In the mid-18th century, Edo (modern-day Tokyo) had over 1 million inhabitants, making it the largest city in the world. That didn’t make it the best place to live, though. The city was constantly plagued by fires, famines and plagues, forcing the citizens of Japan’s capital to find joy wherever they could. So, they overwhelmingly went looking for it in books. High literacy among Edo commoners in the 1700s created a market for mass production of literature and, with it, the country’s first bestselling author: Hiraga Gennai, also known as Japan’s Leonardo da Vinci — that is, if da Vinci enjoyed puns and fart jokes.
Gennai’s Lousy Educational Jokes
Born the son of a low-ranking samurai in 1729, Gennai eventually becomes a ronin and self-taught expert at just about everything. He’s credited with inventing the