award for Japanese translation in 2022–23, I had to take a look. I’m very glad that I did.
Calling it “surreal” I think is a misnomer, though finding a better word to describe this unusual story is a challenge. The novel is an imagined 9th century sea voyage of Prince Takaoka Shinnō from China to India. Along the way, the prince meets with many unusual challenges…
