Japanese historical fiction

[Nesacat]

There's Fox Woman by Kij Johnson which is good as Fudoki.

Laura Joh Rowland has a whole series of books set in the Tokugawa era about a Samurai detective named Sano Ichiro. The books are well reseearched and paints a very vivid picture of the Japan of that time, especially life in the Imperial city and palace. The books in the series thus far are: Shinju; Bundori; The Way of the Traitor; The Concubine's Tattoo; Black Lotus; The Samurai's Wife; The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria; The Dragon King's Palace; The Perfumed Sleeve; The Assassin's Touch.

There's The Tale Of Genji and Shibiku Murasaki. This one's an old classic and tells the tale of a Japanese Cassanova-like character called Genji.

Rashomon & Other Stories by Akutagawa Ryunosuke. There are six stories collected in this books. In A Grove is the story of a murder, whose witnesses all tell different stories. Rashomon is the story of a servant who must choose between death and a life of crime and dishonour. Yam Gruel is about Goi, a samurai whose life shatters as he dreams of yam gruel, and who finds that the grass is not always greener on the other side. The Martyr tells the tale a Christian man, who is excommunicated when he refuses to recognise a child alleged to be his, but the truth he hides is not what everyone believes. Kesa And Morito is all about lust and betrayal. The Dragon is the story of Hanazo a priest who sets out to play a joke, but learns the power of belief.

Rashomon has been made into a very good movie by Akira Kurosawa

Lafcadio Hearn loved Japan. He went there as a teacher and loved the land so much he stayed. The Japanese say that he's as Japanese as they are. He's wriiten a whole bunch a books about Japan's legends and culture. The ones I have read are Kwaidan: Stories & Studies of Strange Things (This one has been made into a movie comrising shorter episodes based on the tales in this book). In Ghostly Japan (Classics of Japanese Literature) and A Japanese Miscellany: Strange Stories, Folklore Gleanings, Studies Here & There (Writings on Japan by Lafcadio Hearn) .

Dark Water by Koji Suzuki. The book that inspired the movie. He's also the one who wrote The Ring trilogy (Ring; Spiral; Loop). Dark Water is a collection of short stories with water as a main element in all of them.

[Stormlight_USMC]

Jun'ichiro Tanizaki wrote an essay (almost a very short book) titled In Praise of Shadows in which he discusses the contrast between classical (turn of the 20th century) Japan and the increasing influence of the trendy, Americanized West. It's not exactly historical fiction, it's nowhere near as "exciting" as most fiction novels, and it's a heavier read than most, but it is very rewarding, and it gives the reader a very detailed, very intimate understanding of what traditional Japanese aesthetic is all about. As with the careful use of shadow that Jun'ichiro espouses, its beauty is in its subtlety.

And speaking of Kurosawa, I don't think anyone has yet mentioned The Seven Samurai, arguably one of the best films ever made.

[Talysia]

There seem to be lots more books than I thought. With these authors in mind, I shall have plenty to read - especially Koji Suzuki's Ring trilogy (actually, I still have Loop to read, and then Dark Water) but I'm looking forward to trying these titles out. Thanks again, everyone!

[Yugi]

Heres a List and description of some books I found interesting:


Bailey, Douglass: Shimabara

This is a novel about the Shimabara Revolt wherein a group of Christians and others oppressed by the tyranny of the daimyo of Arima seized the abandoned castle of Hara on the Shimabara Peninsula in 1637. The Shogunate laid siege and finally succeeded in storming the castle in April 1638 with the aid of Dutch ships shelling the castle from the sea. All the defenders not dead of starvation were put to death. The novel is about some of the people caught up in these events: Akane, rescued from the flames of Osaka Castle and trained as a samurai; Tajima Jubei, her adopted brother, a swordmaster with ninja connections; Jan Kriek, a brilliant young Jesuit; Maria, a noble Japanese Christian convert and Lord Sanjo, a prince of the Imperial Court, devious and treacherous despite his effeminate appearance. It is entertainingly written, and reads like a chanbara film with lots of colourful characters, action, swordfights, treachery, ninja and noble and not so noble samurai, plus Byzantine Tokugawa politics. Told chiefly from the Japanese characters’ points of view with less emphasis on the Europeans, it makes a contrast with other novels dealing with this period. There is a good sense of period despite the fact Bailey plays fast and loose with dates. Ieyasu died in 1616 not some time in the 1620s, Sen-hime survived the fall of Osaka Castle, Hara Castle fell in 1638 not 1635, and a whole generation of Tokugawas is skipped over - what happened to No. 2 Shogun, Hidetada? But these don’t detract from the enjoyment of the story.


Charney, David: Sensei

This novel is set in the 12th century at the time of the conflict between the Taira and the Minamoto. The hero is Yoshi, the illegitimate son of the sister of the lord of Okitsu. A most unlikely hero he is when we first meet him, returning from a period at the imperial court at Kyoto when he is an over-refined social butterfly. However, a series of losses, first his cousin killed accidentally by the rather brutal Lord Chikara, then a series of mentors, hardens him, and teaches him skills with the sword, and about himself until he is ready to face his nemesis.
This is full of all kinds of anachronisms I won’t even bother to list. I am no expert on Genpei period Japan but most of what Charney described (metal armour, fencing academies, tea drinking, etc. etc.) seem to belong to a much later era, Sengoku and Tokugawa. And the names are equally as improbable for that era (or at all in some cases). However, the story is well told and well written, so much so that I found myself ignoring all but the most egregious.


Dalby, Liza: The Tale of Murasaki

Told in the form of a memoir, written at the end of her life and based on her diaries, this is the fictional autobiography of Murasaki Shikibu, the author of Genji monogatari. It begins with Murasaki, then called Fuji, attending her mother’s funeral, aged 16 and discovering the need and ability to write. It traces her life looking after her father, a scholar of Chinese verse, her younger brother and her friendships with various young women which are the catalysts for her series of tales about an imaginary court prince, "Genji" which she circulates privately. Never once believing she will be summoned to serve at the court, she relies on her father and later her husband to describe the life there. Finally, in her 30s, she is called to serve the empress but by this time her feelings about Genji and his world are changing.

SERIES START
Furutani, Dale: Death at the Crossroads

In the early 17th century, a corpse of a samurai, shot full of arrows, is discovered by a charcoal burner at the crossroads near his village. The village is plagued by bandits; the magistrate is a shady character and the governor of the province is severely into retro-Heian. Into this wanders Matsuyama Kaze, a ronin on a quest to find the daughter of his dead lord and lady. He decides to investigate to save the life of the charcoal burner who is accused of the crime, there being no one else handy.


Furutani, Dale: Jade Palace Vendetta

Kaze comes across a merchant and his bodyguard being attacked by bandits. He decides to help and kills them. He then agrees to escort the man, Hishigawa and his handcart of gold to Kamakura as they are still being pursued by the Hishigawa’s enemies. There was something odd about the attacking bandits, they seemed more interested in killing the merchant and less in the gold, especially the young man the Hishigawa identified as their leader. On top of that, Kaze’s sword broke in his duel with the leader. More mystery awaits him in Kamakura as Hishigawa’s mansion holds many secrets. Added to that, Kaze encounters the fierce granny, her grandson and servant from the Noguchi clan who are bent on a vendetta whom he met at the end of the previous book. They had given him a cloth with his clan’s crest on it, his only clue to the whereabouts of the missing girl.


Furutani, Dale: Kill the Shogun

In this third book in Furutani’s series about ronin Matsuyama Kaze, we find him drawing closer to his goal of locating his dead Lady’s daughter. She is in a brothel for young girls in Edo. However, several things complicate what should be a straightforward rescue operation. First he is on wanted list of samurai attached to lords on the wrong side at Sekigahara and secondly, someone takes a pot shot at Ieyasu while he is inspecting the walls of his new Edo castle and the hunt is on for the assassin. Matsuyama, in his guise as a sword-juggling street entertainer is recognised by a guard captain and his old enemy Okubo sees to it he is placed on top of the list of suspects. So Matsuyama must discover who is behind the assassination attempt as well as retrieve the girl.
SERIES END

Shea, Robert Shiké: Time of the Dragons

Jebu, son of a Mongol father and a Japanese mother, is initiated into the Zinja, an order of ninja-like monks and sent to conduct Lady Taniko from Kamakura to Kyoto where she will wed Lord Horigawa, one of the emperor’s council. It is a time of conflict between the rival powerful houses, the Muratomo (think Minamoto) and the Takeshi (think Taira). Jebu’s destiny, as revealed in a dream, is with the Muratomo, though initially he aids the Takeshi to whose faction both Horigawa and Taniko’s family belong. Taniko is a spirited girl who despises her older, sadistic husband and she and Jebu share a special bond forged on that journey. Fate separates them only to bring them together, even in China where Jebu and his Muratomo master, Yukio, go to aid the Sung emperor against the Mongols led by Kublai Khan. Jebu also crosses paths several times with the Mongol warrior who killed his father on the orders of Genghis Khan, and piece by piece he learns of his origins.


So anyway there is a few to think about.(And third vote for Shogun)

[Talysia]

Thanks, Yugi! Looks like I've got more books to look for!

[Yugi]

Oh yeah! There is tons of stuff to read on Japanese Hostorical Fiction! I love it too! Thanks to you posting this, I can get to see other books as well. Have fun.

[Talysia]

I just thought I'd add this book to my list, as it's one that I love. It's called Japanese Fairy Tales, and it's by Grace James. It's full of Japanese folklore, fairy tales and ghost stories, all set in ancient Japan. An absolutely beautiful little collection, in my opinion.

[Connavar]

I just found this thread and see many interesting books. Im very interested in japanese history fiction. Reading Otori Tales by Lian Hearn that reminded i must read more of the genre.


Any good of these kind of books written by a japanese?

[Tanegashima]

I know this post is rather old but I thought I'd throw some of my favorites in there:

The Sea of Fertility Tetralogy by Yukio Mishima (my absolute favorite author)
Out of Order: Runaway Horses, Decay of the Angel, Temple of Dawn and Spring Snow


Silence by Shusaku Endo (A Japanese Catholic author, excellent book)

[jenna]

I agree that Shogun is very, very good. Apart from that the only one I've read is Memoirs of a Geisha (or almost read, I'm just about to the end!) which is quite riveting.

[Talysia]

Thanks, everyone! I'm still looking for good Japanese historical fiction titles, so I'm glad that you've posted these suggestions - I'll keep my eyes out for them. Methinks another trip to the library is in order. I'm always on the lookout for new books in one of my favourite genres, so thanks again!

[Riselka]

I'd also like to recommend Shogun, as a matter of fact, I'd like to recommend Clavell's entire Asian Saga, consisting of King Rat, Tai-Pan, Shogun, Noble House, Whirlwind, and Gai-Jin. They're some of the very best of any kind of Historical Fiction novels ever written.

[Mithfanion]

Lian Hearn has now completed her Otori cycle by publishing the prequel Heaven's Net is Wide ( Harshy cry of the Heron is the sequel to Otori trilogy btw).

Very strong entry by all accounts and you could even start there.

[Talysia]

I've read the Otori series, so reading the prequel would be excellent. I'll keep my eyes open for it when it comes out. Thanks for the tip, Mithfanion!

[Yawning Angel]

Hi! New here but thought I'd add my 2 cents worth!
I really enjoyed Mushashi by I don't know who? It was the story of a Ronin that grew to become a National Icon. The Action stars at the Battle of Sekagawe ( sorry if my spellings not right) and Mushashi is barely alive. He fought for the Taiako's heir who, as you probably know , lost. He is with-out a purpose in life till he meets a fellow Ronin that changes his life. I won't say any-more in case I spoil it for you but it is a Mucho Grande Novel.
Any tales of Minomoto Yoshitsune I devour too. His Story and that of his Acolyte "Benke" are wonderous.

Not a Novel but the Wood-block series "the Tale of the Gengei" by Hideo Takeda is Fantastic. If you google the Name you will see what I mean.
I once owned 5 of the set but lost them in a fire.
Hope I have helped!