Japan Jazz Anthology Select: Jazz of the SP Era

Yoshimoto Takaaki Collected Works (Shobunsha) — 38 Volumes + Supplement

Two-line summaries of each volume.

1. Vol. 1 (1941–48)

   Youth poems from wartime to the immediate postwar years. Early seeds of thought and self-formation.

2. Vol. 2 (1948–50)

   Poems rooted in his sister’s death and factory work. Strong religious and introspective motifs.

3. Vol. 3 (1951–54)

   Unpublished poems leading to his private-press collections. Early core inquiries into language and time.

4. Vol. 4 (1952–57)

   Poetry books Koyūji to no Taiwa and Ten’i no tame no Juppen. Adds his first full-fledged critical essays.

5. Vol. 5 (1957–59)

   Monograph Takamura Kōtarō. Literary polemics (e.g., with Hanada Kiyoteru) clarify his stance.

6. Vol. 6 (1959–61)

   Political criticism around the 1960 Anpo protests. Sharp social analyses such as “The Postwar Generation’s Political Thought.”

7. Vol. 7 (1962–64)

   Major essays “On Maruyama Masao” and “Japan’s Nationalism.” Rigorous scrutiny of postwar thought and the nation-state.

8. Vol. 8 (1961–65)

   The major work What Is Beauty in Language? (Gengo ni totte bi to wa nani ka). Rebuilds aesthetics from the roots of linguistic expression.

9. Vol. 9 (1964–68)

   Includes Karl Marx. Essays showing the intellectual searches just before Kyōdō Gensō-ron (“Theory of Communal Fantasy”).

10. Vol. 10 (1965–71)

    Cultural criticism amid Anpo/Student Movements. Many unpublished manuscripts and social commentaries.

11. Vol. 11 (1969–71)

    Post-Statements on the Situation writings. Re-examining Marxism in a transitional phase of thought.

12. Vol. 12 (1971–74)

    Centered on Minamoto no Sanetomo (Gen Sanetomo). Bridges postwar concerns with medieval Japan.

13. Vol. 13 (1974–76)

    Contains The Theory of Communal Fantasy (Kyōdō Gensō-ron). A bold anatomy of state, religion, and family illusions.

14. Vol. 14 (1976–78)

    Centered on A Theory of Mental Phenomena (Shinteki Genshō-ron). Philosophical studies linking mind and society.

15. Vol. 15 (1978–79)

    Includes Transcending Religion (Shūkyō no Ekkyō). Re-questions religious experience and the basis of community.

16. Vol. 16 (1979–80)

    Includes On the Maternal Archetype (Bogat ron). Deepens communal fantasy via family and motherhood.

17. Vol. 17 (1980–81)

    Social essays of the “post-Communal Fantasy” phase. Connects political fantasies with everyday life.

18. Vol. 18 (1981–82)

    Language and criticism texts like What Is Criticism?. Attempts a redefinition of literary theory.

19. Vol. 19 (1982–83)

    What Is the Mind? Cross-disciplinary turns across psychology, philosophy, and thought.

20. Vol. 20 (1983–84)

    On Nationalism. Probes postwar Japan’s communal consciousness and view of the state.

21. Vol. 21 (1984–85)

    High-Image Theory I. A groundbreaking critique of contemporary media and visual culture.

22. Vol. 22 (1985–86)

    High-Image Theory II. Focus on television, advertising, and subculture criticism.

23. Vol. 23 (1986–87)

    Urban theory including The Thought of Tokyo. Traces how the megacity forms and what it means.

24. Vol. 24 (1987–88)

    Shinran. A landmark religious study intertwined with modernity critique.

25. Vol. 25 (1988–89)

    Language Adrift and related pieces. Sharp readings of shifts in Japanese language and expressive culture.

26. Vol. 26 (1989–90)

    Social criticism at the end of the Cold War. Analyses of Japan’s path and changes in mass culture.

27. Vol. 27 (1990–91)

    The Idea of Autonomy. Questions the individual and the state in 1990s society.

28. Vol. 28 (1991–92)

    The Archetype of the Masses. A near-synthetic study of mass society.

29. Vol. 29 (1992–93)

    The Structure of Defeat. Post-bubble social criticism in Japan.

30. Vol. 30 (1993–94)

    What Is Beauty in Language II. A late theoretical re-examination of language.

31. Vol. 31 (1994–95)

    High-Image Theory III. Further investigations into media culture.

32. Vol. 32 (1995–96)

    On the Maternal Archetype II. Deepens the maternal principle at society’s base.

33. Vol. 33 (1996–97)

    Topical essays and columns. Late-period critiques of contemporary Japan.

34. Vol. 34 (1997–98)

    Literary-historical criticism such as Postwar Poetry. Reappraisals of postwar literature.

35. Vol. 35 (1999–2000)

    What Is Poetry? A late-period summation on poetic expression and thought.

36. Vol. 36 (2001–02)

    Authenticity (Shingan) and The Future of the Japanese Language. Looks ahead to language and society.

37. Vol. 37 (2003–05)

    Late topical essays and columns. Light-toned pieces intertwining life and thought.

38. Vol. 38 (2006–11)

    Final essays including Kaiten Kyūgyō. Thought carried through to his final years.

39. Supplement

    Photo album, life chronicle, and bibliography. A reference volume summarizing the whole set.