Edward Seidensticker is one of the pioneers of the study of Japanese literature in the West. He became an in both classical and modern Japanese literature, questioned established opinion, held high standards of scholarship, and encouraged his students to strike out into unknown territory, stimulating them to produce a combined body of work remarkable for its wide range of method and subject matter. In New Leaves, fourteen former students honor their mentor, Edward Seidensticker, with a collection of essays and translations focusing on Japanese literature from the eleventh century to the 1980s. In keeping with Seidensticker’s own eclectic work, the approaches range from scholarly to discursive to whimsical, and the genres examined or translated include prose fiction ancient and modern, medieval and modern literary criticism, kanbun diaries, Edo and modern poetics, Shinnai ballads, modern poetry, and critical essays. The breadth and quality of New Leaves stand as a fitting testament to Seidensticker’s many contributions to the field as a teacher, scholar, and translator.
