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Jippensha Ikku was the pen name of Shigeta Sadakazu, a Japanese writer active during the late Edo period of Japan. He lived primarily in Edo (now known as Tokyo) in the service of samurai, but also spent some time in Osaka as a townsman. He was among the most prolific yellow-backed novel (kibyōshi) writers of the late Edo period — between 1795 and 1801 he wrote a minimum of twenty novels a year, and thereafter wrote sharebon, kokkeibon and over 360 illustrated stories (gōkan).<br/><br/> Jippensha was considered the Dickens of Japan. He began his adult life with three marriages of which two were quickly ended by fathers-in-law who could not understand his literary habits. He accepted poverty with good humor, and, having no furniture, hung his bare walls with paintings of the furniture he might have had. His masterpiece, Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige, was published in twelve parts between 1802 and 1822, and told a rollicking tale in the vein of 'The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'. It has been called 'the most humorous and entertaining book in the Japanese language'.
Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige​, abbreviated as Hizakurige and known in translation as 'Shank's Mare', is a picaresque comic novel (kokkei-bon) written by Jippensha Ikku (1765–1831), about the misadventures of two travelers on the Tōkaidō, the main road between Kyoto and Edo (now known as Tokyo) during the Edo Period. The book was published in twelve parts between 1802 and 1822. The two main characters, traveling from Edo to Kyoto on their pilgrimage to the Ise Shrine, are called Yajirobē and Kitahachi.<br/><br/> The book, while written in a comical style, was written as a traveler's guide to the Tōkaidō Road. It details famous landmarks at each of the 53 post towns along the road, where the characters, often called Yaji and Kita, frequently find themselves in hilarious situations. They travel from station to station, predominantly interested in food, sake, and women. As Edo men, they view the world through an Edo lens, deeming themselves more cultured and savvy in comparison to the countrymen they meet. Hizakurige also provides information and anecdotes regarding various regions along the Tōkaidō. Tourism was booming during the Edo Period, when this was written. This work is one of many guidebooks that proliferated, to whet the public's appetite for sight-seeing.
Jippensha Ikku was the pen name of Shigeta Sadakazu, a Japanese writer active during the late Edo period of Japan. He lived primarily in Edo (now known as Tokyo) in the service of samurai, but also spent some time in Osaka as a townsman. He was among the most prolific yellow-backed novel (kibyōshi) writers of the late Edo period — between 1795 and 1801 he wrote a minimum of twenty novels a year, and thereafter wrote sharebon, kokkeibon and over 360 illustrated stories (gōkan).<br/><br/> Jippensha was considered the Dickens of Japan. He began his adult life with three marriages of which two were quickly ended by fathers-in-law who could not understand his literary habits. He accepted poverty with good humor, and, having no furniture, hung his bare walls with paintings of the furniture he might have had. His masterpiece, Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige, was published in twelve parts between 1802 and 1822, and told a rollicking tale in the vein of 'The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'. It has been called 'the most humorous and entertaining book in the Japanese language'.