The Moon in the Water: Understanding Tanizaki, Kawabata, and Mishima is a 1979 non-fiction book by Gwenn Boardman Petersen, published by University of Hawaii Press. It discusses translated works by Junichiro Tanizaki, Yasunari Kawabata, and Yukio Mishima. [note 1]
The work was intended for readers in Western countries who had not studied Japan academically to the degree they were in Japanese studies. [1] It was not to discuss any critical theories. [2]
Thomas Cogan of Honolulu, Hawaii referred to the work as "a perceptive and critical guide to" these translations. [3]
The initial chapter, which discusses Japanese literature in general, is called "contexts". Each subsequent chapter is about each of the three writers, so there are four total chapters. [3]
The author compares and contrasts Japanese works to Western ones. The chapters discuss imagery and symbolism. [4]
Kinya Tsuruta of the University of British Columbia wrote that Peterson wishes to highlight intricacies in Japanese and "fiercely attacks translators' transgressions—real or imagined." [2] According to Tsuruta, Petersen "goes out of her way to hunt for "hidden Japanese clues" and, of course, finds them." [2]
Cogan "highly recommended" the book, and argued that the book was "well researched and crisply written" as well as "useful and stimulating", with special praise for the portion about Suigetsu, a work by Kawabata. [3]
Chieko Irie Mulhern of the University of Illinois stated that the book may be useful for the general public while it may cause controversies among people specializing in Japan. [4]
Robert Rolf of Fukuoka University of Education praised the "stimulating" reasoning in the book, and stated they would be the case even for people who disagree with Peterson's reasoning. [5]
Tsuruta criticized the author for having a "less than ideal" understanding of the culture of Japan and the Japanese language. [6]