The Love-forgetting Flower
(Koiwasuregusa)

ENGLISH / Ian MacDonald 

FRENCH / Jean Champignon & Annick Laurent

Bungei Shunju (1999)

This is a collection of a series of short stories about women in the latter half of the Edo Period (1603-1867). The warrior caste was finding itself pushed out of the top echelons of society by the rising merchant class, during the time repeated famines swept the countryside. Against this backdrop, a small number of women vigorously built themselves independent lives with unusual careers – working as designers of ornamental hairpieces, or even scribes – in the male-dominated society of the day.

The Love-forgetting Flower, the title story of this compilation, features a woman named Oichi, a painter, as its main character. She enters into a relationship with Saijiro, a wood-carver, and they promise to marry, Saijiro ends up, but impregnating and marrying another, unremarkable woman. Oichi, unable to forget him, goes to his house, but is met only with the sight of his harmonious family life. Other stories in this book are The World of Love; whose protagonist is Hagino, a teacher, Cast Out from the Men; with Kanae, a scribe, View from behind; featuring the joruri chanter Oen, Knowing no Love; the story of Okan, a dealer in knick-knacks, and A Time for Budding; with Okaji, a restaurant owner. In all, the tales of six Edo women, their work and their lives, are contained in this volume.