Jun Ishikawa (1899-1987) remains less known in the West than other Japanese writers of equal stature. With the publication of this volume, however, several more of his works become available in English. This is due to the devotion of William Tyler, whose translations of the 1936 "Fugen" ("The Bodhisattva," 1999) and the 1946 "Meigetsuju" ("Moon Gems," 1985) introduced Ishikawa to English readers.
A reason for the relative neglect in the West is perhaps the difficulty of cataloging him, that is, placing him within the framework of received opinion about Japanese literature. Japanese critics have the same problem -- he does not seem to fit anywhere. Though he is commonly given a place in the "burai-ha" (decadent school), the designation means even less than usual when applied to a writer of such subtle variety.
One of the reasons for dropping Ishikawa in the "burai" bin is that he is not "politically committed," since he often consciously availed himself of earlier styles, such as the so-called "jozetsu" (garrulous) manner typical of the "gesaku" writers of the Tokugawa period. Of his literary life he once said, "I did my study abroad in Edo."