A portrait of Shunkin

The portrait of Shunkin by Tanizaki Jun’ichiro was an interesting short story which surprised me because I actually enjoyed it. Shunkin is a short story that is a memoir to Shunkin and her lover named Sasuke. The story focuses on their lives from childhood all the way to their elderly days and is ultimately as a sad tale.  The story is told through the narration of a man piecing together their lives through various resources that he has found and is told through a speculative point of view.

If you have read my other blog post about the sci-fi short story, you probably have already pegged me (and I also peg myself) as a short story hater. However, Asian short stories, which are often told the through the narrative of a memoir always pique my interest. Whether it is due to the fact that is because reading any Asian short story reminds me of my own heritage or it is through its narrative style is debatable, but Asian short stories often capture what I find most important in any novel, character development. Shunkin does not fail in delivering a great progression of the characters as they grow from children to adults in such a short amount of text. Jun’ichiro does a great job in portraying the psyche of Shunkin and also that of Sasuke, as they grow up together in the same household. But what I found the most interesting in this short story was the great portrayal of the difference between that of master and her servant.

Being raised in a culture where the gap between the servant and master is large, I understand and can relate to the relationship between Shunkin and Sasuke. Therefore, it was interesting to see Sasuke’s psyche toward being her servant, even in their elderly days where they are both blind. Often a servant is known to often resent the power and stature of the master, this is especially true in Asia where the servant often can never reach the stature of those born into the rich.  It was a mystery to me as to why Sasuke adored Shunkin so much as he did and that is what led me to become so engrossed into this enthralling love story.