Clouds Above the Hill: A Historical Novel of the Russo-Japanese War, Volume 1 by Ryōtarō Shiba

Clouds Above the Hill: A Historical Novel of the Russo-Japanese War, Volume 1 Reviews

• 
  Avery

  It is delightful to have Shiba Ryotaro's magnum opus "Clouds Above the Hill" available in English. This is probably Japan's most important postwar novel, not in terms of literary accomplishment like Oe Kenzaburo or Mishima Yukio, but in terms of popular impact. You will certainly learn more about Japan from this book than from any Murakami Haruki novel.
  
  Readers versed in the Japanese language will have a lot to gain from this translation. Reading Clouds above the Hill in the original is not as stressful as reading Genji in the original, but Shiba delights in using period vocabulary to evoke the flavor of the Meiji period, and he does not shy from quoting official documents in the original language. For readers who are fascinated by Japan's modernization but do not want to look up dozens of antiquated cavalry terms as they read, this translation will prove quite useful.
  
  I was wondering as I read, though, how readers who know little about the Meiji period would fare with this book. One problem with Japanese arts, well known to fans of anime and manga, is that there are a lot of unfamiliar cultural references for Americans to come to grips with, and this novel about intellectuals living in the Meiji period is certainly no exception. Shiba assumes that the reader already has a rough knowledge of the shockingly rapid modernization of Japanese society. Of the two translators, Juliet Winters Carpenter (in book 2) is the better writer of the two, while I am afraid Paul McCarthy has produced a dry, literal translation, but neither translator offers extra commentary that could be useful to some readers. Here's how McCarthy handled one of the more difficult passages:
  
  "Thereafter, Yoshifuru always addressed him as 'Kocho sensei'. But then one day the principal asked, 'By the way, when you say Kocho sensei, what do you think it means? What ideographs would you use to write it?' Yoshifuru wrote out the ideographs for 'principal master,' but the other shook his head. 'No, no. This is how you write it.' Taking up a slate, he wrote the four ideographs meaning 'Master Vermilion Bird' and pronounced 'Kocho sensei'. Yoshifuru had no idea what this could mean, but the principal announced that this was his literary sobriquet and the appropriately courteous way to address him."
  
  Kouchou sensei is the standard way a student would refer to his principal. Here, Yoshifuru's boss is demanding his inferiors address him as "Principal" ("principal master" is an extremely literal way of rendering the usual reading of kouchou-sensei). But the boss has an odd way of writing "principal" -- with the kanji for Vermilion Bird, one of the Four Symbols of Chinese astrology. Furthermore, the principal informs Yoshifuru that this is a "literary sobriquet", which I assume is what is more generally called an art name, or "gou". There is no earthly reason why a school principal should employ an art name in the office. The point of the passage, properly understood, is that the country school's principal is irrational and unbelievably pretentious. McCarthy conveys this but removes some of the humor, which requires knowing exactly what kind of culture the principal is incompetently aping.
  
  Could such a difficult passage have been conveyed all of the extra cultural information I supplied without interrupting the flow of the narrative? Well, here is how Carpenter handles a passage of similar difficulty:
  
  "Born in Taketa in the province of Bungo (today's Oita prefecture), Hirose was of samurai stock, from the castle town in the small domain of Oka. At the end of the Tokugawa period, his father Tomonojo went to Kyoto to show his loyalty to the emperor and ended up being imprisoned for several years. After the Meiji Restoration, Tomonojo became an itinerant judge. While he was chief judge of a local court in Hida Takayama, his son Takeo graduated from the local primary school. That winter, the father was transferred to Gifu and set off alone for his new post, traveling through the snow by palanquin. Takeo ran after him, caught up to the palanquin along the way, and begged to be taken along."
  
  Here we are given a helping hand through the passage, with Carpenter introducing the concepts of a "castle town" and a "palanquin" in a matter-of-fact way (since these were ordinary things in premodern Japan), and linking them seamlessly to the roles of a samurai family and an "itinerant judge". But those who want to know the relative locations of Bungo Province, Kyoto, and Gifu will have to consult another book entirely. There is a somewhat miserable glossary on the last two pages that covers only concepts that should be obvious from the text. The book is probably much more comprehensible to readers with a background in Japan.
  
  For people starting from scratch, it will be helpful to have read a book like Donald Keene's Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World before starting this one. (Alternatively, you can simply watch the acclaimed TV drama adaption of Clouds Above the Hill, which can be found online and will provide a lot of extra imagery for you.) Keene has also penned a biography of main character Masaoka Shiki, The Winter Sun Shines In, that provides additional light on this brilliant and troubled poet.
  
  This translation will still present challenges to the uninitiated, but again, it is a delight to have this masterpiece available in English.
• 
  Kansas

  "Después de muchas tribulaciones, la humanidad ha terminado por aceptar la guerra imperialista como un crimen. Sin embargo, en el momento de aquellos acontecimientos los valores eran muy distintos. Esas guerras se tenían como una expresión de gloria patriótica."
  
  Esta novela de Ryotaro Shiba comienza en la segunda mitad del s.XIX, justo cuando Japón emprende una de las transiciones más apabullantes de su historia: deja atrás el periodo Edo (o Tokugawa) que había durado doscientos años, una era totalmente feudal y aislacionista, y se sumerge en la Restauración Meiji (1868), que es justo la puerta para que Japón entre en la era moderna, dejando su aislamiento y mirando al mundo occidental. Esta época tan definitiva en la historia de este país a mi me parece una época fascinante porque es un periodo en el que un país que no tenía nada y no había tenido casi relaciones con el exterior, de repente se ve abocado de la noche a la mañana a nuevos cambios, no solo en los concernientes al ámbito social, económico y politico, sino sobre todo tuvo que cambiar su mentalidad para ajustarse a los nuevos tiempos.
  
  Citando a Ryotaro Shiba que al respecto de su novela decía.: “No se trata de una novela ni de un documental histórico, me he liberado del concepto de novela”, admito que en un principio fue uno de los detalles que más me desconcertó de esta novela porque a medida que avanzaba, iba descubriendo que no era una novela al uso, pura ficción; no solo sus personajes existieron y fueron figuras históricas sino que además Shiba nos está contando la historia de Japón con pelos y señales, en un estilo totalmente ágil y directo. Novela histórica no es, porque la novela está repleta de pasajes históricos como ápendices a la trama de sus protagonistas sino que Las Nubes Sobre la Colina es ante todo un libro de Historia en todo el sentido de la palabra: Sus personajes principales son una mera excusa para que Ryotaro Shiba pueda adentrarse en ese periodo histórico tan decisivo y que convertiría Japón en lo que es hoy.
  
  "El nacionalismo es un sentimiento muy arraigado en la gente (...) en esencia no es otra cosa que la tosca y natural tendencia humana a juntarse con los iguales. El nacionalismo conlleva emociones muy básicas como el amor por el pueblo natal y el desprecio por el de al lado, por el Otro, el eterno orgullo del lugar de nacimiento y reacciones virulentas en caso de recibir alguna crítica.
  
  Las invasiones estimulan el nacionalismo. Una invasión no reduce al simple hecho de poner un pie en una tierra que pertenece a otros. Supone un impacto psicológico que trastoca las convicciones de quien lo padece, como si recibiera una patada en la bota manchada de barro. Desde la perspectiva histórica todas las invasiones han tenido por efecto prender la llama nacionalista. Al final, siempre terminan en violencia."
  
  Y para contarnos este periodo histórico, Shiba se centra en la vida de tres personajes que vivieron en aquella época: los hermanos Akiyama y Masaoka Shiki, un poeta amigo suyo. Es interesante hacer constar que los hermanos Akiyama y su amigo Shiki, provienen de familia de samurais que en la Restauración Meiji ya han perdido sus privilegios, entre los que figuraba tener apellido, portar espada y usarla contra sus ofensores y además se abolieron sus feudos o señorios que se convirtieron en prefecturas (provincias). El caso es que los samuraís al perderlo todo en la Restauración Meiji recibirían periódicamente del Gobierno una especie de pensión para que pudieran mantenerse, pero cuando el Gobierno puso fin a este pago, una gran cantidad de ellos acabaron arruinados. Me enrollo contando esto para que se pueda entender las circunstancias que les tocó vivir a los Akiyama y a Shiki: de provenir de una familia con privilegios se encuentran que sus familias apenas tiene para subsistir.
  
  Esto es a grandes rasgos la forma en que Shiba nos introduce en la infancia de los hermanos Akiyama y de Shiki. Poco a poco la vida de los hermanos Akiyama toma otros derroteros a las de su amigo Shiki que decide dedicarse enteramente a la literatura y se convierte en una figura de la poesía, mientras que los hermanos Akiyama se dedican a la vida militar, una circunstancia a la que les lleva la vida casi sin planearlo, simplemente buscando su subsistencia.
  
  "Yoshifuru nunca se comportó como un intrépido, ni de chico en Matsuyama, ni en su condición de profesor en Osaka o en Nagoya. Siempre fue un joven callado, atento y si decidió convertirse en soldado fue porque era la única forma de financiar su educación."
  
  (...)
  
  "Convertirse en soldado significó educarse a si mismo. No escatimó esfuerzos para alcanzar la victoria, pero con toda probabilidad buscó el modo de no tener que usar su espada y hundirla en las carnes del enemigo. Visto así, llevar una espada ceremonial a la cintura que no servía para nada, era un acto de supremo coraje. Un coraje no innato, sino resultado de sus años de formación y entrenamiento."
  
  He disfrutado muchísimo de esta novela pero entiendo que quién vaya buscando una pura obra de ficción, que se abstenga. Es ante todo un tratado sobre historia donde Ryotaro Shiba lo ameniza con la trama de los hermanos Akiyama cada vez más influyentes en los futuros derroteros de Japón como nación con identidad propia. La forma en que este Japón pasó de la casi nada hasta convertirse en una de las naciones más influyentes, se cuenta aquí con un mimo para los detalles históricos en momentos fascinante. Quizás el final pudiera parecer que se queda todo a la mitad, pero lo que no nos cuenta la publicidad de la editorial ni las reseñas que he visto por ahí, es que éste es el primer volumen de una serie titulada "Las Nubes Sobre La Colina: Una Novela Histórica Sobre La Guerra Ruso-Japonesa".
  
  Gracias a Babelio España en esta edición de Masa Critica y por supuesto gracias a la editorial “Tres Hermanas”, que me enviaron un ejemplar a cambio de una reseña honesta. La edición de Tres Hermanas es impecable y deliciosa.
  
  
  https://kansasbooks.blogspot.com/2020...
• 
  Rosa María

  
  https://misgrandespasiones-rosa.blogs...
  
  Escrita a finales de los años sesenta del siglo pasado y publicada originalmente por entregas en prensa, nos cuenta a través de tres personajes que existieron realmente, el profundo cambio que se llevo a cabo en Japón a finales del siglo XIX, pasando en apenas treinta años de ser un territorio dividido con el poder en manos de los distintos señores feudales en la época del sogunato, a convertirse en un país, después de la Restauración Meiji, renovado y modernizado, germen del país moderno y avanzado que es hoy en día.
  
  
  A través de la vida de los hermanos Akiyama, Yoshifuru y Saneyuki, descendientes de samurais de segunda categoría, que a través del estudio y de su ingenio innato consiguieron, en la caballería y la armada, repectivamente, gran desempeño, siendo cruciales en las primeras guerras modernas en las que Japón se vio envuelto a finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX. El tercer proyagonista, amigo de Saneyuki y natural de Matsuyama, como los hermanos Akiyama, es el escritor, poeta, crítico literario y periodista, Shiki Masaoka, quien revolucionó y modernizó el arte del haiku y fue muy admirado y reconocido en su corta existencia y amigo de literatos tan importantes como Natsume Soseki.
  
  "Solía decir que era un vago por el bien de sus hijos. Para él si los padres llegaban lejos en la vida, los hijos no encontrarían nunca motivación suficiente para emprender su propio camino."
  
  
  
  "Demasiada arrogancia, demasiada estrechez de miras, un desconocimiento de las propias limitaciones que es un mal que aflige a todos quienes, como los hijos de los nuevos ricos, disfrutan de los frutos de las victorias ajenas logradas por sus predecesores."
  
  
  
  El autor nos muestra de un manera global cómo fue aquella época de cambios y apertura del país. Con un estilo accesible y que a veces se asemeja a un tratado histórico pero sin ser para nada aburrido, se ayuda de los pasajes donde los personajes interactúan para dar aspecto de novela y más dinamismo a esta lección de historia. Y no se limita únicamente a los hechos que conciernen a Japón, sino que también nos explica brevemente la historia de los países que se ven implicados en los diversos conflictos que se desarrollan a lo largo de la novela, lo que nos ayuda a conocer con mayor perspectiva los hechos que nos presenta.
  
  
  " `Mono ve, mono hace´, se mofaban a menudo en Occidente cuando hablaban de Japón. Pero la imitación no es exclusiva de los monos. En toda su variedad cultural los europeos habian tomado prestado, copiado y asimilado intensamente.Visto de ese modo, no podía haber monos más venerables que los europeos, pero eran los recién llegados los que provocaban la carcajada."
  
  
  
  Me gustaría destacar el capítulo dedicado a la Guerra de Cuba, conflicto que enfrentó a España y Estados Unidos en 1898. Su lectura me ha enseñado mucho sobre este hecho histórico sobre mi propio país que conocía de manera muy somera, y aunque el autor lo trata también de forma breve, lo hace de una manera tan fluida e interesante, que me dejó fascinada y con ganas de conocer aún más sobre el tema.
  
  "En el campo de batalla, lo verdaderamente importante no era el heroísmo de un instante, sino la constancia."
  
  
  
  Por eso debo decir que leer esta novela ha sido todo un viaje maravilloso, porque me ha descubierto una historia fascinante y casi desconocida para mí, me ha transportado en el tiempo y el espacio hacia ese país para nosotros tan exótico y desconocido, en una época fascinante donde se pusieron las bases del Japón que conocemos en la actualidad y de la configuración del orden mundial en los años que estaban por venir y ha despertado en mí unas ganas enormes de conocer mucho más sobre esa época tan fascinante de la historia.
  
  Sólo puedo ponerle una pega a este libro y es que la historia termina de una forma un tanto abrupta y he echado de menos que concluyese mostrándonos cómo terminan las vidas de los tres protagonistas, porque aunque a lo largo de la narración da algunas pinceladas, quedan tan dispersas dentro del relato que me hubiese gustado que hubiera culminado haciendo al menos un breve comentario sobre cómo terminaron sus días estos tres personajes a los que se les acaba cogiendo cariño.
  
  
  
  Si te gusta la novela histórica y aún más,si te fascina la historia y cultura japonesas, debes leer esta magnífica novela.
  
  
  
  "Los historiadores se han visto obligados a elegir entre los dos extremos, atribuir a las naciones y a las personas el papel de héroes o villanos. Es un defecto mayor de la historiografía moderna, analizar los hechos desde una sensibilidad moderna y a partir de ahí ofrece argumentos que no se sostienen. Otras ciencias no emiten esos juicios de valor. Nadie diría nunca que el hidrógeno es un villano y el oxígeno un héroe. La ciencia empieza cuando desaparecen los juicios, mientras que la historiografía empieza, precisamente, cuand divide los actores históricos en buenos y malos."
• 
  Jaime

  Ryotaro Shiba tiene, sin duda, una manera personal de construir los relatos que hace difícil catalogar el libro. Sin abandonar en ningún momento el pulso y tono narrativo de la novela, Shiba relata al lector el transcurso del medio siglo que separa la Revolución Meiji de la guerra ruso-japonesa; y los enormes cambios que en todos los ámbitos, desde la propia conciencia del individuo hasta el concepto de nación, supone para un país casi aislado por completo durante siglos que se ve abocado por la fuerza a la «occidentalización» o a la desaparición.
  
  Para no alargarme, haré el resumen en este punto: es una novela para interesados en la historia de Japón, especialmente en la época Meiji, desde pocos años antes hasta el comienzo de la guerra ruso-japonesa. A nivel literario no cambiará tu vida, pero si quieres aprender del periodo es una buena manera de introducirte de manera amena y rigurosa por otras vías que no sean un ensayo histórico.
  
  Como impresión personal, tras las casi setecientas páginas que conforman este libro puedo decir que es esa transformación de país feudal a potencia emergente es la historia que Shiba quería relatar. Los personajes resultan un pretexto para mostrar a través de ellos los cambios de Meiji, y no suponen el motor de la historia. No obstante, no por ello pierden su interés: son buenos iconos del mundo en transformación, cómo los cambios impactan en las personas. Akiyama Yoshifuru, nacido antes de Meiji, será el primero en lanzarse en un mundo moderno desde su formación clásica; Akiyama Saneyuki y Masaoka Shiki nacerán contemporáneamente al cambio y serán los primeros hijos de la nueva era. La historia de los tres se intercala en los momentos en los que no se entrecruza, permitiendo observar desde diversas perspectivas los cambios y las actitudes de los japoneses de distintas clases y ocupaciones frente a ellos.
  
  El estilo sencillo y ameno de Shiba hace que toda la lectura fluya y resulte amena; a lo que contribuye la estructura en fragmentos de pocas páginas, al publicarse originalmente por entregas. Sus únicas pegas pueden ser la en ocasiones excesiva divagación en algunos puntos, sobre todo al final del libro; y la aparición de numerosos personajes históricos de los que en ocasiones tan solo sabemos su nombre. Algunos de ellos podrían no aparecer y no se alteraría en absoluto la narración; sin embargo, tal vez en busca del rigor histórico, es algo que Shiba repite constantemente.
  
  Sabemos que los escritores japoneses no se caracterizan por su habilidad con los finales, pero en este caso la sensación de una historia incompleta es máxima. Quizás el punto más flojo de la novela.
  
  La edición peca de pequeños pero numerosos errores tipográficos que, si bien no entorpecen la lectura, denotan una falta de cuidado de la editorial que podría haberlos solucionado con tan solo una lectura atenta. Por lo demás, los pliegos cosidos y la elección de papel le dotan de una calidad mayor a la habitual entre la tapa blanda; que es lo mínimo esperado en los precios en los que se mueve esta novela. Sin que resulte un spoiler diré que, aunque la sinopsis de la contraportada de a entender lo contrario, en ningún momento de la novela se narrará la guerra ruso-japonesa (sí la sino-japonesa previa)
• 
  Chris Bull

  A time and a place.
  The tale of 2 brothers and a friend at the time when Japan was coming of age. 2 went into the military almost as an after thought while the third remained true to his dreams and became a poet. Based on real characters the author does a remarkable job with the history and the place and time (the reason I bought the book). Looking forward to have enough time to read the 3 remaining volumes
  
• 
  Shin

  I can recommend this novel. Very important for Japanese people the history at this time. A country, it was really small and poor, but this country was starting to become modern country. This country didn’t have enough industries, only rice and silk they had only these. In this time, the world was changing by the power of western countries. About Asia, they had to choose, became their colonies, or made their own navy and army, and industrial powers. However, this small country wanted to be modern country even they were poor, didn’t have enough knowledges. People in this country also didn’t understand what was modern country was. But, they were excited. No social classes, and they could become whatever they wanted if they made efforts hard. It was the great thing for them in this small country. “Optimism” made them feel free, it was their misunderstandings now we can see. However, in this time, this “optimism” helped this country, and they could have navy and army, and they could win against the imperial Russia, the miracle, we can see the facts, however, only people lived and created, believed without reason can understand the reason why they could make this miracle. If, they saw the cloud upon the hill, they walked to the straight toward the top of hill, with believing their future. It was the country Japan.
• 
  Ad

  A historical epic centering on the careers of two ambitious brothers who work their way up from a rural backwater (Matsuyama, the capital of Ehime Pref on the island of Shikoku) to positions of eminence in the new post-1868 Meiji period. They are Akiyama Yoshifuru (1859-1930) and Akiyama Saneyuki (1868-1918) - both are real historical figures - , who will go on to play important roles in the Japanese Army and Navy, respectively. They manage to build up a Japanese military capable of holding its own against larger forces in the region, and that capability is then soon tested in the Russo-Japanese War.
  
  Akiyama Yoshifuru became a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and is considered the father of modern Japanese cavalry. Born to a poor samurai family in the Matsuyama domain, he attended the (forerunner of the) Imperial Japanese Army Academy) and Army Staff College, after which he was sent as a military attaché to France to study cavalry tactics and techniques. In the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, he led his troops in the Battle of Mukden against the Cossack cavalry divisions of the Imperial Russian Army. In 1916 Yoshifuru was promoted to full general. After retiring from active military service in 1923, he became head of a junior high school on his native Shikoku.
  
  Akiyama Saneyuki would become famous as the planner of the Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese war. Originally he wanted to study literature and he was a good friend from his childhood on of the haiku poet Masaoka Shiki. But his elder brother Yoshifuru ordered him to join the Naval Academy because of the economically severe condition of the Akiyama family. From June 1897 to December 1899, Saneyuki was sent to the United States as a naval attaché. He next served as instructor at the Navy War college and at the outbreak of the war with Russia in 1904 was promoted to Commander. After the war Saneyuki's career continued its upward movement to vice admiral, at which time he had to retire due to illness.
  
  The third protagonist is Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), also from Matsuyama, who in his short life single-handedly brought the genres of haiku and tanka into modern age. I am glad about the presence of the poet Shiki in this novel, as he brings a softer and cultural note to the story. It is pity that he dies in the first pages of part 2 (of 4), but that is based on real life...
  
  Shiki turned haiku into a legitimate literary genre and argued that haiku should be judged by the same yardstick that is used when measuring the value of other forms of literature - that was contrary to views held by prior haiku practitioners. His particular style rejected "the puns or fantasies often relied on by the old school" in favor of "realistic observation of nature". Like other Meiji period writers, Shiki was influenced by the dedication to realism in Western literature.
  
  Shiki's achievements are all the more remarkable considering that he suffered from tuberculosis much of his life. In 1888 / 1889 he began coughing up blood and soon adopted the pen-name "Shiki" from the Japanese "hototogisu", the lesser cuckoo, as it was thought that this bird coughs blood as it sings. Shiki's early tuberculosis worsened after he went to China as a war correspondent in 1895. He returned to his home town Matsuyama and convalesced in the home of the famed novelist Natsume Soseki. During this time he took on disciples and promulgated a style of haiku that emphasized gaining inspiration from personal experiences of nature. In 1897 a member of his group established a haiku magazine which was called Hototogisu after Shiki's pen name - a magazine which today still is going strong.
  
  In Tokyo Shiki worked as haiku editor for the newspaper Nippon. Bedridden by 1897, Shiki's disease worsened further around 1901. He developed Pott's disease and began using morphine as a painkiller. During this time Shiki wrote diaries and other autobiographical works, as Bokuju itteki, "A drop of ink," and Byosho rokushaku, "The 6 foot long sickbed." He died of tuberculosis in 1902 at age 34.
  
  Clouds Above the Hill is like War and Peace by Tolstoy, a long novel about warfare with many authorial intrusions and historical essays. It often reads like a history book, even more so than Shiba Ryotaro's earlier
  RYŌMA!: The Life of Sakamoto Ryoma Japanese Swordsman and Visionary, Volume I. One could say that Meiji-Japan is the real protagonist - the novel is an exciting portrait of the involvement of three young men in the frenzied modernization and ascendancy of their country. It is Shiba's second best selling work in Japanese, with 14,750,000 copies sold.
  
• 
  Stefan Andrei

  History with a focus on local characters and proeminent figures of the day. A bit slower than Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration period but a great read no less which seems to capture well the sentiment of the times.
  
  Once again an impressive testament to Japan’s surprising speed of adjustment and capacity to adapt in the late 19th century. It went from a feudal society to am industrial, imperialistic nation in a span of 50 or so years.
  
  This first volume focuses on the establishment of the navy, and cavalry (both previously unexistent) through the eyes of two brothers. Akiyama Yoshifuru, later a general in the Japanese army and Akiyama Saneyuki, a brilloant navy strategist. Their coming of age stories, and Akiyama’s friendship with the haiku poet Madaoka Shiki paint a vivid picture of the late 19th century in Japan. From the reform of the educational system to that of the military. Also the first Sino-Japanese war.
  
  It ends with an account geopolitical climate in east asia and the built of tensiona between Russia and Japan.
  
  Looking forward to the next volume.
• 
  Rowena C.

  I hated history class in high school, so to end up reading this....! The difficulty in staying focused while reading was the often textbook-style prose, the names (last name 1st, first name 2nd), countless other characters, numerous dates, places, and historical events. But once I adapted Saneyuki's mantra of pouring energy and time into absorbing the main points, the novel was easier to process and stick with.
  
  Of the 3 'heroes', the Akiyama brothers held my interest. Not so much for the 3rd - poet Masaoka Shiki - and therefore I tended to skim parts involving him. Haiku is not my sort of thing. Liked the end part as it sets the scene for volume II. Fine book for history buffs and military science geeks.
• 
  Koit

  I am a great fan of Ryotaro Shiba. It is always in February I get the wish to re-read his books, and most typically ‘Clouds Above the Hill’ because so much of the action takes place in wintery Manchuria. This time round, I was able to finish Volume 1 by July—clearly, the time considerations gave way to enjoying the prose.
  
  For those unfamiliar with the author, Mr Shiba’s style is known as ‘historical journalism’: a narrative that is interspersed with facts that the author has done all he can to affirm. The story is centered around Akiyama Saneyuki, Akiyama Yoshifuru, and Masaoka Shiki. From the very start, the contributions of these three men are known for the reader. The journey is the description of how they got there.
  
  Volume I is also the most descriptive of the background of Meiji Japan. This detail is very useful, and though originally intended by the author to highlight the differences with 1960’s Japan, it also serves to introduce the time and country for the modern Western reader. The tone often hearkens back to the Restoration while the reader is shown what the three characters were up to during the First Sino-Japanese War, the Boxer Rebellion, and the Spanish-American War.
  
  Noteworthy also is the detail which Mr Shiba ascribed to people who only tangentially enter the story. Not only Nicholas II and Alfred Mahan feature in the story, but also—for me—more obscure people like Ding Ruchang. Fortunately, the author has left assessing these people up to the reader as much as possible. Yet, there is a thoroughly enjoyable tendency to bring up anecdotes such as Admiral Ding returning the champagne and wine which Ito Sukeyuki had gifted during surrender negotiations. These small gems shine a wonderful light on these people.
  
  Lastly, I appreciate this book won’t be suitable for everyone—but I feel it would only be for the better if there were more works like this. Give it a try, and I hope you’ll enjoy it!
  
  
  This review was originally posted on my blog.
• 
  William Kirkland

  Shiba Ryōtarō is said to be one of Japan’s favorite authors. Prolific in multiple genres, he’s credited with over 500 published works from essay to novel as well as over 1,000 magazine travel articles. He’s far less known in the West both because of the difficulty of Japanese-English translation itself, as well as American reluctance to buy and read translations [3% published translation in the U.S. compared to 14% in France.] Clouds Above the Hill: A Historical Novel of the Russo-Japanese War has as a partial aim the correction of that lack of interest. It has been immensely popular in Japan, selling over 11 million copies (the equivalent of 47 million in the US) after being serialized from 1968 to 1972 in a major news daily. With Japan exercising an on-going fascination for Americans — James Clavell’s Shogun had sold over 15 million copies world-wide by 1990– a popular novel by a major writer would seem to be a good bet to attract readers.
  
  I have to say, however, that it cost me more to keep at it than I'd expected. What stalled my reading has to do, in part, with expectations: assuming I’d find a novel I found history; reading a history I kept tripping on novel-like elements but not long, engaging fictional passages.
  
  It's not that Clouds isn’t interesting, just that it’s mainly interesting as history — of Japan, by a Japanese writer, about major protagonists in the transition from Japan-the-Self-Sequestered to Japan-the-World-Shaker. And it's not just interesting, but at times fascinating. Readers who persist will come away with much to ponder.
  
  
  - See more at:
  http://www.allinoneboat.org/#sthash.X...
• 
  !Tæmbuŝu

  
  KOBOBOOKS
  
  Reviewed by
  Japan Times