2019 Volume 101 Pages 32-48
In the early 1900s, many circular magazines were published for the purpose of giving people practice in writing. In this paper, focusing on the circular magazines Sakubunkai and Bungaku Kokyukai, both from the Kitakata region of Fukushima Prefecture, I clarify the actual situation of young people who practiced writing through these magazines, and their later activities in their local communities. These magazines attracted a wide variety of participants, who held discussions through their magazine writings. Because the magazines aspired to teach young people the correct meanings of words, members who were well-read in classical literature and possessed large personal libraries were most influential. This resulted in a sort of cultural gap among members. In addition, there were arguments between those who placed more emphasis on the practice of writing than on the perusal of correct meaning (kunko, or commentary). After the Russo-Japanese War, the trend toward “commentary” shifted from the quest for Japanese and Chinese classics to linguistic activities that would enhance regional cooperation, such as the recording of local history and the placing of inscribed literary monuments.
