UKIGUMO

Ukigumo (1887; tr. The Drifting Clouds, 1967) was a fledgling novel by Futabatei Shimei. Considered by many to be the first modern Japanese novel, in large part because of its use of gen bun itchi colloquial narrative language, the story centers on Utsumi Bunzo, a young member of the samurai class who loses his government job by refusing to display the proper subordinate attitude to his boss. He is in love with his cousin and is reluctant to tell his aunt of his misfortune for fear of losing the prospect of marriage. His fellow worker, whose pragmatic approach to workplace deference keeps him employed, has eyes for Utsumi’s cousin as well, and this creates a romantic tension that permeates this novel up through its premature conclusion.