Five Women Who Loved Love Book

I found reading this five-book paperback famous for the author's witticisms, ways of looking at things in this 'Floating World', sense of humor, etc. stunningly enjoyable and this translation by Wm. Theodore de Bary classic of its genre. Accordingly, the five books (chapters) are entitled as follows:
1. The Story of Seijuro in Himeji (Our family visited Himeji Castle in November last year.)
2. The Barrelmaker Brimful of Love
3. What the Seasons Brought the Almanac Maker
4. The Greengrocer's Daughter with a Bundle of Love
5. Gengobei, the Mountain of Love

Acclaimed also as moral tales, all five episodes based on five actual characters with their own fateful consequences of five different women some 300 years ago (first printed in 1686) focuses on their own 'fate' after they seemingly enjoyed life with their cunning ways in entrapping the young male counterparts they hoped to love and be loved. Each protagonist faces her problem and tries to solve it formidably and unimaginably.

Moreover, there is another translated version entitled "The Life of an Amorous Woman" (Morris, 1969) in which there are three stories in Part 1 Five Women Who Chose Love as follows:
- The Tale of Seijuro from Himeji, the Town of the Lovely Damsels (= 1. The Story of Seijuro in Himeji by de Bary)
- The Almanac Maker's Tale in the Middle Part (= 3. What the Seasons Brought the Almanac Maker by de Bary)
- The Tale of Gengobei, the Mountain of Love (= 5. Gengobei, the Mountain of Love by de Bary)

However, some readers might be deceived to read this novel due to the supplement after the title, that is, 'Amorous Tales from 17th-Century Japan'. Therefore, as one of the masterpieces of the Tokugawa literature, we readers should enjoy reading each episode to learn their mischievous follies and good deeds if any so that we have known some better lessons to be aware of their sins and thus would not tread on their paths again.

I like this paragraph (Book 2): "This woman was formerly an abortionist known as Kosan from Myoto Pond, but when this profession was prohibited she gave up her cruel practice and worked at making noodle-flour with a mortar. Because of the hand-to-mouth nature of such an occupation, she had to work so hard that she did not even hear the temple bell sounding the end of the day. ..." (p. 78) because the choice of modifier, that is, 'hand-to-mouth' could be succinctly visualized and surprisingly similar to our Thai idiom (ปากกัดตีนถีบ). I can't help wondering if we've translated from English and adopted it as our own since hundreds of years ago.

I also liked this footnote: "To sit alone in the lamplight with a good book spread out before you and hold intimate converse with men of unseen generations -- such is a pleasure beyond compare." (p. 122) This passage written by Yoshida no Kaneyoshi (1283-1350?) a court official who later became a hermit is illuminating and consoling since I totally agree with him and it's practical to do so quite conveniently and happily.

Finally, I liked the large fonts used in the book as well as generous footnotes below in which, I think, it's easier for the readers to see them below, instead of turning to the notes section after the end of contents.