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Ichiyo's "Child's Play"

Background
- Stories about children on the fringe of society
-abnormal amount of education for the time period (westernized education)
Setting Red Light District, outskirts of Tokyo

"The name may sound a little saintly, but those who live in the area will tell you it's a lively place"

Town is full of prostitutes and poverty.

Otori Days - fairs held at various shrines
Tanka Poems japanese poetry that focuses on nature and seasons
Characters
Midori - main girl, pretty young lady lives an extravagant lifestyle
Nobu - priest's son; eventually sent to a seminary, likes Midori but involved with Chokichi

  "Odd, how her one gesture moved him, and yet he could not bring himself to reach out and take the cloth. He stared at it vacantly, and as he looked at it he felt his heart break"

Midori brings Nobu a cloth to fix his broken sandal.

Chokichi - chief's son
Shota - little boy who likes Midori
Omaki - Midori's sister, a prostitute

Themes
1. Coming of Age
"Growing up, she plays among the butterflies and flowers. But she turns sixteen, and all she knows is work and sorrow."
2. Naivety
"What do you mean? That'd be wonderful! Next year I'm going to open a shop, and after I save some money I'll buy her for a night!" -Nobu referring to Midori becoming a prostitute

MY RESPONSE:

Your insight on Higuchi Ichiyo's "Child's Play" (1895) is very analytical and precise. To help add some more information, the historical context was during the 1600s to the 1800s where Japan was under military dictatorship and known for their dedication to the traditions of society. In addition, it was during a time of the Edo period, which is described as a "being calm while expanding the economy" period, in which the agriculture and transportation started to prosper.  Some of Ichiyo's personal life, although she died at  young age, reflects a good insight into the story; both her brother and father died while she was in her teens, her father was at a private school in a samurai course and her mother maintained the home and other domestic skills. Her family status seemed in the middle, thus she can see both the rich and poor sides mentioned in the story. Also, other characters mentioned in the story include: Chokichi who was the leader of the back street gang, Shota who was leader of the main street gang and son of a wealthy pawnbroker, Sangoro/Mannencho who was a well-liked lazy and a buffoon who eventually joined the main street gang despite that he grew up in the back street.  Lastly, an important scene in the story is when Chokichi comes over to Sangoro and Midori looking for Shota, who already went home for the day. When Chokichi saw that Shota was not there he starting beating Sangoro instead. While Midori watched this abuse, she then took charge and stood up to Chockichi, who then called her a whore and threw dirt from his sandal in her face. This scene depicts the rivalry between the two groups as well as Midori's strong side beyond her society life of prostitution. Overall, the story had a great display of different social levels of society and thus how it affected the children's future.