Footprints in the Snow
 Cover of English translation | |
| Author | Kenjirō Tokutomi |
|---|---|
| Original title | 思出の記 (Omoide no Ki) |
| Set in | Japan, 1878–1897 |
| Publication date | 1900–1901 |
| Publication place | Japan |
Published in English | 1970 |
Footprints in the Snow (思出の記, Omoide no Ki) is a Japanese novel by Kenjirō Tokutomi. Originally serialized in the newspaper Kokumin Shimbun between 1900 and 1901, the novel was later revised and published as a book in 1901. It can be considered a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story as it blends fiction with events from Tokutomi's youth and that of his older brother, Tokutomi Soho. The book became a bestseller and established Tokutomi as a writer following his earlier success with The Cuckoo.[1]
Plot
The protagonist, Shintaro Kikuchi, is born as the only child of a wealthy samurai family in rural Kyushu. The bankruptcy and death of Shintaro's father and loss of ancestral home forces the family into poverty. The novel follows Shintaro, as he struggles to get an education and to restore the family fortune.
Translations
An English translation by Kenneth Strong was published in 1970 as part of the Japanese series in the UNESCO Collection of Representative Works. The translation received favorable reviews.[2][3]
References
- ↑ Powell, Brian (1975). "Footprints in the Snow. A Novel of Meiji Japan by KENJIRO TOKUTOMI, translated by KENNETH STRONG. Allen & Unwin, Ltd: London, 1970. Pp. 372". Modern Asian Studies. 9 (2). Cambridge University Press: 274–278. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00005047. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
An immense success in its own day (it was published in book form in 1901) and for twenty-five years afterwards
- ↑ Robson, Bruce (1971-01-01). "FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW by KENJIRO TOKUTOMI". Japan Quarterly; Tokyo. 18 (1). Asahi Shimbun: 109.
- ↑ Powell, Brian (1975). "Footprints in the Snow. A Novel of Meiji Japan by KENJIRO TOKUTOMI, translated by KENNETH STRONG. Allen & Unwin, Ltd: London, 1970. Pp. 372". Modern Asian Studies. 9 (2). Cambridge University Press: 274–278. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00005047. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
Kenneth Strong has been able to insert into a highly readable biography enough hints of the expectations Meiji Japanese placed in each other to be able to dispense with a separate, weightier explanation. Other, necessary information is included in footnotes which are models of their kind. Concise and often gently humorous, footnote reading becomes a delight rather than a chore. ... The translation has clearly been painstaking and it conveys the naive self-assertiveness that is present in the sometimes slightly pompous Japanese.