Nanso Satomi Hakkenden
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
106 volume epic novel
by Kyokutei Bakin
. Written over a period of nearly thirty years and published from 1814 to 1842, Bakin had gone blind
before finishing the tale, and the final parts were dictated to his daughter-in-law Michi to be transcribed. It is translated as Eight Dog Chronicles, Tale of Eight Dogs, or Biographies of Eight Dogs.
(350 years before Bakin lived), Hakkenden is the story of eight samurai
brothers and their adventures, with themes of loyalty
and family honor, as well as Confucianism
, bushido
and Buddhist philosophy
.
An earlier novel serial of Bakin's, Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki (椿説弓張月) had been illustrated by the famous ukiyo-e
artist Katsushika Hokusai; however the two had not worked together well.
For Hakkenden, Hokusai's son-in-law, Yanagawa Shigenobu
was employed as illustrator instead.
There is a complete reprinting in ten volumes available, and various modern Japanese translations, mainly abridged versions. However, only a few chapters are available translated into English
, one by Donald Keene
and several by Chris Drake.
, but came back into fashion again in the 20th century. There are numerous film adaptions, the first in 1938,
then a series in the 1950s, an influential TV series Shin Hakkenden (新八犬伝) during the early 1970s, the 1983 Satomi Hakkenden, and the most recent: a made-for-TV two-part mini-series in early 2006. Perhaps the best known screen version in the west is the 1990s AIC
two sequence OVA The Hakkenden
.
versions of the story by Aomata Pink
, Yoshimura Natsuki and Miyazoe Ikuo, and elements and themes from Hakkenden can be found in a wide range of other work.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
106 volume epic novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Kyokutei Bakin
Kyokutei Bakin
was a late Japanese Edo period gesaku author best known for works such as Nansō Satomi Hakkenden and Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki.-Life:He was born as , he wrote under the pen name which is a pun as the kanji may also be read as Kuruwa de Makoto meaning a man who is truly devoted to the courtesans of...
. Written over a period of nearly thirty years and published from 1814 to 1842, Bakin had gone blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
before finishing the tale, and the final parts were dictated to his daughter-in-law Michi to be transcribed. It is translated as Eight Dog Chronicles, Tale of Eight Dogs, or Biographies of Eight Dogs.
Plot summary
Set in the tumultuous Sengoku periodSengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
(350 years before Bakin lived), Hakkenden is the story of eight samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
brothers and their adventures, with themes of loyalty
Loyalty
Loyalty is faithfulness or a devotion to a person, country, group, or cause There are many aspects to...
and family honor, as well as Confucianism
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
, bushido
Bushido
, meaning "Way of the Warrior-Knight", is a Japanese word which is used to describe a uniquely Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and...
and Buddhist philosophy
Buddhist philosophy
Buddhist philosophy deals extensively with problems in metaphysics, phenomenology, ethics, and epistemology.Some scholars assert that early Buddhist philosophy did not engage in ontological or metaphysical speculation, but was based instead on empirical evidence gained by the sense organs...
.
An earlier novel serial of Bakin's, Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki (椿説弓張月) had been illustrated by the famous ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e
' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...
artist Katsushika Hokusai; however the two had not worked together well.
For Hakkenden, Hokusai's son-in-law, Yanagawa Shigenobu
Yanagawa Shigenobu
was a Japanese painter in the ukiyo-e style. He was active in Edo from the Bunka period onward. His Osaka period dated from 1822 to 1825. In Edo, he resided in Honjo Yanagawa-chō district. He was first the pupil, then son-in-law, and finally adopted son of the Edo master printmaker Katsushika...
was employed as illustrator instead.
There is a complete reprinting in ten volumes available, and various modern Japanese translations, mainly abridged versions. However, only a few chapters are available translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, one by Donald Keene
Donald Keene
Donald Lawrence Keene is a Japanologist, scholar, teacher, writer, translator and interpreter of Japanese literature and culture. Keene was University Professor Emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature at Columbia University, where he taught for over fifty years...
and several by Chris Drake.
Film, TV and theatrical adaptations
Though hugely popular at the time, Bakin's work lost favour after the Meiji RestorationMeiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
, but came back into fashion again in the 20th century. There are numerous film adaptions, the first in 1938,
then a series in the 1950s, an influential TV series Shin Hakkenden (新八犬伝) during the early 1970s, the 1983 Satomi Hakkenden, and the most recent: a made-for-TV two-part mini-series in early 2006. Perhaps the best known screen version in the west is the 1990s AIC
AIC (company)
, often abbreviated as AIC, is a Japanese anime studio with headquarters in Nerima, Tokyo.The company was founded on July 15, 1982. In addition to producing anime for domestic consumption in Japan, AIC has provided animation assistance on other animated series such as Inspector Gadget...
two sequence OVA The Hakkenden
The Hakkenden
is an OVA series by AIC in two sequences, the second subtitled Shinshō . A TV series sequel, Shin Hakkenden, aired in 1999. The anime is based on the epic novel Nansō Satomi Hakkenden written by Kyokutei Bakin during the latter half of the Edo Period...
.
- Sorcerer's OrbSorcerer's Orbis a 1954 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Toshikazu Kōno.The film is based on the 1814-1842 novel Nansō Satomi Hakkenden by Kyokutei Bakin.Its sequels include:* Sorcerer's Orb part 2 里見八犬伝 第二部 芳流閣の龍虎...
(1954)
- There is also a Kabuki adaptation of the novel
- In August 2006, the Kabukiza put on the play.
- In 1959, the TOEI motion picture company made "Satomi Hakkenden."
Other adaptations
There are mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
versions of the story by Aomata Pink
Pink Aomata
is the pen name for a Japanese manga artist, primarily for a shōjo audience.- Works :* Shōnen Ninja Kumari , Comic Genki, 1 tankōbon* Fight! , Wings, 3 tankōbon...
, Yoshimura Natsuki and Miyazoe Ikuo, and elements and themes from Hakkenden can be found in a wide range of other work.
In Modern Media
- In the video game ŌkamiOkamiis an action-adventure video game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom. It was released for Sony's PlayStation 2 video game console in 2006 in Japan and North America, and 2007 in Europe and Australia...
, the player must seek out the eight Satomi canine warriors, who are characterized and named after the eight virtues of Confucianism. In the game, the warriors are actual dogs who wear a virtue bead in a bandana around their neck. Princess Fuse is also present, but plays the role of their owner or caretaker, instead of their mother (which is the traditional relationship between them). - This story is also related to two cases in Detective Conan: the first where a dog-lover uses this tale to present his will to his family and all of his dogs are named after the warriors in the story; the second has eight children named after the eight virtues become the targets of a serial murder among them.
- There is a museum devoted to the novel and its scenical adaptation in the Tateyama CastleTateyama Castleis a Japanese castle located in Tateyama, southern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Tateyama Castle was home to the Inaba clan, daimyō of Tateyama Domain, but the castle is better known for its association with the former rulers of Awa Province, the Satomi clan...
in Tateyama, ChibaTateyama, Chibais a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2010, the city had an estimated population of 49,315 and the population density of 447 persons per km². The total area was 110.21 km²... - In the anime and manga NarutoNarutois an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
, Kiba Inuzuka is based on this tale, as well as his clan. - Data EastData Eastalso abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy...
published Makai Hakkenden Shada in 1989 for the TurboGrafx-16TurboGrafx-16TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
based on the novel. - In the manga version of Ginga: Nagareboshi GinGinga: Nagareboshi GinGinga: Nagareboshi Gin Silver") is an adventure manga by Yoshihiro Takahashi. It was published by Shueisha in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1983 to 1987, and collected in 18 bound volumes...
there are eight wolf warriors with special powers, who call themselves the , or "Eight Canine Warriors".
External links
- Original text of Nansō Satomi Hakkenden, first 30 chapters as of 2006 (Japanese)
- The Hakkenden Hakuryu-Tei website and the complete Japanese version