So is
cultural
news.
Ezra-Pound-Japan-Letters-essays
I am telling my American bank to bother you with a draft for ten bucks (i. e. dollars] for various small errands. (For which any apolo- gy, but I have no other means to hand. )
I tried a year ago to get the Tokio or Japan Times but they re- turned my personal cheque saying they couldn't cash it. I dont think they can have tried very hard.
However when you do get the (bank) cheque will you send me 8 copies of the Girl's Circle containing "gais or the Beauties of the Tyrol. " (as discipline for other members of the family. ) and one month of the Japan Times, (and hold the rest of the ten bucks for future trials). NouseinmygettingalongersubscriptionoftheTimes(now)asI may
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beinAmericaoratanyratenotinRapalloafterMarcii. I willstarttak- ing it again when I settle for the Autumn.
It is great fun having the child make a debut at such distance. I hope it will have a civilizing effect (on her). School hasn't quite quen- ched her intelligence. But of course impossible to tell whether she will ever be able to write anything again after having been taught Grammar etc/
Her English is now more Japanese than any Japanese english from Tokio. The idea that dont and cant contain both verb and negative, just wont enter her head.
Her mother holds me personally responsible for effect of Amer- ican magazine illustrations on Japan, despite Fenollosa's efforts the other way.
Porteus has a word about VOU in the last Criterion.
Williams' Life on the Passaic River might interest you. In fact some of that ought to be of interest to Tokio editors.
I suppose Laughlin sends you his pubctns/
and so forth. ever
Ezra Pound
73: Katue Kitasono to Ezra Pound
TLS-1 vou CLUB 1649 1-tiome-nisi magome-mati, omoriku, tokio. 10 February 1939
My dear Pound,
I have just received your letter dated Jan. 14. It's pleasant that the young debutante is very satisfied. A hundred years after, Mary's idea about can't and don't will go current, I believe.
I told them to send you the Japan Times from Feb. 7 for a month, and I have despatched 8 copies of Reijyokai to you. It pleases us that Mary's mother, too, has a good will on my country.
Though we have a rise in prices in some degree in Japan, our life is little changed, we are very peaceful.
The general concern with cultural affairs has become more active than before.
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SECTIONII: 1936-66
Two young poets from VOU have gone to the front. They often write me lively. Even in the battle field, they wish to read books in high class rather than amusing books.
The other day received a letter from Charles Henri Ford inviting us to their Chain poem, and we decided to make 6 from us join in it.
with good wishes, Katue YAiasono
74: Ezra Pound to Katue Kitasono
TLS-2 Anno XVII, Via Marsala 12-5, Rapallo, with Gaudier-Brzeska profile head. 3 March 1939
Dear K 2?
Thanks for yours of 10th Feb. Townsman wd/ 1 think like the names of the two poets at the front.
//
I have (had strong) nostalgia for Japan, induced by the fragment of Noh in Miisnco. If you can continue such films nothing in the West can re- sist. We shall expect you at last to deliver us from Hollywood and un- bounded cheapness.
ALL the Noh plays ought to be filmed/ or at any rate all the music shd/ be recorded on the sound \. vQiC\^.
It must be 16 years since 1 heard a note of Noh (Kume [Tami] and his friends sang to me in Paris] but the instant the Noh (all too little of it in that film] sounded I knew it.
It is like no other music.
There is a mention of Japan at the edge of my Chinese Cantos/ now on desk, hope to publish in Autumn
52/61 China/ 62/71 John Adams, pater patriae U. S. A. more than Wash- ington or Jefferson/ though all three essential and (aJI) betrayed by the first congress.
I must go on making clean typescript of them. Now on Canto 67 I want a "Tong Kien Kang Mou"
of Japan
and a translation of the economic volume of the Chinese encyclopedia. I
? SECTIONII: 1936-66
I'i
think it is vol 3/ I havea
Nipon O Y)q\ itsi ran
but it is mere chronicle, as far as I have time to read.
(Klaproth, translation) (here's io meeting Sometime. )
75: Katue Kitasono to Ezra Pound
TLS-1 vou CLUB 1649 1-tiome-nisi magome-mati, omoriku, tokio. 7 March 1939
Dear Mr. Ezra Pound,
I got, all right, the cheque of 10 dollars issued by Jenkintown Bank, and cashed it Y36. 60 in Japanese currency.
I paid for the /apan Times, as you will see in the enclosed. On that occasion I met Mr. Moori, the chief editor of the /apan Times, and told him of your hope of writing culture news for Tokio as you told me last year.
I ought to have met him more quickly, because he agreed to this proposal with his all heart.
If you hadn't yet given up your desire (how I hope you hadn't], I would pray you to write and send it to me.
We are expecting to it.
I received a very lonely letter in English from Mary.
Ever yours, Katue YAidsono
76: Ezra Pound to Katue Kitasono
TLS-l Anno XVII, Via Marsala 12-5, Rapallo, with Gaudier-Brzeska profile head. 10 March 1939
Dear K/
I enclose review copy of my latest and shortest book. I hope the
Yours
Ezra Pound
? 74. SECTIONII: 1936-66
Times (Japan Times] will review it. It contains the part of American his- tory NOT taught in American Universities/ Rothschild and Sassoon wd/ spend millions to maintain their system of murder (by world wars etc. ) and for 120 years the understanding of this page has been obscured.
Roosevelt's gang are unlikely to introduce this text book in American schools.
The great infamies/ Bank of England and Banque de France dare not face this one page.
Japan Times (First lot, arrived this morning. )
11: Katue Kitasono to Ezra Pound TCS-1 [Tokyo]. 20 March 1939
Dear Ezra Pound,
Yours EP
I fear 1 might have astonished the bon papa of Mary by writing in my former letter, "I received a very lonely letter from Mary. "
It was, of course, a very lovely letter that she gave me. Please disregard the mistype of my forefinger.
ever yours Katue
78: Ezra Pound to Katue Kitasono
TLS-2 Anno XVII, Via Marsala 12-5, Rapallo, with Gaudier-Brzeska profile head. 27 March 1939
Dear K 2?
Sincere thanks for all your various disbursements of energy. I am sending two brief notes for the Japan Times.
Please salute Mr. Morri, and between you let me know more ex- actly what you want me to do.
I mean:Howoften? How long?
Whether I am to stick to art, music and poetry or whether I am allowed to consider the arts as happening in an ambience, expressive of states of
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mind coincident with different dispositions toward organized society.
I have been cited in Italian press as "poeta economista" Will the Japan Times stand that?
I send two brief notes, rather than one long one, as the subjects do not form a unity.
Also short notices are more convenient for a newspaper. Cultural NEWS?
How far does Mr. Morri want me to "hold down" to notices of events, and how far am I to criticize them?
///
In all cases will he understand that my writing is subject to his editing. He can cut whatever he thinks is of no interest to his readers, and I will not take offence.
I expect to go to America. Does he want any special reports from there? Whether on art or the state of the general mind?
I have been out of that country for 28 years and don't know what I can effect. I should like my trip to result in better triple understanding (Japan/America/Italy). But I am not on a mission or anything save my own affairs.
in any case please answer
E. Pound (to await arrival)
c/o I/B. Mapel, 3301 P. Street, Washington D. C. , U. S. A.
/// ///
I trust my beloved young novelist isn't wringing your heart with sob stuff. The copies of her first opus have all arrived safely.
//
I should think a monthly letter wd/ be the best thing for me to do for the //Times but do ask Mr. Morri to write me and say what he thinks wd/ be best. Also the editor alone knows what space he has free for these fea- tures.
You spell him "Moori"/ The Times spells it "Morri" the address on yr/ printed stationery differs from that I have used for several years and which has worked. One of Fenollosa's friends was "Mori" with one r.
And what you will make of "Shinbu," "Miaco" and "Undertree's inva- sion of Corea" in my 62/71 Cantos, I dont know. Spelling is very mysterious. The "mandate" has shifted. Did you see my Mencius in the Criterion last summer? (possibly unfashionable author? how can I tell? )
ever E. P.
? 76 SECTIONII: 1936-66
79: Katue Kitasono to Ezra Pound
TLS-2 vou CLUB 1649 1-tiome-nisi magome-mati, omoriku, tokio. 11 April 1939
Mr. Ezra Pound,
I received your letters March 3, and March 10. 1 tried in vain to assign "Tong kien kang mou" to ideograms. You must be patient and give me a few explanatory words about it, or rather the ideograms themselves.
In Tokio I couldn't find the translation of Chinese Encyclopedia. But at any rate I am making inquiry about it to Peking.
I wrote a short review of your introductory Text Book and sent it to the Japan Times. I will send you the paper, as soon as it will be printed.
I agree with you on the debouchement to the West of Noh plays by films and gramophone records. Some of Noh plays are recorded, I ask if you have any.
Duncan has written to me to find for him some early Chinese plays, but at present there are no adequate ones.
The Chinese incident, however, has stimulated Japan to more profound study of China, and so we shall soon be able to get easily many Chinese books.
I have become very imaginative about your Chinese Cantos.
I have read the echo of VOU in the last number of Criterion.
I only hope the coming of the day when we shall be compensated for the
sacrifice we are now making for superior culture in the West and in the East. We are growing international chainpoems by the proposal of Charles
Henri Ford in America.
The scores of Igor Markewitch have recently arrived at my friend.
Ever yours, Katue Kitasono
80: Katue Kitasono to Ezra Pound
TLS-2 vou CLUB 1649 1-tiome-nisi magome-mati, omoriku, tokio. 28 April 1939
Dear Ezra Pound:
Thank you for the letter March 17. The articles you kindly sent for the ]apan Times are very interesting to us.
? SECTIONII: 1936-66 77
Immediately I handed them over to Mr. Moori.
I think he will soon write to you, but at any rate 1 tell you. He wish you to write on anything concerned with culture. It is left to your own free will how far to hold down to notices of events and how far to criticize them.
Mr. Moori, especially wants to have your reports from America. In short Mr. Moori trusts me and I trust your sense, and so you can write everything in your own way.
The Japan Times would be very grateful, if you could write twice a month, within 2,000 words each time.
Mr. Moori is very sorry for that the payment for your manuscripts will prove very small owing to the bad condition of foreign exchange.
I ask if you would permit me to translate your manuscripts for ]IT and print them in Japanese journal. A few days ago the young writer in Firenze pleaded me with a letter promising to try to write about her college life during the vacation. Hereafter I send the magazine directly to her.
Many thanks for the sending of the Picture Post. Mr. Lewis has made a great progress in his painting, I think. It's very funny that Royal Academy was so much afraid of his leonine head.
It seems to me, however, his dessin is too much stretched out like Greco or Modigliani, but it gives to his portrait a sort of nobility which I like as
well as that of Greco or Modigliani. ^
I spell by Japanese system (but not faithful, sometimes change as I like), and Mr. Moori does by the old system, not being banned its use.
I expect next manuscript from you in America.
Wishing you bon voyage. ever yours.
Katue Kitasono
The regrettable death of Yeats had instantly been reported within Japan by radio, newspapers, and magazines.
It's a great pity that Bwletto and Criterion have ceased their publica- tion; oui various literary magazines have written about the latter.
^
-j^j^ , and Mr. Moori is ^ if^'J . There
Fenollosa's friend Dr. Mori is
had been long used the Hepburn system of Romaji (writing of the spoken Japanese language in an ordinary foreign alphabet) until a new one, the Japanese Romaji was officially agreed several years ago.
--
78 SECTIONII: 1936-66
81: Yasotaro Morri to Ezra Pound
TLS-1 The Japan Times, Hibiya Park. 15 May 1939
Dear Mr. Ezra Pound
Thank you for your articles. One about the tri-lingual international means of communications is published in paper of May 14, a copy of which I'm mailing to you under separate cover. The other, concerning Yeats, we'll publish in our Book Page, on the first Sunday of June.
We shall be pleased to have you send us something of literary nature dealing with the general literary trend, or with some big giants in the literary world or something of the sort. It is quite refreshing to read articles, specially written for our paper by a person of your prominence, regarding the literary matters, when we have enough of "dopes" dealing with crises, war threats and general unrest.
The length of that tri-lingual article is just right. More later; I just dash these lines to acknowledge the receipt of your articles from Mr. Kitasono some time ago.
Trusting this will find you well,
Yours truly, Yasotaro Morri
N. B. --Going over a copy of your letter to Mr. Kitasono, 1 think 1 should say something more. You may give us three articles a month or four. More than, we may be imposing too much on you.
Art, poetry, music--all right.
So is cultural news. We know you are not on a special mission to iron out the Japan-U. S. relations, if ever there are any jagged surface, but naturally would prefer nothing which will provoke Americans in political issues. Kindly stick to literary subjects; if your criticism of current American literature is found unfavorable to Americans, for instance, it can't be helped. Have I said sufficiently to indicate what we want?
? ? SECTIONII: 1936-66 79
82: Ezra Pound to Katue Kitasono and Yasotaro Morri
TLS-2 Anno XVII, Via Marsala 12-5, Rapallo, with Gaudier-Brzeska profile head. 28 October 1939
Dear K/K/ and Dear Mr. Morri
(or Dear K. K. will you please pass on this letter to Mr. Morri? )
You may have wondered where and why etc. {I have been. ) 1 reed. Mr. Morri's letter while in America. No copy of the Japan Times, for 1st sun- day in June has reached me. May have gone astray. Mr. M. said it wd. contain my note on Yeats.
As you can imagine, the war interferes with one's income. It doesn't matter how much 1 am paid, but I shall have to be paid something, as ZERO multiplied however many times equals always zero.
I shd. be willing to accept a subscription to the Japan Times as recom- pense for the first couple of articles. At any rate 1 want to see the paper, regularly, now that I am back at a fixed address. {&- 1 want 5 copies of issues containing my articles--distribution of which wd. he good pubiic- ityforJ. Times. )
We are having a LOAN-Capital war. Some say a jew war against the aryan population of Europe. Mc N. Wilson sees American finance as the real enemy of England. You must know where China got her money for war. Some call it Kuhn Loeb and Go's war on Japan.
At any rate there is no understanding of the present wars without under- standing of war loans/ loans by the same men to the Same men. De Wen- del the banker, pays the (french) people's money to De Wendel the gun maker. And so forth.
and all this is subject matter for literature.
My Cantos 52/71 are in the press/ Chinese dynasties and John Adams. Creator of the United States and of something not unlike a dynasty in America. The fall of which meant the end of decent civilization in the U. S. or at any rate a great and pestilent sickness in American govern- ment.
And I wd. prefer to write about history for the moment, includ- ing current history.
I will, however, during the coming week try to send you an article on the Vivaldi week in Siena.
I should think the Japan Times wd. do well to send a subscription to
? 80 SECTIONII: 1936-66
Odon Por, 5 b. via Angelo Masina, Roma, Italy as exchange for some Ital- ian publications, say Meridiano di Roma, and the Rivista di Lavoro if any of you read Italian.
Per reads english.
I have also been meaning to report on meeting with oriental dept. {of American congressional lihrary) and Dr. Sakanishi, in Washington re/ proposals for bilingual editions of Noh plays. Will try to get round to that shortly.
ever yours Ezra Pound
83: Shotaro Oshima to Ezra Pound
ALS-3 c/o Fujino, 1053, 2 chome, Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Japan. 28 October 1939
Ezra Pound, Esq. Dear Sir:
I am taking the liberty of sending you under separate cover a copy of my Poems: Among Shapes and Shadows. I am afraid that they are rather badly written, as I have some difficulty in expressing myself in good English. But I hope that you will find something of interest in them. And I shall be very much obliged if you kindly give me some remark upon my works, because it is the first and laborious attempt for me to write verse in English, and as to the merits of my poetry I am quite diffident. I am a Japanese and a professor of English poetry in Waseda University in Tokyo. For ten years ago, I devoted much of my time to the study of the poetry of the late Mr. W. B. Yeats. And so when I saw him in Dublin last year, he gave me a warm welcome and wrote a letter of introduction addressing to you.
I wanted eagerly to see you while I was in Europe, but owing to the Sudeten Crisis last year, I had to cut my stay in Europe short, and to my great regret, I lost the opportunity of seeing you.
I have read almost all your works with great admiration--your works of immediate intelligibility and of creative vision.
Yours very truly Mr. Shotaro Oshima
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84: Katue Kitasono to Ezra Pound TLS-2 (n. p. ] 5 December 1939
My dear POUND
"Antonio Vivaldi," Meridiano di Roma, the note on Noh play for J. T. , and your letter all arrived at me.
There has been such a long time that I don't knou^ vi^ith u^hat I should begin to w^rite.
A few month ago, from Mr. Moori I received Y60. 00 to send to you as the payment for your former two copies for /. T. (overwhelmingly small amount! )
I didn't know where you were, in America or Italy, and so I couldn't send it. Now I send you a money order for the sum through the post office and trust you will find it correct.
It's a pity that the copies of J. T. containing your articles hadn't reached you at last, which Mr. Moori said surely they had sent to America.
They will send them to you at once.
The article on Noh play for this time I have handed over to Mr. Moori, and your letter, too.
I asked Mr. Moori to contribute J. T. regularly to you hereafter, and he accepted. Of course it's an etiquette to present it to him, if any gentleman is so kind as to read such a monotonous paper. Japan has begun to suffer from paper famine.
But VOU no. 28 is soon to be out. Please pay attention to our dessins. Our poems are progressing, I think.
I have begun to communicate with a young Chinese writer Mr. Kuan
ChiaTung. Whenthecriticalconditionwillpass,I hopeyouwillgetfrom himsufficientknowledgeaboutChinawhichI couldn'tgiveyou.
I am going to make a Chinese group like the VOU Club.
It's interesting to know your opinion on modern war.
I'm sorry, but I must confess I think economics is, too, one of such
uncertain sciences as medical science, psychology, etc. You can imagine how firmly I stand to this belief, as I am a barbarian who studied political economics and philosophy in university. Please excuse me, if I'm mis- taken, but I guess yours is political economics. In fact it's another field to which economics should extend, but I fear which may change economics into a nasty sandwich.
Formypart,I prefertolookatthevaguecosmosofMarquisdeLaplace, standing on my poetical philosophy of life, hanging down a ribbon from my
? 82 SECTIONII: 1936-66
collar, printed "I dont need such a hypothesis. "
Perhaps Xmas will have passed, when this letter will reach you. Merry
Xmas to you and to all the members of your family.
P. S. Your note on Vivaldi for J. T. has just arrived.
ever yours Katue Kitasono
85: Ezra Pound to Katue Kitasono
TLS-2 Anno XVIII, Via Marsala 12-5, Rapallo, with Gaudier-Brzeska profile head. 13 January 1940
Dear K/K
So far I have had one packet of Jap/ Times containing copies of my note on NOH. Also (thank you) 60 yen which for some reason are payable in french francs. Thanks for the same. A plain bank cheque in either yen or dollars might be simpler if you use banks. Otherwise I shall (start) (in fact I have already started) move for direct exchange between Japan and Italy. France being now the less worthy country.
I am all for the triangle.
//
Am meditating a rather more serious article on elements in european thought/ etc.
//
what would (to me) be useful would be a regular journalists card. At present 1 am a poet. Poets have no civic status above other mere men. But JOURNALISTS cau belong to the press association. Anyone can be an author. Nobody but addicts to a daily paper can get into the Press association and enjoy the privileges of being an hireling.
The Jap Times don't appear to have an Italian correspondent. If they wd. confer this honour upon me 1 will faithfully promise not to send them any news, or will comply with whatever other measures they like.
I could of course send news, but I shd/ have to be paid for that, as it wd. take time.
It shd/ be a distinction for the J. T. to have me as a regular correspondent.
? SECTIONII: 1936-66 83
It wd. cost them nothing unless they want a news service. In which case they wd. have to cover expenses. But that is not the point. The point is the formal appointment. Globe sent me a card, but monthly magazines are not counted as journalism.
I believe several foreign journalists "correspond" with papers that no longer exist or from which they have long ceased to depend.
Thanks for VOU with yet again my phiz, and note of my having been to America.
// 1 think after I do the plea for analysis of European thought from (a. d. ) 300 to 1500 / 1 will send you a translation of a plan for reform of teach- ing U. S. history. / cd/ stand as a review of Beard/ Woodward/ Bowers/ (Overhoiser? ) and 25 years american historiography
and so forth Evviva la Poesia. especial epos
Ezra Pound
86: Ezra Pound to Katue Kitasono
TLS-1 Anno XVIII, Via Marsala 12-5, Rapallo, with Gaudier-Brzeska profile head. 14 January 1940
Dear K/K
Tomorrow I am sending you an article which I hope will not be too serious for the Jap. T.
If it is you can translate it for VOU. I may have been too careful. 1 dont dare put in any more explanation for fear of its being too long.
The additional points wd/ be reference to the two fold influx of Chinese poetry in Japan/ i/e/ imitations of Chinese poetry. And jap attempts to write in Chinese parallel to latin influence in europe and men who wrote IN latin, down even to 1800.
However that is not the main point. And the question of the age at which a man begins to be interested in politico as
a development from etica wd. furnish another article. I have tried to keep my (note on) "worship to a spirit which does not belong" inside the /. T. limit, art, thought etc.
(Besides I don't know who keeps the J. T. going. ) yrs E. P.
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87: Ezra Pound to Katue Kitasono
TLS-1 Anno XVIII, Via Marsala 12-5, Rapallo, with Gaudier-Brzeska profile head. 15 January 1940
DearK. K DoesanyoneinyourgroupreadItalian?
Or wd/ it be better for me to send you a resume in English of what I publish here?
Note that London can no longer serve as centre for contemporary thought. Censorship forbidding us to send in printed matter save direct from publishing offices.
Various theories of the war. One that it is really American money- lenders against England. Naturally a desire to kill Hitler as he is aware of the general financial infamy. You can't know why there was war be- tween Japan and China, without going into subject of loans, (from Eu- rope to China. ]
Action last week printed a map showing that Russia had annexed an area in China larger than Europe. Europe being unaware of it and no protest from England or the dirty old League of Nations.
The British Union Quarterly has just printed the finest historical article that I have ever seen in any country or magazine whatsoever.
The Social Creditor has been doing valuable historical work. You shd/ read Overholser's History of Money in the U. S. A.
