CITY OF LIGHTS

Life and literature intertwine in Ishikawa Prefecture’s capital

KANAZAWA — On the left bank of the Asano River, which gently flows through the center of Kanazawa, stand the tightly packed, old-fashioned town houses of the Kazuemachi Chayagai pleasure district. The wooden houses include okiya geisha accommodations and chaya teahouses, which rent out rooms for banquets attended by geisha, as well as eateries.

I visited Kazuemachi, where writer Hiroyuki Itsuki often walked when he lived in Kanazawa in his youth. Compared with the Higashi Chayagai pleasure district on the other side of the river with its crowds of tourists, the Kazuemachi district feels like it is full of hideaways. When the sun sets, the lights from shops and streetlights reflecting on the river’s surface make for an enchanting scene.

Itsuki’s 2008 novel “Kanazawa Akari-zaka” (Slope of lights) is set in the town and centers on Rin Takagi, who breaks up with her boyfriend after he chooses work rather than love. She goes through days of disappointment before eventually becoming a geisha.

In the novel, some establishments are depicted under their real names, such as the teahouse Hitoha, where the main character works. The character of the proprietress of Hitoha in the book is modeled on the real proprietress Takako Tsukazaki, who is one of Itsuki’s friends.

“I think Mr. Itsuki rooted for [my teahouse] by using the name Hitoha [in the book,” Tsukazaki said.

In the town, there are two stone slopes — one is called Kuragari-zaka (the dark slope), a name that is said to have been coined by Izumi Kyoka (1873-1939), a writer who was born nearby. Another slope initially had no name, but came to be known as “Akari-zaka.”

I also visited the Asanogawa Club, at which literary events are held. Machiko Takanawa, who heads the club, has used text from Itsuki’s novel many times at readings.

In “Kanazawa Akari-zaka,” Takagi participates in a flute-playing competition through which she overcomes her malaise. The novel ends with Takagi climbing the Akari-zaka slope with a positive attitude about life.

“I can sense her inner strength,” Takanawa said of the main character.

When I visited the slope, I could picture Takagi climbing the stone steps. It is just a small slope, but it is full of mysterious charm.

Takako Tsukazaki, the proprietress of the teahouse Hitoha, walks on the stone steps at the Akari-zaka slope in Kanazawa.