The Tattooer
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Summary
Editor's review
The editor believes that the value of reading this collection goes far beyond the sensational or the appreciation of an exotic aesthetic. It is a key to understanding the "aestheticist" (tanbi) thread in modern Japanese literature. With startling strokes, Tanizaki fuses the intense colors of late-Edo ukiyo-e with the decadent currents of fin-de-siecle Europe, creating a world in which the senses and the imagination play in double variation. Readers can glimpse here the themes repeatedly explored in later masterworks such as Shunkinsho and Naomi—"beauty and cruelty," "domination and devotion"—already taking shape. Reading these pieces is like entering a labyrinth built of the senses, one that challenges the boundaries of conventional morality and forces readers to confront humanity's primal longing for and fear of "absolute beauty." It is not merely a work of literature but a fierce meditation on the nature of beauty.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers with a strong interest in Japanese aestheticist (tanbi) literature and its cultural origins
- Literary scholars or enthusiasts seeking a deeper understanding of the aesthetic roots of Tanizaki's literary world
- Readers able to appreciate and reflect on complex aesthetic concepts such as "the beauty of evil" and "the beauty of decadence"
- Readers who enjoy the short-story form and prefer highly stylized narrative with strong imagery
Not a good fit for
- Readers uncomfortable with or averse to themes of sensuality, decadence, and power relations
- Readers expecting light, cheerful stories or clear moral instruction
Reading tips
- Reading in order of publication makes it easy to perceive the formation and evolution of Tanizaki's early style.
- While reading, set aside moral judgment for a time and try to enter the sensory and psychological world the author builds, to grasp its aesthetic logic.
- Read The Tattooer alongside later representative works (such as The Makioka Sisters and In Praise of Shadows) to consider what changes and what remains constant in Tanizaki's conception of "beauty."
About the publisher
Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 刺青
- 麒麟
- 少年
- 帮闲
- 恶魔
- 恶魔（续）
- 异端者的悲哀
- 褴褛之光
FAQ
Is there a big stylistic difference between this book and Tanizaki's later works?
Are all the stories in the book as dark as The Tattooer?
Why is this work considered an important text for understanding Japanese "tanbi" culture?
Comments
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About the author
Jun'ichirō Tanizaki was a modern Japanese novelist and a leading representative of aestheticist literature. Born in 1886 into a rice-merchant family in Tokyo, he studied in the Japanese literature department of Tokyo Imperial University before dropping out. In 1910 he made his name with the story "The Tattooer," which brought him attention in literary circles. After the Great Kanto Earthquake, he moved to the Kansai region, and his focus gradually shifted toward classical aesthetics. He left important works in both fiction and prose, including "The Makioka Sisters," "Naomi," "In Praise of Shadows," and "A Portrait of Shunkin." He also translated "The Tale of Genji" into modern Japanese, helping to spread the classical work. He died of kidney disease in 1965. His writing is delicate and refined, and he had a profound influence on modern Japanese aestheticist literature.
Lin Qinghua is a Chinese translator and author about whom limited public information is available. What can be confirmed is that eleven works are listed under this name in the library, commonly classified as foreign literature. Judging from the representative works, Lin focuses mainly on modern and contemporary Japanese literature, including Akutagawa Ryunosuke's Rashomon, Hell Screen, and A Basho Miscellany, Tanizaki Junichiro's The Tattooer, and Natsume Soseki's The Floating Bridge of Dreams, as well as works such as An Immoral Education Lecture and The Wall. These titles are largely short stories, essays, and literary sketches that dwell on the darker sides of human nature, aesthetic sensibility, and social satire, placing high demands on a translator's sense of style and verbal precision. Since dates of birth and death, nationality, and English name are not recorded, his personal biography cannot be outlined, but the body of works suggests a sustained engagement with Japanese literary translation that has given Chinese readers accessible texts through which to encounter these writers.
