Paul McCarthy (Translator)
181pp
Starting today, and continuing with my look at the historical work of Shiba Ryotaro. Following up the earlier look at The Last Shogun, from today I will be examining the in depth look at the Russo-Japanese war in Clouds Above the Hill.
To clarify, there are 4 volumes in the English version containing 8 parts. For my blog I will break it down into the 8 original parts. This will allow me to write more, more often, and also to compare the translators a bit and contemplate and share what I feel about each part.
So, lets begin with Part 1, as you should.
In part one we are introduced to the three main characters: the brothers Saneyuki and Yoshifuru Akiyama and the friend Shiki Masaoka (since two brothers are concerned, I'll use first names here... and this won't be the last comment on names).
Yoshifuru, the oldest, grew up to become a leading member of the Japanese calvary. The parts focusing on him and his growth and education are wonderfully informative in revealing what the quick and massive changes in Meiji Japan were like. The time after the return of power to the emperor involved quick and massive westernization of Japan and is probably the best part of this initial part of this huge look at the time leading up to Japan's first modern international battles.
Saneyuki, the younger boy is also able to receive a modern education, and despite some artistic and academic leanings he ends up becoming a leading part in the modern Japanese navy.
Shiki, an intelligent and often sickly youth continues on the academic route and becomes more and more committed to classic forms of Japanese poetry of haiku and tanka.
The future importance of these three figures is often hinted upon, but our story ends with them all just beginning to take up the roles that will come to define them in Japanese history. This first part is packed full of information, and as always with Shiba, I am learning as much as I am enjoying the story.
As mentioned in my last look at Shiba, and probably more so with this work, my one and only real complaint is in association with names. Many of the characters use multiple names in various situations and many of the nicknames don't have direct or easy to catch connections to the given names. This might be a personal handicap of my own mental ability, but I really have trouble with the use of multiple names, especially in a story that already has so many names of so many characters. To fix the issue, I made a separate list of names (I would have loved to mark up the book, but I'm using library editions this time) for reference.
I don't know how this could be made easier as I assume that the Japanese uses multiple names and the translators wanted to stay close to the original... I can't put up a strong argument against this, though I personally would have chosen one nickname and used that as much as possible... Or, maybe I should just do more brain exercises.
Again, even considering that very slight annoyance, I really learned an incredible amount about the Meiji period and enjoyed the stories in this work. I have just begun Part 2 and will hopefully have another review up in the next few weeks. I have high hopes and will let you know how it turns out.
Recommended.
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