The Artist

Who are the artists of the Floating World? Browsing through the internet I came across the term "Geisha". What's a Geisha you may ask, well they are men, women who for a living train to be entertainers. Meaning they spent every waken moment perfecting their dancing, music and poetry skills. They keep Japanese culture alive and that's what makes Japan so prideful. So why then do we read in Kazuo Ishiguro's An Artist Of The Floating World of businessmen and other common folk harbor disdain for an artist?

Ono's own father did not approve his choice of hobby and so tried bashing his dream by saying,
"Artists' live in squalor and poverty. They inhabit a world which gives them every temptation to become weak-willed and depraved. "(46). Why at this given moment? Ono is someone who wants to live his life for himself by escaping into the mystery and fantasy that's art. Maybe Ono's dad knows this but doesn't want his only male son to put the family name in shame by becoming a no-name artist. Imagine how people would treat Ono's family if he painted something so radical and the Japanese didn't like it? Surely they would be shun from society and seen as lowly people.

There's no shame however in being an artist. In fact it's probably the hardest profession there can be because the past, present and future of Japan is in their hands. Ono has so much to offer that what he paints will have an impact in Japanese culture. And as we know he does and because of that he's know reminiscing and thinking of all the people he knew before the war.
We understand that before he could become a "real artist" he worked for a commercial company that made "Japanese Art" .



"Japanese Culture - Geisha." Japan-Zone.com - Japan Travel Guide, Japanese Pop Culture, History, Japanese Girls, Japanese Guys. 1999-. Web. 04 Feb. 2011. .

Ono's Haunting History

Ono is a very mysterious character. So far, the novel doesn't really told us a lot about his past mistakes, but there are a lot of characters who seem to have something against him. The surprising thing, though, is that Ono doesn't seem to realize it.
The narration seems to be using language that only excuses Ono, and doesn't go further into the accusations made against Ono by people like her daughter. However, this only seems to lead to the idea that Ono is trying to either hide or ignore that. Maybe he could also simply be on the “bridge of hesitation”.
In the beginning of April 1949, there is a small quarrel going on between the proposed Noriko and Ono. Of course, the argument is about the positioning of the tree, but what does this really mean? On page 106, Noriko says, “The azaleas have never regained their looks. That's what comes of Father having so much time on his hands. He ends up meddling where it's not required.”(Ishiguro 106) Azaleas are supposed to be pretty flowers, but Noriko keeps saying that they never regained their looks. Noriko is trying to hint at Ono how he messed up their last engagement, and she hasn't regained her status or image as beautiful. Ono messed it up when he gave away information about the military, and know Noriko is afraid he will do the same with the Saito's.
The history of Ono comes back to haunt him whenever he tries to revisit his old friend, Mr. Kuroda. I found it very strange how Mr. Enchi, the young painter under the mentorship of Mr. Kuroda, treated Ono with the most polite of manners, listening to every comment with high regard and detail. However, whenever he hears about his history with the war, Enchi treats him as low as someone has been treated this book. I found it funny how Ono acted as if he didn't know what was going on, “Most things are more complicated than they appear, Mr. Enchi. Young men of your generation tend to see things far too simply.”(113). Ono is trying to defend himself by stating that the past in something not understood by youngster, but the truth is that he needs to get on with this new generation because Enchi was serious when he said Kuroda didn't want to see him. I think Ono is having a difficult time admitting his past mistakes.
I think that the truth behind Ono is that his past decision to go into the military causes everyone to hate him. Even Mr. Saito and his family seems to have something against him. Ono seems a bit stubborn though, and he doesn't appear to change his mind anytime soon. Who knows what consequences he will have next.

The Generation Gap

Ono believes that there is a difference in the postwar generation. A difference in the way they see and understand things. zthey don't see things as they really are, but differently. Is this true?

In the second section of "An Artist of The Floating World" Ono goes to visit Kuroda. He makes this visit in an effort to clear up any misunderstanding they may have had in the past and make sure Kuroda doesn't sat anything about Ono's past that may jeopardize Noriko's marriage negotiations. Upon his arrival Ono is greeted by a young man, Kuroda's pupil, Enchi. Enchi assumes Ono is one of Kuroda's associates so initially he is very polite and welcoming, but when he finds out exactly who Ono is he changes. Ono says, "Until this point the young man had managed to maintain a polite tone in his voice, but now he seemed to lose his self control" (113). Enchi's voice changes and he is in this mood of disgust. From the things that Kuroda has shared with him about Ono the young man has no respect for Ono. Enchi accuses him of being a traitor and blames Ono for Kuroda being thrown in jail and all of the abuses he suffered while there. Ono says to him, "Young men of your generation tend to see things far too simply", (113).This angers Enchi and he responds even more forceful than before. Enchi believes that he knows exactly what happened and understood well enough.

Is it that Enchi sees thing too simply or is it that Ono simply doesn't understand the severity of the things that he did that may have caused Kuroda's imprisionment? This doesn't seem to be at all the case when one attempts to write Kuroda a letter and in Kuroda's response he say that he doesn't want anything to xo with Ono. This shows me that maybe the problem isn't with the younger generation at all. The problem is with Ono and has always been with Ono. The things that Hensley during the war were things that were considered in bad judgement at the time. Ono knew that but still he did them and had his pupils do it too.

In how own eyes Ono is right but to the people around him not so much. Shintaro, another of his pupils even came to him seeking a disclaimer to posters they had produced during he war. Ono refused to honor this request because he believed, as he later said, that a man should take responsibilty for things he has done in the past. So my question to you is: where do you think the difference lies, in the younger generation or in Ono?

Ishiguro, Kazuo. An Artist of The Floating World. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1986. Print

Beliefs

Matsuda says, "We may not have parted on the easiest of terms, but things like that shouldn't come between us. Naturally, I'd say only the best things about you" (93). Masuji Ono tells his old friend Matsuda to only talk good about him. Ono asks him to not mention that he was a painter or anything about his past that would jeopardize his daughter's, Noriko, possible marriage. Noriko and her family will be investigated by investigators hired by the possible groom to be in order to see if she meets his expectations. Is it really right to hide who you are because it will benefit you in some way? This is what Ono is doing, which is going against to what he believed before, when he was a kid.

Ono says, "All he's kindled is my ambition" (48). Young Ono tells this to his mother when his father is burning his paintings. What happened to this Ono? Did he let life happen? Ono didn't like his father telling him that being an artist is something he shouldn't be proud of. So why has he turned so much like his father? Ono is lost because he is contradicting what he believed at first. What happened to the young Ono? Where did his beliefs go?

Loyalty

“There are some who would say it is people like myself who are responsible for the terrible things that happened to this nation of ours. As far as I am concerned, I freely admit I made many mistakes. I accept that much of what I did was ultimately harmful to our nation, that mine was part of an influence that resulted in untold suffering for our own people. I admit this. You see, Dr Saito, I admit this quite readily.” In this quote, Masuji Ono admits that he took part in leading Japan into World War II by being patriotic. He was loyal to his country as his pupils are loyal to him. Loyalty is a major theme throughout this book. It is loyalty that led Ono to paint patriotic paintings that liberated the people to support this movement towards war. It is also through this loyalty that split the generations, whether it was unintentional or not. The younger generation despises the elders for destroying the reputation and prosperity of their country.

It seems to me that this book questions the nature of loyalty. How loyal must one be? According to this book, the extent of loyalty has caused incidents. The first is the influence of war, even though Japan shouldn’t have gotten involved. Many people from the young generation believe a war was pointless and that Japan shouldn’t have been involved. The second is the split between the generations. The younger generation resent the older generation for influencing the war. If it weren’t for the many paintings of misleading patriotism, Japan would have never joined the war. Thus, Japan would not have lost its prestige and honor. The third is that Ono has lost the respect of Mr. Kuroda due to the fact that Mr. Kuroda blames Ono for causing the war.

Ono's Description of Setting

One thing that makes the book very detailed and interesting is the fact that we can see the setting where things take place. Why does the Ishiguro give so much detail about the setting?

In almost every scene that he describes he always gives a lot of detail about the setting. The very first scene in the book is a description of Ono’s house and the garden.

He also starts April 1949 with a description of nature. “Clusters of new houses have appeared towards the foot of the hill down which I have just come. And further along the riverbank, where a year ago there was only grass and mud, a city corporation is building apartment blocks for future employees” (99).

He also gives a very detailed description of Kuroda’s home. “Kuroda did not live in a good quarter. I walked for some time through little alleys filled with dilapidated lodging houses before coming to a concrete square resembling the forecourt of a factory” (109).

He even gives a detailed description on page 116 of the Kasuga Park Hotel (the place where Noriko had her miai). It is very interesting that they are having a very special Japanese ceremony in a place that has been influenced by western style.

He also gives a very detailed description of Kawabe Park.

In the beginning his describes his house because it is a place of great importance to him. He describes Kuroda’s home because it was a time where he was rejected by a pupil. He describes Noriko’s miai because a daughter’s wedding ceremony is very important to a father. Kawabe Park also has had a huge impact on his life.

I think that Ishiguro gives detailed description of several places because they are all of the places that have strongly impacted Ono’s life. I thought of it as a visual experience. Ono is an artist. He is a visual person. He will obviously describe with detail the setting to the places that have had major impacts in his life.

Ishiguro, Kazuo. An Artist of the Floating World. New York. Vintage International. 1989.