(Book Review) Vol. 155 "Talking to God, Not a Dream" (by Yuko Matsumoto) ☆A story of men who created a self-governing government in Oki during the end of the Edo period. A historical novel written with all one's heart☆
This is the author's first historical novel, based on what is known as the "Oki Disturbance." The author is from Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture. Published in 2013. 360 pages in the tankobon edition. It consists of 23 chapters. It is a valuable work as local history, and a good book that can also be read as a coming-of-age story or an ensemble drama. The "Oki Disturbance" was a popular uprising that occurred in the late Edo period in 1868 in the Oki Islands (consisting of Dozen and Dogo), which were under the effective control of the Matsue Domain (Matsudaira family, a branch domain, 180,000 koku) of Izumo Province (in reality, it was a territory under the direct control of the Edo Shogunate (Tenryo), and merely held in trust). More than 3,000 Oki islanders, led by village headmen, expelled the Matsue Domain's district magistrate (Uemon Yamagata) and established a highly sophisticated self-governing government for 80 days with 70 islanders. It is also known as the "Un-han Disturbance." This is known as the first self-governing government by the people in the world, three years earlier than the "Paris Commune" of 1871 and one year earlier than the establishment of the "Ezo Republic (Hakodate Government)" by the former Shogunate army.
The protagonist is Shusuke Inoue, a young village headman on Dogo Island in Oki. The story depicts Shusuke's 50-year struggle and setbacks, intertwined with the turmoil of the end of the Edo period and the Meiji Restoration (various historical events). Shusuke begins to embrace the ideology of "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" out of fear of the "Black Ships (foreigners)" that appeared off the coast of Oki. Thinking that "to protect the island from foreign countries, one must know the world," Shusuke goes up to Kyoto with great ambition. There, he seeks the teachings of Ryozo Nakanuma, a renowned Confucian scholar from Oki who serves as a lecturer to Emperor Komei, and spends two years in Kyoto learning the "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" ideology, which advocates for the overthrow of the Shogunate and the restoration of direct imperial rule.
Shusuke, who is indignant at the misgovernment (oppression) of the Matsue Domain, which imposes heavy taxes on the islanders and does not listen to their voices, talks passionately with his comrades Tsuneo Nakanishi, Kansaburo Yokochi, and Tsunetaro Nishimura, and runs about busily toward creating "their own country" that is not interfered with by anyone. Shusuke is depicted as a life-sized, human hero who is abandoned by his new wife, engages in debauchery, and even dips his hands into public funds. Perhaps because of that, it is easy to empathize with him and feel close to him. According to the author, 70-80% of the story is her own creation. However, the verification of the remaining 20-30% of historical facts is quite meticulous and solid, as can be seen from the amount of bibliography at the end of the book (more than 20 books), and she has broken it down and depicted it as a very easy-to-understand story. The emotions of many characters are skillfully described, and I am surprised by the author's imagination.
At that time, Oki was flourishing with Kitamaebune ships and seems to have been in contact with foreign ships early on. It was a key point of traffic in the Sea of Japan, had a good geographical advantage, and was a place where information was transmitted quickly (and was rich in marine products). The islanders seemed to be highly educated, insightful, farsighted, and full of enterprising spirit. There were also two imperial exiles in the past (Emperor Go-Toba and Emperor Go-Daigo), so there was a spirit of loyalty to the Emperor, high aspirations and pride, and unlike the old, formal, and feudal Matsue Domain, they were enlightened. Oki was a special place with a unique ideology and a unique culture.
Oki was in a delicate position, sandwiched between two domains with different ideologies: the Matsue Matsudaira family (pro-Shogunate faction, Shogunate army) and the Tottori Ikeda family (pro-Imperial faction, new government army). The Matsue Matsudaira family was located in the Chugoku region, surrounded by outside daimyo. With the restoration of imperial rule, Oki changed from being held in trust by the Matsue Domain to being territory of the Imperial Court. Tsuneo Nakanishi headed to Kyoto to seek confirmation from the new Meiji government that Oki was imperial territory and to have the self-governing government recognized, but he did not receive a favorable answer.
Meanwhile, the Matsue Domain was aiming for the early recapture of Oki, and the new government's Dajokan issued an order to the Matsue Domain to control Oki. Matsue Domain troops landed on Oki one after another, and after a battle, the Matsue Domain recaptured the encampment. However, the new government took issue with the use of force to control the islanders, the fact that the circumstances of the incident were indirectly conveyed by the Tottori Domain, and the delay in the Matsue Domain's submission (surrender), and decided to send an inspector to Oki to investigate. The Tottori Domain sent Ryuzo Keiyama under the pretext of settling the incident. Just at this time, the Choshu Domain's Chobomaru and the Satsuma Domain's Kenkomaru had entered the port in Oki for the subjugation of Aizu, and in addition to the Tottori Domain, the Satsuma and Choshu domains also handled the situation. The Matsue Domain was investigated by the new government and finally admitted that the domain troops had fired. After that, an order to control Oki was issued to the Tottori Domain, and jurisdiction (control) was transferred to the Tottori Domain. The Tottori Domain's control also ended with the establishment of Oki Prefecture.
In 1871, the people involved from both the islanders and the Matsue Domain were punished, and the series of disturbances came to an end.
In the end, there were 14 casualties among the comrades, but the protagonist Shusuke changed his name to Kaohiko in the Meiji era and served as a clerk at the prefectural office. After resigning from the prefectural office, he practiced Chinese medicine in Oki and lived a long life of 88 years. It is said that all the comrades who created the self-governing government practiced non-violence and non-resistance, and even though they were betrayed by the Matsue Domain many times, they did not use violence.
It took me a while to get used to the writing style, but I got used to it halfway through, and I started turning the pages faster. From the time the self-governing government was established, the development was tumultuous, and it was over in a flash before I finished reading it. Overall, it had easy-to-understand chapters and easy-to-understand historical explanations, and I felt that she must have read a lot of materials and conducted meticulous research. The vocabulary of the descriptions was also rich, full of technical terms, and it was worth reading with high-class language, changing the way of speaking according to social status. It was a rare writing style that started a new line for every sentence, which actually made it easier to read. There were also many meal scenes, and they looked delicious.
I keenly felt that history is created by the survivors who win, and only the names of the winners and their justice are passed down to future generations, while the thoughts of those who fell sink into the flow of time and are eventually forgotten.
When it was published as a paperback, the title was changed to "Island Burning: Oki Disturbance," which was very disappointing. Personally, I preferred "Talking to God, Not a Dream." I was able to enjoy a solid historical romance☆