For Education Purpose

1. Kazuo Ishiguro’s
An Artist of
The Floating Worlds

2. 01 02
Table of Content
03 04
05 06
07 08
Author’s
Introduction
Key Facts
of the novel
Background of
The novel
Symbols
Themes
Characters
of novel
Summary
of the novel
Use of Art
During War
09 Unreliable narrator

3. 01 Author’s Introduction
● Kazuo Ishiguro is a British author who was born in Nagasaki,
Japan on 8th November 1954.
● He migrated to England with his family so his father, who was
an oceanographer, could work with the National Institute of
Oceanography.
● In 1974, he enrolled in the University of Kent in Canterbury
and attained a degree of Bachelor of Arts with two majors;
English and Philosophy.
● After his graduation, Ishiguro started working on fiction
novels for almost a year after which he entered the University
of East Anglia in 1980 for a master’s program in Creative
writing.
● Ishiguro was born in Japan, he left Japan when he was only
five and returned almost thirty years later in 1989 as a
member of the ‘Japan Foundation Short Term Visitors’

4. ● Kazuo Ishiguro is known as one of the greatest British authors.
● He has received 4 ‘Man Booker Prize’ nominations. He has also won a prize
for his novel ‘The Remains of the Day’ in 1989.
● He was also ranked on number 32 on ‘The 50 greatest British writers since
1945’ by The Times.
● He was honored by the Order of the British Empire (1990) and
● the French décoration Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1998).
● In 2018 he received a Knighthood from the United Kingdom, and
● The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, from Japan.
● Also, in 2018, he was made an Honorary Citizen of Nagasaki City and
Prefecture.
● In 2019 he received the Bodley Medal from the Bodleian Libraries of Oxford
University.
● He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017.

5. ● He has wrote several novels like
○ An Artist of the Floating World (1986)
○ ‘The Remains of the Day’ in 1989
○ The Unconsoled (1995),
○ When We Were Orphans (2000),
○ Never Let Me Go (2005),
○ The Buried Giant (2015)
● A volume of Short stories, Nocturnes:
Five Stories of Music and Nightfall (2009).
● His novels ‘The Remains of the Day’ and
‘Never Let Me Go’ were adapted into films
in 1993 and 2010 respectively.

6. 02 Key Facts of the novel
● The novel “An Artist of The Floating
Worlds” is written by the author Kazuo
Ishiguro
● The novel was first Published in English
language by the publishers Faber and
Faber in United Kingdom in 1986.
● The Genre of the novel is Historical
Fiction.
● It is set in post-World War II Japan
● The novel narrated by Masuji Ono, an
ageing painter, who looks back on his life
and how he has lived it.

7. ● An Artist of the Floating World was named the
Whitbread Book of the Year Award and
shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
● The novel has been translated into over 40
languages around the world.
● Ishiguro was inspired to write An Artist of the
Floating World, after tangentially treating a
similar theme in his first novel ‘A Pale View of
Hills’
● The novel's title is based on the literal
translation of ‘Ukiyo-e’, a word referring to the
Japanese art of prints. Therefore, it can be read
as "a printmaker" or "an artist living in a
changing world,"

8. 03 Background of The novel: World War 2 and Japan
● Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and China in 1937, starting the Second Sino-
Japanese War
● Japan joined the Axis Powers with Germany and Italy in 1940
● Japan expanded its territory throughout Southeast Asia, including occupying
French Indochina
● Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, bringing the US into the
war
● Japan faced stiff resistance from the Allied powers, including the US, Great
Britain, and Australia
● The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the war in 1942
● The US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945
● Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's surrender on August 15, 1945, ending
the war
● Japan suffered significant economic and infrastructure damage from the war

9. ● Japan was occupied by the Allied powers, led by the
US, from 1945 to 1952.
● The occupation aimed to demilitarize and
democratize Japan and promote economic recovery.
● Major reforms were implemented in politics,
economics, education, and society.
● Japan was granted independence in 1952, renouncing
war and giving up overseas territories.
● The occupation of Japan by the US and its allies after
WWII brought significant Western influence to the
country.
● Western culture, including movies, music, fashion,
and cuisine, became popular in Japan.

10. 04 Use of Art During War- “Propaganda Art”
● Propaganda is commonly associated with mass production,
government-commissioned images, and a biased
promotion of ideologies.
● Art-as-propaganda is a paradoxical concept, as propaganda
is associated with one-sided promotion of ideologies while
art is associated with creativity and emotional gravitas.
● Japanese wartime art and photography furthered militarist
ideologies while showcasing artistic mastery and carrying
deep emotional weight.
● Art-as-propaganda portrays a reality that empowers the
state first and documents the truth last.
● Sensōga paintings were commissioned by the Japanese
state and military for display in exhibitions sponsored by
the Japanese state.

11. ● Sensōga paintings were widely reproduced and published in mass
media, such as newspapers and postcard reproductions.
● Japanese art-as-propaganda counter Western notions of what
propaganda is and what it can accomplish, including its artistic
elements and public exhibition as art during the war.
● Artists were mobilized as propagandists by the Japanese state, with
little resistance from the Japanese art world.
● War art-as-propaganda encompassed a variety of disciplines, with
every aspect of the Japanese art world collectively mobilized to
promote the cultural and political ideologies fueling the war's
spiritualization and "just cause" narrative.
● The Japanese state favored artistic media originating in the West
while documenting the Second World War, which seems ironic given
Japan's crusade against Western influences during the war.

12. 05 Summary of the novel
● The novel, "An Artist of the Floating World" is about a former
artist named Masuji Ono, who is both the protagonist and the
narrator.
● Ono provides a highly subjective account of the events that
shaped his career, family life, and reputation.
● The narrative jumps in and out of different periods in Ono's life,
from his first job to his childhood to his role working for the
government in World War II era Japan.
● The strongest linear thread revolves around the marriage of Ono's
daughter, Noriko, and his efforts to secure a traditional arranged
marriage for her.
● Ono's older daughter, Setsuko, suggests that he visit various old
acquaintances to ensure that they provide positive testimony
about his family during the marriage negotiation process.

13. ● Ono's father destroyed his early paintings to prevent his son from
becoming an artist and force him instead to join the family business.
● Ono chose to pursue his passion and describes his first job in a factory-
like studio followed by a second, more prestigious phase of his career
working under an artist named Moriyama.
● Moriyama's students lived together in a run-down villa, mimicking their
teacher's style, which emphasized aesthetics and technique and sought
to portray the "floating world" of the city's nighttime revelry.
● Ono was pulled away from Moriyama through his encounter with a man
named Chishu Matsuda, who encouraged him to explore the world
outside of Moriyama's villa.
● This ignited a political awakening in Ono, who created several explicitly
political paintings, causing Moriyama to refuse to mentor him any
longer.

14. ● Ono's rise to success creating art that celebrated the "new spirit" of Japan
was cut short when Japan lost the war and American troops subsequently
occupied the country.
● At the time of narration, Ono feels bitter towards the younger, more
Americanized generation and suspects that this generation hates his own
generation for bringing about the war.
● Ono feels guilty for betraying his old student, Kuroda, causing Kuroda to
detest him deeply, and for the premature deaths of his wife Michiko and his
son Kenji, both of which occurred during the war.
● Noriko has been successfully wed to a reputable man named Taro Saito at
the end of the novel.
● Ono begins to feel more fulfilled, little by little, after Setsuko tells him that
his paintings were well-liked but not influential enough to cause harm, and
he focuses his energy on his beloved grandson, Ichiro.

15. Setsuko
06 Main Characters in the novel.
Masuji Ono
Noriko
Suichi
Ichiro
Dr. Saito
Kuroda
Chishu
Matsuda

16. ● Masuji Ono - retired artist and protagonist
● Noriyoshi Suguro - businessman
● Setsuko Ono - Masuji Ono's daughter
● Ichiro Ono - Masuji Ono's grandson
● Matsuda - former colleague and rival of Masuji Ono
● Kuroda - former friend and mentor of Masuji Ono, deceased
● Moriyama - Masuji Ono's former teacher and mentor, artist
● Mrs. Kawakami - widow who runs a geisha house frequented by Masuji
Ono
● Saito - government official who interviews Masuji Ono about his wartime
activities
● Miyake - young artist
List of the characters in the novel.

17. Masuji Ono: protagonist and narrator
● Masuji Ono is the main character and narrator of
"An Artist of the Floating World."
● Ono is a retired artist who worked for the Japanese
government during the war, producing propaganda
art.
● He is now reflecting on his past and trying to come
to terms with his role in Japan's militaristic past.
● Ono is a complex character who is at times
sympathetic and at other times morally ambiguous.
● As the novel progresses, Ono's relationship with his
daughters, his former colleagues, and his own sense
of self-worth become increasingly important
themes.

18. Ono's daughters: Setsuko and
Noriko
Setsuko and Noriko are Ono's daughters,
and they play a significant role in the
novel. Setsuko is married and has children,
while Noriko is unmarried and lives with
her father. Both daughters are concerned
about their father's reputation and his
past actions, and they struggle to come to
terms with their own identity in the
aftermath of the war. Setsuko, in
particular, is critical of her father's role in
the war and his lack of remorse for his past
actions.

19. Other key characters: Matsuda, Kuroda, and Ichiro
● Matsuda is a former colleague of Ono's who is now a successful businessman.
Matsuda and Ono have a complicated relationship, and their interactions
throughout the novel reveal much about Ono's past and his current state of mind.
● Kuroda is Ono's former favorite student. He remains a mysterious offscreen figure
for most of the novel. Flashbacks tell us that he was a remarkably talented young
artist who hero-worshipped his teacher. Ono fondly remembers their shared nights
at the Migi-Hidari, discussing art and the "new spirit" of Japan, but it is clear that
something has soured in their relationship
● Ichiro is son of Ono's daughter Setsuko. Ichiro, as the youngest character, often
serves as a kind of meter for other characters’ concerns, neuroses, and opinions.
Ichiro represents the younger generation of Japanese people who are struggling to
come to terms with the country's past and build a new future. Ono's interactions
with Ichiro reveal much about the generational divide that exists in post-war
Japan.

20. 07
● Role of Art and the Artist
● Intergenerational Conflict
● Imperialism and
Sovereignty
● Aging
● Grief
● Marriage
● Pedagogy
Themes

21. ● Bridge of Hesitation
● Samurai
● Reception Room
● Sake
● Cowboys
● Garden
● The Smell of Burning
08 Symbols

22. 09 Unreliable narrator
● The author, Kazuo Ishiguro, is noted for his use of first-person
narration and a compromised narrative style.
● Ishiguro is able to create different voices and get into the skin
of his characters in a way that leaves readers questioning the
truth.
● The novel, An Artist of the Floating World, is a contemplative
journey spread across four time frames.
● The narrator, Masuji Ono, is an unreliable narrator who tells the
story from his own perspective.
● Ono's narration is not dependable, and there is not a second
perspective to corroborate what he is saying.
● Ono's recollections are not presented in a linear fashion, with
one memory often leading to another.
● Ono's recollections are not presented in a linear fashion, with
one memory often leading to another.

23. ● The novel explores the concept of memory and how it can be shaped by
personal biases and external factors.
● Ono's narration is influenced by his own biases and perceptions, which
makes it difficult to discern the truth of what happened.
● Ono's role in Japan's war effort is a significant theme in the novel.
● Ono's controversial associations during World War II make him a divisive
figure in post-war Japan.
● Ono's family members look at him with a degree of suspicion and contempt
due to his role in the war effort.
● Ono is a man of grand plans and ambitions, but he is also haunted by
personal tragedies and losses.
● Ono's personal life and relationships with his family members are explored
in-depth, providing insight into his character.
● The novel raises questions about the nature of truth, memory, and personal
responsibility, and it does so through the lens of Ono's unreliable narration.

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