gesaku

…Bunkyō, a writer in the gesaku tradition (writing intended for the entertainment of the merchant and working classes of Edo). Eventually Robun was recognized as a leading gesaku writer, noted for such works as Kokkei Fuji mōde (1860–61; “A Comic Mount Fuji Pilgrimage”), a satire of popular works on pilgrimages…

…the somewhat derogatory heading of gesaku (“playful composition”). The word playful did not necessarily refer to the subject matter but to the professed attitude of the authors, educated men who disclaimed responsibility for their compositions. Ueda Akinari, the last master of fiction of the 18th century, won a high place…