Ian Hideo Levy's Books

A Room Where The Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard

A Novel in Three Parts

By: Hideo Levy

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A Room Where The Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard

A Novel in Three Parts

By: Hideo Levy

Set against the political and social upheavals of the 1960s, A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard tells the story of Ben Isaac, a blond-haired, blue-eyed American youth living with his father at the American consulate in Yokohama. Chafing against his father's strict authority and the trappings of an America culture that has grown increasingly remote, Ben flees home to live with Ando, his Japanese friend. Refusing to speak English with Ben, Ando shows the young American the way to Shinjuku, the epicenter of Japan's countercultural movement and the closest Ben has ever felt to home. From the vantage point of a privileged and alienated "outsider" (gaijin), Levy's narrative, which echoes events in his own life, beautifully captures a heady, eventful moment in Japanese history. It also richly renders the universal struggle to grasp the full contours of one's identity. Wandering the streets of Shinjuku, Ben can barely decipher the signs around him or make sense of the sounds reaching his ears. Eventually, the symbols and sensations take root, and he becomes one with Japanese language and culture. Through his explorations, Ben breaks free from English and the constraints of being a gaijin. Levy's coming-of-age novel is an eloquent elegy to a lost time.

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Page Count

137

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231527977

ISBN 13

9780231527972

Hitomaro and the Birth of Japanese Lyricism

By: Ian Hideo Levy

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Hitomaro and the Birth of Japanese Lyricism

By: Ian Hideo Levy

Professor Levy explores the ritual origins of Japanese verse, the impact of Chinese and Korean literary influence on the seventh-century Court, and the rhetorical deification of the imperial family as the condition under which Hitomaro would begin his career as a Court poet. Originally published in 1984. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

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186

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400855837

ISBN 13

9781400855834

Practically Religious

Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan

By: Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe

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Practically Religious

Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan

By: Ian Reader,George J. Tanabe

Praying for practical benefits (genze riyaku) is a common religious activity in Japan. Despite its widespread nature and the vast numbers of people who pray and purchase amulets and talismans for everything from traffic safety and education success to business prosperity and protection from disease, the practice has been virtually ignored in academic studies or relegated to the margins as a uh_product of superstition or an aberration from the true dynamics of religion. Basing their work on a fusion of textual, ethnographic, historical, and contemporary studies, the authors of this volume demonstrate the fallacy of such views, showing that, far from being marginal, the concepts and practices surrounding genze riyaku lie at the very heart of the Japanese religious world. They thrive not only as popular religious expression but are supported by the doctrinal structures of most Buddhist sects, are ordained in religious scriptures, and are promoted by monastic training centers, shrines, and temples. Benefits are both sought and bought, and the authors discuss the economic and commercial aspects of how and why institutions promote practical benefits. They draw attention to the dynamism and flexibility in the religious marketplace, where new products are offered in response to changing needs. Intertwined in these economic activities and motivations are the truth claims that underpin and justify the promotion and practice of benefits. The authors also examine the business of guidebooks, which combine travel information with religious advice, including humorous and distinctive forms of prayer for the protection against embarrassing physical problems and sexual diseases. Written in a direct and engaging style, Practically Religious will appeal to a wide range of readers and will be especially valuable to those interested in religion, anthropology, Buddhist studies, sociology, and Japanese studies.

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Page Count

318

Publisher

University of Hawaii Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0824820908

ISBN 13

9780824820909

Hitomaro and the Birth of Japanese Lyricism

By: Ian Hideo Levy

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Hitomaro and the Birth of Japanese Lyricism

By: Ian Hideo Levy

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Page Count

186

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1400855837

ISBN 13

9781400855834

Book's by Ian Hideo Levy

A Room Where The Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard

A Room Where The Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard

Hitomaro and the Birth of Japanese Lyricism

Hitomaro and the Birth of Japanese Lyricism

Practically Religious

Practically Religious

Hitomaro and the Birth of Japanese Lyricism

Hitomaro and the Birth of Japanese Lyricism

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