Natsuki Ikezawa and the Southward Imagination：Postwar Japan and Writers Wandering Abroad

This paper focuses on Natsuki Ikezawa, who continues to question the meaning of people traveling, and aims to examine his view of the South Seas. Natsuki Ikezawa (1945-) is a famous writer who has lived in various places both in Japan and abroad, and traveled to various places around the world, living in Greece for 3 years, Okinawa for 10 years, and France for 5 years. An important place for Natsuki Ikezawa’s creative activities is the South Seas. It was a trip to Micronesia at the age of 27 that marked the beginning of his journey. Since then, he has visited Micronesia many times. Natsuki Ikezawa’s travels and his impressions of the South Seas can be learned in detail from essays and reviews such as “Kaizu to Kokainisshi (Nautical Chart and Logbook)” and “Ikezawa Natsuki no Tabinikki (Ikezawa Natsuki’s Travel Map)”. This paper surveys the cultural history of modern travel/tourism and examines the changes in the use of words related to travel. Next, after the Liberalization of Overseas Voyage in 1964, the literary works of Sou Aono and Wahei Tatematsu, who have experience wandering abroad, writers of the same generation as Natsuki Ikezawa, are compared and verified. Finally, the author considers Natsuki Ikezawa’s views on travel and the South Seas, mainly focusing on his essays and criticisms on the South Seas.