Background
Ryutei Tanehiko was born in 1783, Tokyo, Japan.
種彦 柳亭
Ryutei Tanehiko was born in 1783, Tokyo, Japan.
His works with a touch of kabuki were very well received by the public. His Jong novel, Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji, in 38 volumes, was published (1815-42.) Its plot was borrowed from Lady Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji and the scene was laid in the Muromachi Period. Where waka are used in Lady Murasaki Shikibu's novel, haiku were used in Tanehiko's work. Tadakuni Mizuno, the Shogunate reformer, banned the book which was said to have depicted the luxurious life led in the Shogun's Edo Castle. Tanehiko's masterpiece, however, was read even by ladies in the Shogunate Castle. When the author fell ill, the ladies wer esaid to have prayed f o r his recovery. Some sources say that Tanehiko died because of worry over the Shogunate ban of his book.