Point of View

An Artist of the Floating World is told from the perspective of Masuji Ono, an older man and father of two surviving daughters, and one son who died during the war. He is a master painter and craftsman, but he had used his art for political purposes during the war, and he is surrounded by people who are evaluating the question of whether he ought to take responsibility in some way for having led the nation into the disastrous war. This is not overt, not by any means—Masuji Ono talks primarily about his grandson Ichiro, and the marriage arrangements for his second daughter, Noriko. He is punctilious in his observation of customs and propriety in his dealings with people, and he is always surprised when other people do not behave well. Nevertheless, he is able to admit his mistakes and forgive himself for his...