Part 5 Translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter; Chapter 1 203-Meter Hill; Chapter 2 On the High Seas; Chapter 3 Shuishiying; Chapter 4 Heigoutai; Part 6 Translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter; Chapter 5 Heigoutai, Continued; Chapter 6 Yellow Funnels; Chapter 7 Grand Espionage; Chapter 8 Nogi’s Army Goes North; Chapter 9 Chinhae Bay; Chapter 10 The Indian Ocean; Chapter 11 On to Mukden;
Shiba Ryōtarō (1923-1996) is one of Japan's best-known writers, famous for his direct tone and unflinching depictions of war. He was drafted into the Japanese Army, served in the Second World War, and subsequently worked for the newspaper Sankei Shimbun. He is most famous for his numerous works of historical fiction.
Translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter
Edited by Phyllis Birnbaum
"Shiba Ryōtarō is Japan’s best-loved author, and Clouds above the
Hill is his most popular and influential work. In it he celebrates
the transformative spirit of Meiji Japan and examines Japan’s
unexpected victory in the Russo-Japanese War, providing a
thoughtful and thought-provoking perspective on those dramatic
times and the people at their center. This distinguished
translation of a modern classic is a landmark event." - Donald
Keene, University Professor Emeritus, Columbia University, USA.
"Shiba Ryōtarō wrote that from the Meiji Restoration of 1868
through the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, Japan transformed its
premodern "brown sugar" society into a modern "white sugar" one,
eagerly scooping up crystals of the new substance in the drive to
create society anew. During the Pacific War, by contrast, the
nation’s leaders merely went through empty motions, and Japan
collapsed. This book looks back on that earlier era through the
lens of the later tragedy, depicting the struggles and growth to
maturity of Japan’s young men." - Tanaka Naoki, former Member of
the Japanese Parliament and President of the Center for
International Public Policy Studies, Japan.
"When the Russo-Japanese War was over and Japan had won, the
commanding generals from both sides came together face to face at
Suishiying. They paid honor to each other’s bravery and expressed
mutual condolences, and before parting they shook hands. I have
visited that very place, which seems to me less the site of a
Japanese victory than a monument to the souls of fallen soldiers on
both sides. I have no doubt that Clouds above the Hills was also
written to honor those souls." - Anno Mitsumasa, author and
illustrator of children’s books in Japan."Quite simply, this is an
incredible read that succeeds on all levels. I'm not a huge fan of
history, but Ryotaro's telling of it flows beautifully, such that
sometimes I forgot I was reading anything other than a work of
fiction. At the same time, the sheer level of detail matches
anything Tom Clancy has written, but without getting bogged down in
too much technical detail the way Clancy's work often can. It also
never loses sight of the human aspect of events, either at home in
Japan, or overseas fighting or preparing for war... I found myself
at a loss returning to the real world. This may be a book published
in several volumes, but I defy anyone to read just one." - Iain
Wear, The Bookbag, January 2013.
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