Started: August 11, 2024
(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.)
Showing posts with label Japanese literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese literature. Show all posts
Sunday, August 18, 2024
Monday, August 05, 2024
Doraemon's Long Tales Vol 8: Noby And The Dino Knights by Fujiko F. Fujio: Review
Started: July 20, 2024
(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.)
I got this book at book street: https://youtu.be/2bmHRkV8p_U
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Astro Boy Omnibus Volume 1 by Osamu Tezuka: Review
Started: May 12, 2024
(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.)
For the last time I talked about Osamu Tezuka on this channel, see my review of Buddha: https://youtu.be/hEToRNO899o
May 12, 2024 p.1-32
May 19, 2024 p.32-180
May 26, 2024 p.180-226
June 2, 2024 p.226-290
June 09, 2024 p.290-384
June 16, 2024 p.384-392
June 23, 2024 p.392-396
June 30, 2024 p.396-438 https://youtu.be/LJnKjbBy5xI?si=10La7ljTNf0pcJQT
July 7, 2024 p.438-470
July 14, 2024 p.470-632
Playlist HERE:
Thursday, April 13, 2023
Buddha by Osamu Tezuka: Review
(This is my first time reading this book, so according to my new rules, I'm doing this as a video only review.)
See also my review of each individual volume:
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Thursday, March 30, 2023
Thursday, March 02, 2023
Saturday, February 18, 2023
Tuesday, February 07, 2023
Friday, February 03, 2023
Thursday, February 02, 2023
Wednesday, February 01, 2023
See also: this 2003 article I wrote on Tezuka Osamu: http://papersiwrote.blogspot.com/2005/11/tombo-times-tezuka-osamu-astro-boy-and.html
Playlist HERE
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The Last Shogun by Ryotaro Shiba
(Book Review)I know next to nothing about the Japanese historical Shogunate, but on my last trip to Fukuoka this book caught my eye. It was marketed as an historical novel, and I've long been a big proponent that historical novels are the most pleasant way to learn history.
Although once I get the book home and begin reading the publisher's introduction, it turns out there's some question about whether this book should be classified as a historical novel, or simply as a straight forward history which makes use of literary devices (such as pretending to know the thoughts of historical figures at certain points).
Depending on how you look at it, this book ends up being either a really dry historical novel, or a really vibrant history book. I suppose it just depends on what you're looking for.
As the title implies, this book deals with the life of the Last Shogun in Japan, who gave up power at the time of the Meiji Restoration. Similar to "The Last Emperor" film about China (if you'll forgive me for comparing two different mediums) it is a story about a nation in transition viewed through the eyes of the outgoing monarch.
There the similarities end, however. Unlike the Chinese "Last Emperor", this Shogun was not born into power. In fact the first half of the book reminded me more of "I, Claudius" in that it is the story of all the back stage political maneuverings regarding succession to the throne, and how an unlikely outsider eventually makes his way to the top.
For someone unacquainted with Japanese history (as I am) there is a lot to keep track of in these books. Lots of different clans, different factions within the clans, backstage scheming, changing alliances, etc. I studied the "Meiji Restoration" in a couple of my history classes at Calvin, but the version I learned back then was apparently a lot simpler than what actually went on. I'm reminded of the old history teacher's saying: "You can either lie to your students, or confuse them." Any period of history, particularly revolutions and social upheavals, is a lot more complicated than we're usually taught in school, and once you get into the nuts and bolts of what's going on, it requires a lot of concentration to keep track of everything.
The author acknowledges this in his afterward: "[The Last Shogun] is not a story that lends itself easily to retelling. He was a politician and ...few books with politicians as their subject have met with any success. Politicians can exist only in the midst of political events and can therefore be understood only amid the whirl of politics. Page after page of detailed political information must precede a few lines portraying the man at the center of events."
Of course for us history geeks, this is all part of the fun, but this is a book that requires a certain amount of engagement. It was not the kind of book I could pick up and put down easily. Every time I started reading again, I had to go back and re-read the last couple pages to remember who was on which side again.
If you're willing to devote a few brain cells to keeping track of the changing political alliances in 19th century Japan, it can be a lot of fun, but be forewarned ahead of time. (Actually people not historically minded will probably stay away from this book in the first place).
The good news is that you don't need to have any previous knowledge to jump into the story. I certainly didn't have any.
As with any history book, it can be a bit frustrating keeping track of the names. Especially since they're all Japanese names. (Even after 6 years in Japan, Japanese names are still a bit difficult for me to remember. My brain doesn't latch unto names like Iesada, Ieyasu, and Ieyoshi as easily as Tom, Dick, and Harry).
In a history book about Japan, Japanese names are of course an unavoidable evil, but in my opinion this could have been alleviated slightly if the translator had established a consistent way of referring to each character. As it is, we're likely to encounter a character referred to by his given name in one paragraph, and his family name in the next.
Also an index might have helped me to keep track of people. There is a list of characters in the front of the book, but it's incomplete and of course doesn't include page numbers.
None of this stopped me from getting through the book, but it did mean I was constantly flipping back pages to try and remember who was who.
Link of the Day
No Questions On Global Warming Asked At CNN's Coal Industry-Sponsored Presidential Debates
The Last Shogun by Ryotaro Shiba: Book Review (Scripted)
Monday, December 12, 2005
Thoughts on Japanese Literature
As you might expect, even in the English section, the bookstores and libraries here are filled with books on or about Japan. And, even in translation, I’ve done my best to avoid them.
Books about Japan I can stomach sometimes. But literature I view as pleasure reading, and I try to avoid stuff that reminds me too much of my daily life.
In fact in 5 years of being surrounded by Japanese literature I have (manga aside) tackled only 3 books (in English translation of course): “Norwegian Wood”, “Battle Royale” and “69”.
“Battle Royale” is the book that the controversial Japanese movie was based on. In the book (and the movie) a class of 9th grade students is taken to a deserted Island, given weapons, and forced to kill each other until there is only one winner left. The movie was a huge hit in Japan, but no U.S. distributor would touch it, especially in the post Columbine era, so I believe to this day it is hard to get a hold of in America.
The book was purely a guilty pleasure. It has no social redeeming value whatsoever, and I don’t particularly recommend it, although I do have to admit it held my interest while I was reading it.
The movie had made quite an impression on me. It was horrific, but also seemed to touch on a lot of issues: generational conflict, fascist governments, the competitive nature of Japan’s educational system, and “‘Lord of the Flies’ redux type themes” about human nature. I could go on about each of these, but there’s a lot of geek ink spilled already dissecting this movie. Just search the Internet.
I was interested in reading the book to see if it would help me to further understand the movie, but after reading the book I’ve become disillusioned with both.
To my mind, scenes of 9th grade students gunning each other down are only acceptable if it is done for a purpose. “Lord of the Flies” contained many horrific scenes of child violence, but the author was doing it for a reason. If, on the other hand, we are watching students blow each other up purely for cheap excitement, then this is the lowest form of bad taste.
The movie left that question hanging. But the book is obviously clear exploitation. It reads like a comic book made into a novel. Many of the characters are comic book type stereotypes. There is the femme fatal, the evil genius, the young hero, and his love interest, among others. There are clear evil characters and clear good characters, so it is not a deep treatise on the complexity of human nature. The violence is described vicariously seemingly with the purpose to excite, and the book is infused with the Japanese Lolita complex, so that 14 and 15 year old girls are described in disturbingly sexual terms.
“Norwegian Wood” is a love story set against the backdrop of the Japanese student movement. I’ve already reviewed it in a previous post, albeit in my usual long-winded and rambling prose.
Like “Norwegian Wood”, “69” takes place against the backdrop of the student movement.
It was made into a movie a couple years ago in Japan, but I never saw it, mostly due to the bad review it got from “The Japan Times.” After having read the book, I’m now very curious about the movie, but since I don’t have a TV it’s hard for me to see stuff no longer in the theaters.
The book is the apparently autobiographical story of a high school student stuck out in the countryside of Kyushu during the height of the student movement. He wants to get involved, but doesn’t know how to best go about it. He and his fellow students barricade the school. They take a crap on the principle’s desk, but then afterwards agonize over whether this was a revolutionary act or just a perversion. They also organize a rock and art festival in their town.
I really enjoyed this book a lot. It was funny, and I identified a lot more with the confused idealism of this book than with the cynicism in “Norwegian Wood.” Some parts of the book, like when the author mentions the awkwardness of discussing Camus in Kyushu countryside dialect, don’t translate so well. But that’s all part of the fun of reading a book from another country. If you can get your hands on a copy, I’d recommend it.
Link of the Day
"Sins of Omission: How Journalism Kisses Corporate Booty" By Media Mouse Jeff Smith
Video Version Battle Royale
Books about Japan I can stomach sometimes. But literature I view as pleasure reading, and I try to avoid stuff that reminds me too much of my daily life.
In fact in 5 years of being surrounded by Japanese literature I have (manga aside) tackled only 3 books (in English translation of course): “Norwegian Wood”, “Battle Royale” and “69”.
“Battle Royale” is the book that the controversial Japanese movie was based on. In the book (and the movie) a class of 9th grade students is taken to a deserted Island, given weapons, and forced to kill each other until there is only one winner left. The movie was a huge hit in Japan, but no U.S. distributor would touch it, especially in the post Columbine era, so I believe to this day it is hard to get a hold of in America.
The book was purely a guilty pleasure. It has no social redeeming value whatsoever, and I don’t particularly recommend it, although I do have to admit it held my interest while I was reading it.
The movie had made quite an impression on me. It was horrific, but also seemed to touch on a lot of issues: generational conflict, fascist governments, the competitive nature of Japan’s educational system, and “‘Lord of the Flies’ redux type themes” about human nature. I could go on about each of these, but there’s a lot of geek ink spilled already dissecting this movie. Just search the Internet.
I was interested in reading the book to see if it would help me to further understand the movie, but after reading the book I’ve become disillusioned with both.
To my mind, scenes of 9th grade students gunning each other down are only acceptable if it is done for a purpose. “Lord of the Flies” contained many horrific scenes of child violence, but the author was doing it for a reason. If, on the other hand, we are watching students blow each other up purely for cheap excitement, then this is the lowest form of bad taste.
The movie left that question hanging. But the book is obviously clear exploitation. It reads like a comic book made into a novel. Many of the characters are comic book type stereotypes. There is the femme fatal, the evil genius, the young hero, and his love interest, among others. There are clear evil characters and clear good characters, so it is not a deep treatise on the complexity of human nature. The violence is described vicariously seemingly with the purpose to excite, and the book is infused with the Japanese Lolita complex, so that 14 and 15 year old girls are described in disturbingly sexual terms.
“Norwegian Wood” is a love story set against the backdrop of the Japanese student movement. I’ve already reviewed it in a previous post, albeit in my usual long-winded and rambling prose.
Like “Norwegian Wood”, “69” takes place against the backdrop of the student movement.
It was made into a movie a couple years ago in Japan, but I never saw it, mostly due to the bad review it got from “The Japan Times.” After having read the book, I’m now very curious about the movie, but since I don’t have a TV it’s hard for me to see stuff no longer in the theaters.
The book is the apparently autobiographical story of a high school student stuck out in the countryside of Kyushu during the height of the student movement. He wants to get involved, but doesn’t know how to best go about it. He and his fellow students barricade the school. They take a crap on the principle’s desk, but then afterwards agonize over whether this was a revolutionary act or just a perversion. They also organize a rock and art festival in their town.
I really enjoyed this book a lot. It was funny, and I identified a lot more with the confused idealism of this book than with the cynicism in “Norwegian Wood.” Some parts of the book, like when the author mentions the awkwardness of discussing Camus in Kyushu countryside dialect, don’t translate so well. But that’s all part of the fun of reading a book from another country. If you can get your hands on a copy, I’d recommend it.
Link of the Day
"Sins of Omission: How Journalism Kisses Corporate Booty" By Media Mouse Jeff Smith
Video Version Battle Royale
Friday, January 28, 2005
A bunch of odds and ends today, nothing to justify a whole post in it's own right.
Tsunami
First off, I had written a while back that it appears all the people I knew had returned from their Thailand vacation unharmed. Indeed, the Japan times published an article the other day indicating all the English teachers all over Japan have returned back safely. I hate to call this good news in the wake of such a huge tragedy, but it's not bad news either.
Oita and Gifu-some follow up observations
A couple brief follow ups from the previous post: indeed the girl Shoko did point out a few differences between Kyushu and the Nagoya area. I thought just for the hell of it I'd jot down a couple more differences I've observed.
Obviously there is the difference in the dialect. Most notably the suffix "hen" is used to make words negative instead of the standard "nai". Therefore a word like "wakaranai" becomes "wakarahen". Easy enough to pick up on actually once you get used to it. Shoko found it very amusing that I've started speaking in Kansai dialect.
Also the word for something or some action that is undesirable or forbidden is not "Yada" but "ikan" or sometimes "akan". Still not sure what the difference is, but it sounds pretty cute when strung together, as some girls will sometimes shout out, "Akan, akan akan" at various times.
The driving here is a lot more aggressive compared to Kyushu, something both Monika and I noticed. (Monika was also stationed in Kyushu during her time on JET). I'm acquiring a lot of small stories about aggressive drivers. Most interesting to me is that even when I'm near school and driving cautiously to avoid hitting students the guy behind me will sometimes still decide to attempt to pass me on the narrow Japanese roads.
And one more thing that I didn't notice at first, but Shoko mentioned to me that her friends had commented to her she was getting fatter, and I thought to myself, "No one has called me fat for quite a few months now." (With the exception of Shoko when she came to visit). And then I realized that people in this area seemed more reserved about commenting on body weight than the people of Kyushu seem to be. In Kyushu a perfectly acceptably conversation starter seems to be, "You've been getting fat recently, haven't you?" or sometimes, "You've got a lot of acne today, don't you?" This bluntness at first confused me because it seems to fly in the face of everything I've been taught about Japanese politeness, but it appears perhaps unique to the Kyushu (perhaps Oita) area.
Of course I should qualify all of this by saying that, as with all my observations about Japan, these are not the results of scientific polling data, but just the way things struck me based on the limited people I interacted with. Someone else might have a different take, and if so I'd be interested to hear it.
Books
Another difference between Gifu and Oita is the library. (How's that for a smooth transition). The Oita library was terrible. Never any big less than 15 years old. I don't know how the Gifu library does it, but they have new books all the time, books that aren't even in the stores yet in Japan. Like "The Daily Show, America the book," or the "Bob Dylan Chronicles." I checked both out and have been enjoying them.
One thing that really struck me about Bob Dylan's book is how clearly he seems to remember certain events from his past. What the room looked like, the way a conversation went, etc.
I'm tempted to compare this with my own memory. Something I've been noticing lately, especially back in the States and meeting up with old friends, is how much I've forgotten about my college days. I did save all my e-mails, as well as kept a fairly detailed day to day journal, and I'm glad I've done that now because my memory is such crap. I wonder sometimes if because I've been in Japan for so long I'm away from daily cues, people and places and other things, that might otherwise jog my memory and help to keep the past fresh in my mind. I'd be curious how other people feel like their memories are working. And how many people believe Bob Dylan actually remembers the events with the vividness he described them, or how much he is embellishing.
Changing gears completely now to a different book...
I've recently finished reading "Norwegian Wood" by Haruki Murakami. A very popular book with in certain Japanophile circles, so if you've been to Japan you've probably heard of it already.
I've been avoiding reading Japanese literature so far because my Japanese isn't good enough to read anything in the original, and I'm always hesitant to read a book in translation because I feel like you're not really reading the author but rather the translator. I always think this, but then once I get into a book I get so absorbed into it I forget it's translated.
It's good to read the literature of a country because it helps you really understand the people. Even after so many years in Japan, sometimes all of the school uniforms and codes of politeness and emphasis on uniformity, et cetera can make one think that the Japanese don't have the same emotions we do. The thing that struck me about reading this book was how much I could identify with the main character. He seemed to go through life without really knowing what he was doing, take classes without a clear goal for the future, and get into relationships without knowing what he wanted out of them or where he wanted them to go. I thought, "man, that's me."
Also his descriptions of turning 20 reminded me exactly how I had felt at the same time. He said that first he was 18, and then he became 19, and it seemed like the natural thing to do was next to go back to being 18. Turning 20 seemed inconceivable. I'm paraphrasing obviously, but I remember feeling the same way at 19.
Also the description of dorm life reminded me of my time in the dormitories. The way jokes are often made about another persons quirks when that person is absent, and how certain people can supply the rest of the dorm with endless amusement. The sanitary conditions in the men's dorm, or lack there of, reminded me of my own living arrangements. The funny thing is whenever a Japanese person looks at my room, they often make some comment like, "Are all Americans this messy?" But according to this book, young Japanese people can be just as bad if not worse.
I may be rambling a little bit here. (The internet cafe I frequent has all you can drink coffee, and occasionally I abuse it, and I think being hyper on caffeine affects my writing style). But before I close off this section (if anyone is still reading) I think it is only fair to include a counter-review by Shoko, who has also read the book.
Shoko thought the book had way too much sex in it, and in fact read like a paperback pornography at some points (apparently there are a lot of those type of books in Japan). She also thought most of the women characters seemed unrealistic, and were not real women but what men often wished women would be like. (I conceded this point). And she thought the language the author used was un-necessarily crude, although obviously this didn't come through in the English translation.
Shoko asked if there was anything I didn't like about the book. I conceded some of her points, and then said I didn't like how cynical the author was about the student movement. (The book is set in the 60s). I said the world has a lot of problems in it, and it is important to try and correct these problems. Of course when you do this, you are bound to make mistakes along the way, and it is easy for people who are not doing anything to sit back and criticize things like the tactics or rhetorical excess of the student movement. (To quote Nathan Bierma, "I'm cynical about cynicism")
Shoko just laughed and said that was a rather Joel-esque criticism to have of the book.
Video Version
Bob Dylan Chronicles Video
Tsunami
First off, I had written a while back that it appears all the people I knew had returned from their Thailand vacation unharmed. Indeed, the Japan times published an article the other day indicating all the English teachers all over Japan have returned back safely. I hate to call this good news in the wake of such a huge tragedy, but it's not bad news either.
Oita and Gifu-some follow up observations
A couple brief follow ups from the previous post: indeed the girl Shoko did point out a few differences between Kyushu and the Nagoya area. I thought just for the hell of it I'd jot down a couple more differences I've observed.
Obviously there is the difference in the dialect. Most notably the suffix "hen" is used to make words negative instead of the standard "nai". Therefore a word like "wakaranai" becomes "wakarahen". Easy enough to pick up on actually once you get used to it. Shoko found it very amusing that I've started speaking in Kansai dialect.
Also the word for something or some action that is undesirable or forbidden is not "Yada" but "ikan" or sometimes "akan". Still not sure what the difference is, but it sounds pretty cute when strung together, as some girls will sometimes shout out, "Akan, akan akan" at various times.
The driving here is a lot more aggressive compared to Kyushu, something both Monika and I noticed. (Monika was also stationed in Kyushu during her time on JET). I'm acquiring a lot of small stories about aggressive drivers. Most interesting to me is that even when I'm near school and driving cautiously to avoid hitting students the guy behind me will sometimes still decide to attempt to pass me on the narrow Japanese roads.
And one more thing that I didn't notice at first, but Shoko mentioned to me that her friends had commented to her she was getting fatter, and I thought to myself, "No one has called me fat for quite a few months now." (With the exception of Shoko when she came to visit). And then I realized that people in this area seemed more reserved about commenting on body weight than the people of Kyushu seem to be. In Kyushu a perfectly acceptably conversation starter seems to be, "You've been getting fat recently, haven't you?" or sometimes, "You've got a lot of acne today, don't you?" This bluntness at first confused me because it seems to fly in the face of everything I've been taught about Japanese politeness, but it appears perhaps unique to the Kyushu (perhaps Oita) area.
Of course I should qualify all of this by saying that, as with all my observations about Japan, these are not the results of scientific polling data, but just the way things struck me based on the limited people I interacted with. Someone else might have a different take, and if so I'd be interested to hear it.
Books
Another difference between Gifu and Oita is the library. (How's that for a smooth transition). The Oita library was terrible. Never any big less than 15 years old. I don't know how the Gifu library does it, but they have new books all the time, books that aren't even in the stores yet in Japan. Like "The Daily Show, America the book," or the "Bob Dylan Chronicles." I checked both out and have been enjoying them.
One thing that really struck me about Bob Dylan's book is how clearly he seems to remember certain events from his past. What the room looked like, the way a conversation went, etc.
I'm tempted to compare this with my own memory. Something I've been noticing lately, especially back in the States and meeting up with old friends, is how much I've forgotten about my college days. I did save all my e-mails, as well as kept a fairly detailed day to day journal, and I'm glad I've done that now because my memory is such crap. I wonder sometimes if because I've been in Japan for so long I'm away from daily cues, people and places and other things, that might otherwise jog my memory and help to keep the past fresh in my mind. I'd be curious how other people feel like their memories are working. And how many people believe Bob Dylan actually remembers the events with the vividness he described them, or how much he is embellishing.
Changing gears completely now to a different book...
I've recently finished reading "Norwegian Wood" by Haruki Murakami. A very popular book with in certain Japanophile circles, so if you've been to Japan you've probably heard of it already.
I've been avoiding reading Japanese literature so far because my Japanese isn't good enough to read anything in the original, and I'm always hesitant to read a book in translation because I feel like you're not really reading the author but rather the translator. I always think this, but then once I get into a book I get so absorbed into it I forget it's translated.
It's good to read the literature of a country because it helps you really understand the people. Even after so many years in Japan, sometimes all of the school uniforms and codes of politeness and emphasis on uniformity, et cetera can make one think that the Japanese don't have the same emotions we do. The thing that struck me about reading this book was how much I could identify with the main character. He seemed to go through life without really knowing what he was doing, take classes without a clear goal for the future, and get into relationships without knowing what he wanted out of them or where he wanted them to go. I thought, "man, that's me."
Also his descriptions of turning 20 reminded me exactly how I had felt at the same time. He said that first he was 18, and then he became 19, and it seemed like the natural thing to do was next to go back to being 18. Turning 20 seemed inconceivable. I'm paraphrasing obviously, but I remember feeling the same way at 19.
Also the description of dorm life reminded me of my time in the dormitories. The way jokes are often made about another persons quirks when that person is absent, and how certain people can supply the rest of the dorm with endless amusement. The sanitary conditions in the men's dorm, or lack there of, reminded me of my own living arrangements. The funny thing is whenever a Japanese person looks at my room, they often make some comment like, "Are all Americans this messy?" But according to this book, young Japanese people can be just as bad if not worse.
I may be rambling a little bit here. (The internet cafe I frequent has all you can drink coffee, and occasionally I abuse it, and I think being hyper on caffeine affects my writing style). But before I close off this section (if anyone is still reading) I think it is only fair to include a counter-review by Shoko, who has also read the book.
Shoko thought the book had way too much sex in it, and in fact read like a paperback pornography at some points (apparently there are a lot of those type of books in Japan). She also thought most of the women characters seemed unrealistic, and were not real women but what men often wished women would be like. (I conceded this point). And she thought the language the author used was un-necessarily crude, although obviously this didn't come through in the English translation.
Shoko asked if there was anything I didn't like about the book. I conceded some of her points, and then said I didn't like how cynical the author was about the student movement. (The book is set in the 60s). I said the world has a lot of problems in it, and it is important to try and correct these problems. Of course when you do this, you are bound to make mistakes along the way, and it is easy for people who are not doing anything to sit back and criticize things like the tactics or rhetorical excess of the student movement. (To quote Nathan Bierma, "I'm cynical about cynicism")
Shoko just laughed and said that was a rather Joel-esque criticism to have of the book.
Video Version
Bob Dylan Chronicles Video
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Books About Japan or Japanese Literature
(See also main book review index)
A Hundred Years of Japanese Film by Donald Richie ,
A Hundred Years of Japanese Film by Donald Richie ,
Astro Boy Omnibus Volume 1 by Osamu Tezuka ,
Doraemon's Long Tales Vol 8: Noby And The Dino Knights by Fujiko F. Fujio,
Fire Across the Sea: The Vietnam War and Japan by Thomas Havens ,
Learning from Shogun, edited by Henry Smith ,
Osugi Sakae: Anarchist in Taisho Japan by Thomas Stanley ,
Tonoharu Parts 1 and 2 by Lar Martinson, Part 3,
Samurai William by Giles Milton ,
Shinsengumi by Romulus Hillsborough,
Shogun by James Clavell ,
Fire Across the Sea: The Vietnam War and Japan by Thomas Havens ,
Learning from Shogun, edited by Henry Smith ,
Osugi Sakae: Anarchist in Taisho Japan by Thomas Stanley ,
Tonoharu Parts 1 and 2 by Lar Martinson, Part 3,
Samurai William by Giles Milton ,
Shinsengumi by Romulus Hillsborough,
Shogun by James Clavell ,
Japanese Literature Playlist HERE:
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