The Dancing Girl of Izu

"The Dancing Girl of Izu"
Author	Yasunari Kawabata
Original title	"伊豆の踊子 Izu no Odoriko"
Translator	Edward Seidensticker; J. Martin Holman
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Genre(s)	Short story
Media type	Print
Publication date	1926
Published in English	1952 (abridged version), 1998 (full translation)

"The Dancing Girl of Izu" or "The Izu Dancer" (伊豆の踊子, izu no odoriko) is a 1926 short story by the Japanese writer Yasunari Kawabata. The short story was first translated into English by Edward Seidensticker and published in an abridged form under the title, "The Izu Dancer," in The Atlantic Monthly in 1952. A complete English translation of the story was made by J. Martin Holman and appeared in a collection of Kawabata's early literature published as The Dancing Girl of Izu and Other Stories (published by Counterpoint Press, August 29, 1998, ISBN 1887178945).

The old Amagi tunnel, setting of the opening of the story.

Today, part of the story's name, odoriko ("dancing girl") is used as the name of express trains to the Izu area (see External Link).

Film adaptations

The story has been filmed several times in Japan:

• Koi no hana saku Izu no odoriko (1933)
• The Dancing Girl of Izu 伊豆の踊子 Izu no odoriko (1954 film)
• Izu no odoriko (1963 film) - directed by Katsumi Nishikawa and starring Sayuri Yoshinaga
• Izu no odoriko (1967 film)
• Izu no odoriko (1974 film) - directed by Katsumi Nishikawa and starring Momoe Yamaguchi and Tomokazu Miura.

External links

• "Orphans", review of The Dancing Girl of Izu and Other Stories, by Mark Morris, October 12, 1997, New York Times.
• "Odoriko trains in Izu", photographic images of "Odoriko" trains in Izu Peninsula; "Odoriko" means "Dancing Girl."