57 - Kanshibun in the Meiji period and beyond

Summary

Sinitic genres flourished in the Meiji period with unprecedented splendor, giving kanshibun a ubiquity it had never had before. A tremendous expansion of kanshi or Sinitic poetry composition had taken place in late Edo which facilitated the acquisition of literacy and compositional proficiency in Literary Sinitic. Narushima Ryuhoku embarked upon a career as a journalist after losing his post in the Restoration. He had served the previous regime as shogunal tutor and compiler of historical chronicles while also making a name for himself as a poet and chronicler of urban culture. The figure who was central to the best stage of Meiji kanshi, Mori Kainan, reflected this increased level of interaction with Qing poets. While Qing dynasty poems had received some attention from earlier Japanese figures, both Kainan and his father Shunto produced anthologies that made Qing poems more familiar and accessible. In the aftermath of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-5, kanshi became a less feature of the literary scene.