Not in the Seat, but in the Narrative: Ken Kaiko and Mr. Saji's Roundtable Cultural Theory - circa 1976

Not in the Seat, but in the Narrative: Ken Kaiko and Mr. Saji's Roundtable Cultural Theory - circa 1976

The dialogue between Ken Kaiko and Mr. Saji revolves around the difference between Japan's unique "roundtable culture" and foreign interview cultures. They draw on Western intellectual conversational forms such as Eckermann's Goethe dialogues, Marlowe, and Propo, and focus on the peculiarities of Japanese roundtable discussions. It is interesting to note that Japanese round-table discussions are based on the premise of a chatty exchange between several people, where tension and literary devices intervene. He also discusses the differences in the atmosphere of the literary circles in the Kanto and Kansai regions, the nature of round-table discussions organized at the initiative of publishers, and the discretion and improvisational nature of the comments made at the round-table discussions. Saji emphasizes the atmosphere created by Japanese speech culture as "not in the za, but in the narrative. Kaiko responds by discussing the intellectual playfulness fostered by the literary
world and the self-controlled literary space. The discussion also touches on the staged elements of the roundtable format and the way in which words remain in the record. The entire conversation is a good dialogue that reveals the climate of the Showa literary world and the richness of magazine culture.