Wednesday 28 October 2009

Miyoko Asagaya Kibun




















 





'Miyoko', is the second full length film by director
Tsubota Yoshifumi, and is based on the wrought
relationship of real life manga artist Abe Shinichi,
(born 1950 in Tagawa, Fukuoka), and wife Miyoko,
played by Marie Machida who's previous appearance's
include 'Kamikaze Girls', 'Tokyo Gore Police' and
recently 'Panic 4 Rooms', and has Mizuhashi Kenji
as Shinichi Abe, it spans the years from the early
seventies to the nineties and centres mainly of their
time in the area of Asagaya, Tokyo. The film's title
'Miyoko Asagaya kibun' roughly translating as 'Miyoko,
Asagaya Feeling'. Shinichi Abe, a down on his heels
artist at the time, draws influence by manga master
Shinji Nagashima, he has no luck with the publishers,
Shinichi's editor is played by Shiro Sano, Shinichi
uses Miyoko and friend Osamu for inspiration for his
manga comic, 'Garo'. Miyoko previously caught
Shinichi with her friend, in a somewhat compromising
situation and Shinichi's suspicion's about
Osamu and Miyko's relationship, threaten to push
things over the edge. The relationship is fraught
with jealousy and sometime misguided affections.

Tsubota manages to blend the montage dreamlike
sequences to just the right effect, a scene where
an impoverished Abe extracts a tooth from his mouth
and places it on the table, and then sees a miniature nude
Miyoko come and pick it up, offering it back to him,
before banging his hand down on the table, to dispel
his hallucination. At times I was thinking a suitable
subtitle for the film could be 'Portrait of the artist
in the foetal position' as many of the scenes end in
this way as Shinichi's despair was compellingly caught
by Mizuhashi. Each character seems to fall into a
manga induced dreamworld, although not relying
wholly on any animated scenes, which prevented
the film falling into the animation/real film combination,
knowing that Shinichi is a manga artist with
the combination of the scenes using montage, work
perfectly together. Shinichi's editor on a visit to the
artist's home to collect a manuscript falls prone to
this, after visualizing a scene from the manga
he's just collected, he begins to appreciate Shinichi's
talent. The film successfully gives the feeling of
a loosening of the reins, as Shinichi and Miyoko's
relationship balance precariously on the line.

The film's soundtrack features scores from
contemporary Japanese artists, Tenniscoats,
Chihei Hatakeyama and also one of Shinichi
Abe's favourites Sparta Locals, among others.
Shinichi Abe's manga haven't yet made it to an
English translation, hopefully with this film, that
might happen in the future. Many thanks to
Asian Media Wiki for use of the image.


miyoko-asagaya.com

Friday 23 October 2009

minimal - Poetry came before dawn



















 
It's always great to pick up a collection by Shuntaro Tanikawa, this one again is translated by William I. Elliot and Kazuo Kawamura, the collection is split into three parts, and contain poems which are in three line form, also retaining a minimal feel. There's an author's
afterword.Tanikawa's poems never fail to intrigue me, in their simplicity they can say so much, in the first poem 'Rags', Tanikawa points out that he has nothing to give poetry, rather he is the given, his poetry hovers between nature and desire, emotion and time. A good example of Tanikawa's observations on people, poetry and nature can be seen in the poem 'To Reject', where he observes, nature doesn't reject poetry, only people reject it. Another aspect I like of his poetry is that a simple observation can have a large affect, small activities like laughter after finishing a meal, are things not to be taken for granted.
 
Most of the poems here have something that  strike me but two seemed to stand out, and if I'm honest I'm not too sure why, but I kept returning to them, 'Amniotic Fluid' seems to conjure up so many striking images, floating somewhere between creation and life, adrift in time, days, now long gone, hints of life before birth, the presence of distant people, the silence of dreams. Also the poem 'Mud', about memory, aging, poetry, where even the light of regret is disappearing. Another favourite is 'A Still Life', a still life on canvas is likened to a native land, being stared at, by hungry eyes, unable to escape the stillness within it's frame.

Poets I'm planning to look at in the future; Chuya Nakahara, Toshio Nakae's 'Time Within a Fish' (really would love to read this, is there already a translated edition?), you can sample some of his poems here, Kou Machida, a great place to sample more recent poems/poetry is at midnight press, Kiji Kutani's poems can also be read here.

Thursday 15 October 2009

Requiem





















The novel opens with Setsuko Oizumi feeling around the walls of her shelter, although her eyes are wide open all she can see is darkness, her home destroyed in the bombing, she knows death is not far away, it's only a matter of time. In the darkness fragmentary memories of her family before the war return to her, she remembers sitting at the kotatsu, listening to her brother, Hajime, talking with his friend Shuzo Wakai, Shuzo telling him about his elder brother Shoichi's imprisonment and the death of his other brother Seiji, who wanted to be a pianist but had became a naval pilot cadet, killed in action. Seiji's last letter home was some sheets of music he had written out, a Chopin Polonaise, and part of Schumann's 'Scenes of Childhood'. The novel skips between memory, flashbacks, going back and forth from Setsuko's recollections whilst lying in the shelter, from what appears at first, must be a near fatal bombing raid. The book is nearly a novella being just 122 pages long, the translation is by Geraldine Harcourt, due to the fragmentary nature of the novel, from memory to recollection, it must of been a sometimes difficult translation. It was part of Kodansha's Japan's Women Writers series, originally published by them in 1985, published in Japan in 1973 by Bungei Shunju, I think there was a UK edition published by the Women's Press. It was published originally in the literary review Bungakukai and won the Akutagawa prize.
 
Hajime had sent postcards home to his family, his father had kept one with him wherever he went, Setsuko recalls that it must have been in his pocket the morning her father went missing, he had left for work, there was an air raid, bombs fell by the station, he never returned. The family had decided not to evacuate the city, reasoning, that although they lived near the station the bomber's wouldn't strike twice. As Setsuko's story unravels and through the exchange of letters with her friend Naomi Niwa, we learn that Setsuko worked in a factory. Naomi admires her friends courage, she writes to Setsuko about her parents, her father, a Professor, is also in prison for 'thought' crimes, (Shoichi turns out to be a pupil of Professor Niwa). Naomi tells her of her mother's increasing desperation, longing for the war to end. Naomi shares her interest with the novel 'Les Thibaults' by Martin du Gard, constantly referring back to the character's actions in the novel, and Setsuko vows to read more.

After the family home is destroyed in the raids, Setsuko and her mother (Mine) move into a carriage of a Keihin Express train which is parked up in a siding, they share it with several other families. Lying in the shelter Setsuko remembers the day when she offered her mother to help look for their father's body. After a while her mother confesses that's she's given up looking, looking among the charred corpses, she couldn't tell if they were man or woman, and couldn't stop thinking about all those people's families. Setsuko observes how suddenly people can die, a friend waving goodbye at a rail station may never be seen again, more and more the looks on peoples faces acknowledge this when they say goodbye to each other, this could be the last time they see each other. Naomi's mother's condition gets worse, although told not to drink by the doctor, she always manages to pawn off another item in the house to buy sake on the black market, shortly after comes the confirmation of the death of Naomi's father. One day returning from work, the head of the neighbourhood association meets Setsuko off the train, 'Setsuko-chan, I'm so sorry', already she knows, her mother is dead, whilst in line for rations, two fighters came down low and opened fire on the line of people. Although numbed, Setsuko had come to terms with the fact that everyone was going to die, fighting to the death, when the surrender comes she's left reeling, what was it all for?.

Shizuko Go had first hand experience's of the bombing of Yokohama,(where the novel is set), and like Setsuko in the novel suffered from tuberculosis. The way the novel is told, fragment by fragment, enhances each of the characters feelings and opinions about the war, Naomi wanted to seek revenge on her father's killers, and as Setsuko begins to question her feelings about the nation and war, the only thing they have left is their friendship, if only there were no wars, for quite a slim volume, the novel leaves so many questions to think over.


Sunday 11 October 2009

Country Teacher

After reading a few articles on Katai Tayama's (1872-1930), 'Futon', Country Teacher seemed like an interesting novel to look at. Tayama is known as being one of the foremost writers in Japanese naturalism. First published in Japan in 1909 under the title 'Inaka Kyoshi' by publisher Sakura Shobo, this translation by Kenneth Henshall and is published by University of Hawaii Press. Kenneth Henshall also translated Tayama's 'Literary Life in Tokyo 1885-1915', as well as, 'The Quilt and other Stories', (containing Futon), both out of print as far as I know, I'd really like to read both of these. In his preface Kenneth Henshall explains how Tayama had based his novel from the real life diaries of Kobayashi Shuzo,1884-1904, and gives a background to the characters in the novel, and also of the authors who make an appearance under alternative names, who include, Ota Gyokumei, critic Hasegawa Tenki, and Tayama himself. He goes onto highlight that Kobayashi's literary hero was Shimazaki Toson , and reminds us that in those days, writers were followed in the press like pop and sports stars are today. Also included here is an extract on Country Teacher from Tayama's 'Thirty Years in Tokyo', in which he goes further into detail about the diaries and Kobayashi Shuzo whom he had met a number of times through Ota Gyokumei, in the extract there is a page of photographs and a map of the area of where the novel is set, mainly around the border between Gunma and Saitama prefectures.

In the novel Shuzo's name is changed to Seizo Hayashi, starting as a teacher in the small rural village of Miroku, and opens just prior to the Russo-Japan War. Like most of the other young men in his village he has an interest in literature, his group of friends are planning to start a literary magazine, (Gyoda Bungaku), Seizo is often found reading 'Myojo', he reads admiringly of Akiko Yosano , and one of his favourite poems is Enoch Arden. Seizo's family struggles to survive financially, after his father's business went bankrupt, so Seizo's new job come's as a great relief to the family. Seizo also had a younger brother who died young due to tuberculosis. The group of friend's excitement grows as publication of the first edition of their magazine approaches, and Seizo is asked to go to the temple near his school to see if he can obtain a manuscript from the chief priest, who had connections with the literary world in Tokyo, but has since turned away from that world, speaking of an old acquaintance he says, 'It was hopeless for him to chase fame and get smeared with dirt from the city. It doesn't matter how successful you become, once death comes calling, your nothing but tears in other's eyes'.
 
Whilst walking with his friend Ikuji, Seizo realize they both have feelings for the same girl, Mihoko, but Seizo seems quite happy not to stand in the way of his friends happiness should they become a couple. Seizo has to walk miles from his own village to the school, and as the temple is close to his school, Seizo lodges with the priest. Whilst here, his friends begin to drift away from the village, moving onto universities in Tokyo, the feeling that Seizo gets that his life might not be going in the direction he had envisioned, begin to surface as he observes the older teachers, and thinks sadly of himself, that if he's not careful he might end up like them, 'Am I too then going to pass my life with idle words, like so many people in the world?'. Things worsen when Mihoko returns from her dormitory in Urawa and he receives a postcard from Kojima (an old school friend) telling him that he's qualified for higher school and is going to Kanazawa, Seizo writes him a congratulatory letter, than bursts into tears over his own lack of fortune.
 
Winter approaches and the literary magazine the friends started is abandoned due to increasing debts and Seizo learns of Ikuji's and Mihoko's relationship which is a source of bitterness. His parents have increasing debt which he helps with, barely leaving any money left over. He continues teaching, eventually moving into the school, on a return trip to his home village he finds that none of his friends are there anymore, he begins to distance himself from the world, composing verse, and weeps over his situation. Seizo begins to learn of Hotto, a neighbouring village and hears of the loose morality there, he contemplates the harsh life in the countryside, compared with the great men in the newspapers, thinks about how many people live the mundane existence, could he to be content with that?. He learns that the countryside is full of stories of suicides, infidelities, burglaries. One day he builds up the courage to take the ferry and visit one of the brothels across the river, after walking away once, he resolutely walks back and picks out the prostitute Shizue, who he's very much taken with, and returns to her again, thinking that maybe they could start a relationship. But he thinks that maybe the brothel house is just toying with his lonely heart, considering her other clients. He doesn't visit for sometime but when he does Shizue has been redeemed, another prostitute gives him a parcel, inside is a note with sorry written in crude characters and a photograph.

In an attempt to change the direction of his life, Seizo signs up for a music school in Tokyo, he makes the journey for the entry exam but fails to get through and returns, with mounting debts Seizo feels he has to get a further grip on his life, concentrating at his job, he restarts his diary in November 1903. Seizo who has suffered from ill health begins to develop a temperature, at night he sweats and begins to suffer from stomach pains, and through the start of the new year his condition worsens, but continues to work. Ikuji returns home and the two discuss the war, and the mounting tension of the siege of Port Arthur . The doctor can't seem to find a cause and the suspicion that it could be consumption is discussed, but nothing can be verified and they can hardly meet the cost for the medicine, Seizo grows paler. Ikuji and Mihoko are to be married, which he can't bring himself to contemplate, and his friend takes him to another doctor for a second opinion, but he is unable to give definite diagnosis. His condition deteriorates and Seizo's doctor announces that its a permanent disability, and he becomes bedridden, he worries about his sick pay entitlement, after investigating he's entitled to two months. Confined to his bed Seizo frustratingly contemplates not being able to take part in the jubilation of the victories as the war progresses and thinks of the soldiers fighting and giving their lives on the plains of Manchuria.

Kenneth Henshall highlights in his preface that Tayama elaborated on some aspects of the diaries and changed some of the dates, and also notes that Kobayashi's original diaries were used to repair sliding doors in the second world war, so sadly further re-examination is impossible. The novel gets a little nationalistic near the end, but being written when it was, it's none too surprising, I'm unaware of Tayama's politics, but Tayama's depiction of Seizo's loneliness as his friends leave for university, and pursue life beyond the village, was done with a heart breaking accuracy, further compounded by the novel's sad conclusion.







Saturday 10 October 2009

Film Diary 2009

Not sure why I'm doing this one but here's a list of films watched during 2009, with as many links as I can trace, will add to this until the end of the year, maybe I'll give my top five films at the end of the year. My viewing has trailed off a little lately, not enough time..




January
Funky Forest - First Contact dir: Katsuhito Ishii/Hajime Ishimine
Traveling with Nara Yoshitomo dir: Koji Sakabe
Hana Bi dir: Takeshi Kitano
Professor and his Beloved Equation dir: Takashi Koizumi
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time dir: Mamoru Hosoda
Vibrator dir:Ryuichi Hiroko
Harmful Insect dir:Akihito Shiota
Survive Style 5+ dir: Gen Sekiguchi
Bullet Ballet dir: Shinya Tsukamoto
The Place Promised in Our Early Days dir:Shinkai Makoto
Still Walking dir: Kore-Eda Hirokazu
Neighbour No 13 dir:Yasuo Inoue

Feburary
Summer Time Machine Blues dir:Katsuyuki Motohiro
Eli,Eli Lema Sabachthani? dir: Aoyama Shinji
Adrift In Tokyo dir: Satoshi Miki
Vital dir:Shinya Tsukamoto
Avalon dir:Mamoru Ishii
Achilles and the Tortoise dir:Takeshi Kitano
All Around Us dir: Ryosuke Hashiguchi

March
United Red Army dir:Koji Wakamatsu
Kafka's A Country Doctor dir: Yamamura Koji
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A dir: Takashi Miike
Dead End Run dir: Sogo Ishii
Shuffle dir:Sogo Ishii
Solitude of One Divided by 880,000 dir:Sogo Ishii
Asia Strikes Back dir:Sogo Ishii
Master of Shiatsu dir: Sogo Ishii
For the Damaged Right Eye dir:Toshio Matsumoto
Blood the Last Vampire dir: Hiroyuki Kitakubo
Kabei-Our Mother dir:Yoji Yamada
Man Who Stole the Sun dir:Kazuhiko Hasegawa

April
Tokyo Gore Police dir:Yoshihiro Nishimura
Tokyo dir: Michael Gondry/Bong Joon-Ho/Leos Carax
All About Lily Chou Chou dir: Shunji Iwai
A Scene By The Sea dir:Takeshi Kitano
Maboroshi no Hikari dir: Kore-Eda Hirokazu
Inugami dir:Masato Harada

May
Tokyo Sonata dir: Kurosawa Kiyoshi
Departures dir:Yojiro Takita
Tokyo Rendezvous dir:Tetsu Misaki
Hush dir:Ryosuke Hashiguchi
Chinpira:Two Punks dir: Shinji Aoyama
Eros Plus Massacre dir:Kiju Yoshida
The Petrified Forest dir: Masahiro Shinoda
Heroic Purgatory dir:Kiju Yoshida
Punishment Island dir:Masahiro Shinoda
Throw Your Books Away,Rally in the Streets! dir:Shuji Terayama
Helpless dir:Shinji Aoyama
Woman of the Dunes dir:Hiroshi Teshigahara
Stray Dog dir:Akira Kurosawa
An Obsession dir:Shinji Aoyama

June
224466 dir:Asano Tadanobu
Labyrinth Of Dreams dir:Sogo Ishii
Uta dir:Akio Jissoji
Focus dir:Satoshi Isaka
Mujo: This Transient Life dir:Akio Jissoji
Funeral Parade of the Roses dir:Toshio Matsumoto
Youth Killer dir: Kazuhiko Hasegawa

July
Party 7 dir:Katsuhito Ishii
Shiki-Jitsu dir:Shunji Iwai
Gemini dir:Shinya Tsukamoto
Ponyo on the Cliff dir:Hayao Miyazaki
The Mirrored Mind dir:Sogo Ishii

August
Enjo dir:Kon Ichikawa
Ballad of Orin dir:Masahiro Shinoda
Season of the Sun dir:Takumi Furakawa

September
Pastoral:To Die in the Country dir:Shunji Terayama
Akitsu Springs dir:Kiju Yoshida
Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees dir:Masahiro Shinoda

October
To Sleep So As To Dream dir:Kaizo Hayashi
Preparations for the Festival dir:Kuroki Kazuo
Children of Hiroshima dir:Kaneto Shindo

Sunday 4 October 2009

A Dark Night's Passing

Shiga Naoya's, 'A Dark Night Passing' is a book that I can't seem to see a readily available edition of in print, which is a little sad, although available through the usual second hand outlets. This edition is the Kodansha paperback, translated by Edwin McClellan. A novel in four parts, serialized mainly over the years 1921/22/23 in the magazine Kaizo, then the final segment was published in 1937. Although the book is, lets say,(in some parts), nearly approaching ninety years old, it still retains a modern feel. It's sometimes known as an 'I' novel, but there is maybe a little too much of the narrative mode to qualify. Well known for his short stories collected in 'The Paper Door and other Stories', 'A Dark Night's Passing' is his only novel to make it into English thus far.

The story is centred primarily around the character Kensaku, revealing different episodes in his life. As a child Kensaku's mother passes away, and he's moved into his grandfather's house, already in the house is Oei, who is senior to Kensaku by twenty years and is employed by the family to look after grandfather, also you are introduced to an array of characters who come to the house, usually to play cards. Kensaku's relationship with his father from his earliest memories has been strained, Kensaku recalls that once a playful fight turned nasty, his father tying his hands behind his back, and when Kensaku bursts out crying, his father tells him that he was only joking, and unties him, but Kensaku senses something maybe more malevolent in his father's eyes, the relationship with his father, and his mother that he never got to know are revealed piece by piece as the novel progresses. The story moves to Kensaku as a young writer, frequenting geisha houses, with high school friends, you learn that he has a brother Nobuyuki, who lives slightly beyond his means and two younger sisters, also that Kensaku had proposed marriage to Akio, but the offer was turned down by her family, the reason revealed later in the novel, the rebuff hurts Kensaku. When he tells his father of his proposal, his father's reaction is icy, telling Kensaku that it's his own business to sort out, unusal in that age, where the parents played a large hand in their childrens marital matters, and organised marriages. After more visits to a particular geisha house, Kensaku becomes enamoured by the geisha Tokiko, and it seems he can't summon the courage to act on his fascination for her, and the relationship fizzles out before it starts. Tokiko in the end can't seem to shake Kensaku out of his lethargic and directionless life in Tokyo.

In an effort to change his life and concentrate on his writing he decides to take the ferry and move to Onomichi, taking a tour of the local shrines and visits nearby islands. He finds a house, which needs a little work but he rents it, and his work starts well. He encounters the local prostitute, (a habit he had started back in Tokyo before leaving). After sometime his work rate slows and his listlessness returns, and he comes to the realization that he wants to marry Oei, even though she is twenty years his senior, and with his father's disinterest in his affairs, he concludes that it's the right thing. He writes a letter to his brother to put the proposal to Oei, days later he gets the reply from his brother that his proposal is turned down, his brother fearing that the rejection will depress Kensaku further, asks him to return to Tokyo, which he does. On his train ride back, Shiga Naoya gives a little portrait of a family on the train, there's diversions throughout the book, also on the ferry to Onomichi, an Australian returning home, these give the book a sometimes kaleidoscopic feel. Back in Tokyo his brother tells Kensaku another piece of the puzzle regarding the history of their family, regarding his parentage. Regardless of his proposal being turned down Kensaku decides to carry on living at the house with Oei, and his brother also tells him that he is going to quit his job and study Zen. After time Kensaku gets drawn to Kyoto with it's temples and history, and whilst walking he sees a woman working in a house close to his lodgings and falls for her immediately. Oei meanwhile has had an offer of moving abroad to work in a relative's business, and is set to leave soon, Kensaku decides to make the move to Kyoto to pursue the woman he saw.

The continuity of 'A Dark Night's Passing' doesn't seem to suffer too badly despite it being published in segments, the picture of pre-war Japan that it portrays when arranged marriages were more common, although that's not solely what the book is concerned about. Kensaku's situation in this regard tho' must have connected instantly with readers, not really mentioned in the book directly, but here's an insight into Miai. The novel gives an invaluable look at Japan at this time, given through Kensaku's eyes. Kensaku's search for a relationship that maybe will give meaning to his life is a compelling read.

Thursday 1 October 2009

Salamander and Other Stories by Ibuse Masuji













 
Masuji Ibuse, (1898-1993), is another author I've been meaning to read for quite a while, famous for his 1966 novel 'Black Rain', a survivor's story of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Through reading Osamu Dazai's 'Self Portraits', Ibuse's name was mentioned a number of times, so I thought it time to read some of his stories. 'Salamander and other Stories' published by Kodansha International and translated by John Bester includes nine stories, written between 1923-1955. Originally published as 'Lieutenant Lookeast and other Stories' as hardback, which included an extra story. I think there was a UK edition published by Secker & Warburg. A book I'd like to read being, 'Pools of Water, Pillars of Fire: The Literature of Masuji Ibuse', by John W.Treat, which I think is now out of print.

Reading through this collection of stories made me wonder how much autobiographical material was involved in them. Reading through his entry on kirjasto, the material for the satirical piece 'Lieutenant Lookeast' was probably taken from Ibuse's own experience of military life, the story of Lieutenant Yuichi Okazaki's, (Lieutenant Lookeast), erratic behaviour, suffering delusions that the war is still on, to the extent of shouting out military orders to people passing his house. His story is told by Yoju, (from the same village as Lieutenant Lookeast), a soldier recently returning home had sat next to former sergeant-major Ueda on a homeward train from Tsugaru, who told him how Yuichi had come to loose his wits. One day while Lieutenant Okazaki's unit were travelling, they came across another unit rebuilding a bombed out bridge, when the job was completed the men were talking leisurely, and Lance-Corporal Tomomura let slip the remark, 'War is an extravagant business'. Lieutenant Okazaki was thrown into a rage and infuriated by this remark and began to berate him, hitting Tomomura whilst standing at the rear of the truck, just at that moment the truck lunged forward and the two men fell out, both falling out of the truck, down an embankment and into a river, hitting rocks as they fell. Tomomura washed away, presumed dead, but Lieutenant Okazaki was pulled from the river, with a broken leg and showing obvious signs of concussion. The men made a makeshift grave for Tomomura, noting how fate had stricken him a cruel blow, not only being slapped about the face before he died, but also hitting the rocks, maybe dead before he was washed away by a nameless river. Lieutenant Lookeast got his nickname it's revealed, as he always made his men bow to the east, earning the nickname the 'Lookeast Platoon'. Lookeast also being a staunch advocate of the Field Service Code, '...once you begin to understand it, it will fill you with a kind of intoxication..' he tells his men. Ibuse notes about Tomomura , that he was fond of speaking his mind, to the extent the he had undoubtedly been a poor soldier. Lieutenant Lookeast is an interesting piece of satire, looking at what must have been seen as the 'old' order, when Ibuse wrote it in 1950.

Mostly though the stories are set in rural Japan, concerning tales that most villages and small towns have. 'Old Ushitora' tells of a family quarrel over the grandfather's profession, of bull breeder, a unique story. 'Carp' and 'Savan on the Roof'  both, presumably have an autobiographical element to them. 'Savan on the Roof' concerns the rescue of a wild goose, which the narrator believes must have been shot by mistake by a hunter, charting the goose's recovery and then the narrator's reluctance to let the bird free. 'Carp' is an encounter with a carp that is given to the narrator as a gift to mark a friendship. At first the narrator puts the carp in his boarding house pond, but then has to move, throughout the story the carp is an object of consternation for the narrator, again because of a move he has to leave the fish with his friend's girlfriend. Time passes and the friend who gave him the fish falls ill and passes away. Eventually after a move to Waseda University he releases the carp into the University pond. On a restless night when he can't sleep the narrator decides to take a stroll down by the pond, and spies his white carp, swimming about like a king, with dozens of dace and killifish, trailing behind, giving his fish a lordly air.

There's an understated emotion to these stories and a subtlety that stayed with me after I had finishing reading them, mainly about everyday people and the tales from small town and rural Japan, told with a slight humour, as John Bester states in his preface, an absence of sentimentality and a deep lying humanity. After reading this I'd very much like to track down copies of, 'Castaway' and 'Waves'.


Stories included in Salamander and other Stories -

Plum Blossom by Night (1930)
Lieutenant Lookeast (1950)
Pilgrim's Inn ?
Salamander (1923)
Old Ushitora (1950)
Carp (1926)
Life at Mr Tange's (1931)
Yosaku the Settler (1955)
Savan on the Roof ?