Iki "No Kozo" Wo Yomu (Chiku Ma Gakugei Bunko)

[Machine Translation] Since its publication in 1930, Shuzo Kuki's "The Structure of Iki" has gone through several editions. The book still attracts readers because of its fascinating way of explaining the aesthetic world of "Iki" in philosophical terms and by using the figure of the nadir hexahedron. This book is a bold attempt by two eminent scholars, Yasuda and Tada, who are well versed in Japanese culture, to decipher this famous book, using the drafts and creative notes left behind as a clue, and giving concrete examples of what Kuki would have assumed. The book is paired with the main text of "The Structure of Iki", which eloquently explains what "Iki" means through Harunobu's ukiyoe paintings, scenes from the Kabuki plays "Otomi Yosaburo", "Kagotsuribe", and "Musume Dojoji", and lines from the Rakugo stories "Gion Matsuri", "Shukucho", and "Rodara".

1930年の刊行以来、今日にいたるまで版を重ねる九鬼周造の『「いき」の構造』。「いき」という美意識の世界を哲学の言葉で分解し、直六面体の図形を用いて説明する面白さが、いまなお読者をひきつけるのだろう。本書はその名著を、日本文化に造詣の深い安田・多田の碩学二人が、遺された草稿や創作ノートを手がかりに、九鬼が前提としたであろう具体例を挙げて読み解く、という大胆な試み。『「いき」の構造』本文と対に引かれる春信の浮世絵や歌舞伎「お富与三郎」「篭釣瓶」「娘道成寺」の場面、落語「祇園祭」「首提灯」「棒鱈」のセリフ等々が、「いき」とは何かを、雄弁に語る。