Recommended Historical Novels

I have loved historical dramas since I was a child, and
like the corrupt magistrate and the merchant Echigoya,
I love the way
the villains are villains through and through,
and the good guys are good through and through, in that
poetic justice (encouraging good and punishing evil) style.

And,

the way people live their lives full of human kindness,
and the events that unfold with the changing of the seasons,
make me feel very happy when I read them.

I suppose I'm just simple-minded at heart.

Without further ado, I'd like to introduce my favorites.

🏮 The Higurashi Diary by Rin Hamuro

This is the story of a samurai named Shukoku Toda, who, despite being ordered to commit seppuku due to a clan conspiracy, did not resist,
and instead upheld his beliefs as a samurai for the sake of the clan, the farmers, and his family.
The story of Shukoku Toda.

Shukoku Toda was excellent in both literature and martial arts from a young age, was promoted to district magistrate at 27,
and 12 years ago, he rose to the rank of middle-aged chamberlain in Edo, but
in August seven years ago, he caused an incident, fell from grace, and was placed under house arrest in Mukoyama Village.
The incident was that he had an affair with a concubine at the Edo residence,
and killed the page who discovered it.
Although he should have been ordered to commit seppuku immediately,
thanks to the mercy of the former lord, the execution of the sentence was set for10 years later, and
in the meantime, he was ordered to compile the Miura family genealogy.
A man named Shozaburo Danno was sent
to act as a guard for Shukoku Toda.
As Shozaburo observes the character of Shukoku Toda,
who is deeply trusted by the villagers,
as a samurai,he begins to believe in Shukoku Toda'sinnocence
. Then, he closes in on the truth of the incident,
and finally, Shozaburo begs the lord to cancel the seppuku ceremony.
However...

Why on earth!!

In the end,
I was left with an indescribable feeling, and I ended upsobbing.

Why must such a serious and sincere protagonist have to commit seppuku?
What was the crime he committed...

Although it is a historical drama, it also has mystery elements,
and you won't be able to take your eyes off it.

The author, Rin Hamuro, passed away in December 2017.
It is a great pity.

Koji Yakusho plays the lead role of Akiya Toda.
I think he is perfect for the role.

🏮 The Solitary House by Miyuki Miyabe

It is a truly mysterious story.
Although this is also a period drama, it is a mystery.

The protagonist, 'Ho', is an innocent nine-year-old girl.
Because she was not very bright, she was called 'Ho', taking the 'Ho' from 'Aho' (fool).
She was taken from Edo on a pilgrimage to Konpira,
and in the end,
she was left all alone in the Marumi domain, surrounded by sea and mountains.
In the end, that seemed to be the goal.
Fortunately, she was taken in by the Inoue family, who served as domain doctors, but
one day,
Kotoe, who had been taking care of her, was poisoned to death.
There was a '

Karetaki Mansion' that had been built long ago to contain a disease.In that mansion, they were tasked with keeping a prisoner from Edo, Kagamori Moritoshi (who had brutally murdered his wife, children, and aides).
Before long, suspicious poisonings and mysterious, ominous events began to occur one after another in the domain.
Lord Kaga is an evil spirit.
The townspeople feared that he would bring a curse and disaster to Marumi.
Because of this, there was no one left to take care of Lord Kaga.
The lot fell to 'Ho' to serve as a maid at Karetaki.
The innocent 'Ho' eventually begins to connect with Lord Kaga, who had stubbornly closed his heart.
Beneath the surface, a secret plan that would determine the survival of the domain was being quietly carried out.

It is a moving historical mystery that will bring you to tears in the final scene.

It is no exaggeration to call it a masterpiece.

However...
I have one thing to say to Ms. Miyuki Miyabe.
I have read many of her works,
but the endings are almost never happy ones.
I wonder why that is.

🏮 Gin Nikan by Kaoru Takada

Washo, the master of a kanten (agar) wholesaler in Osaka Tenma, saves Tsurunosuke, who lost his father to a vendetta, by using the two kan of silver that were meant to be offered to Tenjin-san. The boy, taken in and renamed Matsukichi, must endure strict discipline and life as an apprentice. For Matsukichi, who was raised as a samurai, even responding with "Hee" is painful, and he feels the difficulty of trade as an apprentice. It is nothing short of harsh for the protagonist, who was educated as a samurai's son, to live as an apprentice in a completely different field. However, supported by the compassionate people of Osaka Tenma, Matsukichi aspires to create a new kind of kanten. Through his training in making kanten under harsh conditions in the dead of winter, Matsukichi gradually grows into an adult. I am moved by his desperate efforts to walk the path of a merchant. Since I live in the Kansai region, I am familiar with Tenjin-san, and I am delighted to learn how much the Osaka merchants cherished Tenjin-san.

Bonus

Mi wo Tsukushi Cooking Journal

This is the story of a female chef with a strange fate who comes from Osaka to Edo and finds success.

The book was interesting, but in the TV drama,
Keiko Kitagawa and Haru Kuroki played the lead role, and they were very lovely.

|Scene of filleting conger eel

Starring Haru Kuroki

🏮 The Kiyosu Conference by Koki Mitani

After Oda Nobunaga was destroyed by Akechi Mitsuhide,
and Mitsuhide himself was defeated by Hashiba Hideyoshi's army,
successorthis is a historical novel themed around the conference held at Kiyosu Castle to decide the distribution of the Oda family'sterritory.
From the preliminary maneuvering for the Kiyosu Conference to its conclusion,
the story is well-structured.

The motives of the Sengoku warlords appearing in the story as they fight for dominance
are depicted in a comical style typical of Koki Mitani.

I also watched the movie.
Koji Yakusho appears in this as well.
However, his image is a bit different from Shibata Katsuie.
I wonder if I'm the only one who thinks so.

Cast and Relationships

🏮 Ryoma ga Yuku by Ryotaro Shiba

It goes without saying at this point, but
as I am a fan of Sakamoto Ryoma,
this book could be called the bible for Ryoma fans.

I think it is a very good book
to learn about what was happening at the end of the Edo period.
The times were changing dizzyingly fast,
and people at the time must have surely
worried about what would become of the world.
Even though I knew some of it, it was exciting...

I read it about 40 years ago,
and even though they were paperbacks,
each volume was thick and expensive, so
I would read one volume and then go to Kinokuniya Bookstore to buy the next.

Also, knowing the ending, the final part waspainfulto read.

There was a TV drama called "JIN," and just like the drama's protagonist, Minakata Jin,
as Sakamoto Ryoma's death approached,

I just couldn't help but think, 'Can't something be done about this!!'

I felt so sad and lonely, I couldn't stand it.

The end.

#AutumnReading2021 #ForSleeplessNights

Thank you for reading until the end.