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Paper short abstract

This paper focuses on the production and distribution of prints of the Ise monogatari 伊勢物語 (10th century, author unknown) and its adaptations from the 17th until the 19th century. .

Paper long abstract

Building on the literary analyses presented in the previous two papers, this presentation investigates the practical dissemination of humour and laughter from the perspective of the publishing history of the Ise monogatari during the Edo period. Rather than focusing solely on textual interpretation, it shifts attention to the material and commercial conditions under which the work was approached and circulated. After tracing the developments of early Ise monogatari prints, the paper examines paratextual materials such as colophons, advertisements, and booksellers’ catalogues (zōhan mokuroku), and compares a range of printed editions of the Ise and related works in the late Edo period. Particular attention is given to their time and place of production. By situating these editions within broader publishing networks, the analysis aims to illuminate how humour was framed and marketed to different readerships. In addition to ‘canonical’ editions, the study includes popular adaptations, such as the Ise monogatari zue 伊勢物語図会 (1825, by Ichioka Takehiko 市岡猛彦, 1778/81–1827), and spin-offs like the Kurabe koshi Narihira-gata 競腰業平形 (1801, by Sakuragawa Jihinari 桜川慈悲成, 1762–1833), and the Mukashi otoko kuse monogatari 昔男癖物語 (1826, by Jippensha Ikku 十返舎一九, 1765–1831).

By assembling and comparing data on the diverse printed editions of the Ise monogatari, this paper seeks to gain a macroscopic understanding of the production, dissemination, and reception of its humorous textual elements within the Edo-period publishing landscape.