Tsuji Jun: Japanese Dadaist, Anarchist, Philosopher, Monk

Description

Tsuji Jun (1884 – 1944) was the self-declared first Dadaist of Japan and was the most prominent advocate of literary Dada there. He is known for having translated Max Stirner's The Ego and Its Own and for having been the husband of anarcho-feminist Itō Noe. However, until now, little else has been written about him in English despite voluminous Japanese-language scholarship. As an Anarchist, Nihilist, Dadaist, poet, and monk he is a striking character among contemporary Japanese historical figures. Even more intriguing is Tsuji's writing, marked by a fusion of Buddhist, Dadaist, and Nihilist philosophy. The present work regards his life, work, and relation to his contemporary writers, and summarizes his philosophy. This is done in the context of the growing scepticism towards Rationalism in Meiji/Taisho Period Japan, describing the relationship this has with what in 1905 Hugo von Hofmannsthal termed das Gleitende (the “slippage”) of turn-of-the-century Vienna. The fertile interdisciplinary nature of Tsuji's interests is part of what makes him such a fascinating topic, and this breadth lends itself to any number of angles for study. Surely this is a contributing factor as to why so many Japanese have chosen to write about him, each wanting to tell Tsuji's story from their own angle. As a result we find titles ranging from Nihilist: the thought and life of Tsuji Jun; Love for Tsuji Jun ( a lover's memoir); Nomad Dadaist Tsuji Jun; Madman Tsuji Jun: Shakuhachi Flute, the sound of the universe, and the sea of Dada; and Tsuji Jun: Art and Pathology, among others. Recently published as a book by Enemy Combatants, this work was originally a master's thesis submitted to the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. This is a collection of brief writings about Tsuji Jun, by Erana Jae Taylor. It includes a brief biography, background and context, and the relationship of his thinking to people like Nietzsche and Stirner. I. INTRODUCTION: ABOUT THIS BOOK Significance, Purpose, Avenues for Future Research A Necessarily Interdisciplinary Approach Key Terms II. THE LIFE OF TSUJI JUN A Life History To Write in an Increasingly Oppressive Climate Personality & Lifestyle From "Tsuji Jun and the Teachings of the Unmensch" III. BACKGROUND & CONTEXT An Overview of Pre-War Japanese Anarchism On Nihilism in Japan Egoism as a Form of Nihilism Relation to Darwinism Stirnerism in a Nutshell On Dada in Japan Relation to Ero Guro Nansensu Contemporaries of Tsuji Jun IV. DADA AS A REFLECTION OF DAS GLEITENDE Rationalism in Austria, Meiji Japan Das Gleitende Outside of Vienna V. THE DADA CONNECTION Dada: Tsuji's Philosophical Nexus Art as a Social and Political Medium The Private as Public and Living Life as an Artform Dada, Stirner's Anarchism, and Buddhist Nothingness VI. THE WORK OF TSUJI JUN Tsuji's Translations and Literary Influences Tsuji' s Self-Perception Poetry Sample: "Absurd" Absurd Reception VII. CONCLUSION Tsuji Jun in the late 20th and early 21st Century Hope versus Despair APPENDIX I: MAJOR TRANSLATIONS APPENDIX II. A REVIEW OF SUPPORTING LITERATURE Secondary Literature Works by Tsuji Jun A Three Piece Sample of Japanese Works on Tsuji English Sources German Sources Japanese Sources