ABSTRACT
The turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries marked the end of warlike temper and the bloom of a new culture, and is noted for its brilliant manifestations. The new growth of culture appeared first in this metropolis of the bourgeoisie and was gradually transplanted to Yedo. Together with the manifestations of the new culture, there were arising conflicts between bureaucratic formalism and democratic aspirations. The culture of Genroku was in part a demonstration of this new force and aspiration. The culture of Genroku shows in many respects a continuation of the exhilarating spirit of the sixteenth century but at the same time its struggle with the heavy pressure accumulating from above. A negative manifestation of this struggle was the love tragedies spoken of above, but a positive expression was shown more and more in the pretentious life of the rich bourgeoisie, with its accompanying manifestations in art.
