Ryotaro Shiba
Encyclopedia
, born in Osaka
, Japan
, was a Japanese author
best known for his novels about historical events in Japan and on the Northeast Asian sub-continent, as well as his historical and cultural essays pertaining to Japan and its relationship to the rest of the world.
at the Osaka School of Foreign Languages (now the School of Foreign Studies at Osaka University http://www.osaka-u.ac.jp/) and began his career as a journalist with the Sankei Shimbun
, one of Japan's major newspapers. After World War II
Shiba began writing historical novels. The magazine Shukan Asahi printed Shiba's articles about his travels within Japan in a series that ran for 1,146 installments. Shiba received the Naoki Prize
for the 1959 novel Fukuro no Shiro
("The Castle of an Owl"). In 1993 Shiba received the Government's Order of Cultural Merit. Shiba was a prolific author who frequently wrote about the dramatic change Japan went through during the late Edo
and early Meiji
periods. His most monumental works include Kunitori Monogatari (国盗り物語), Ryoma ga Yuku (竜馬がゆく; see below), Moeyo Ken, and Saka no ue no kumo
(坂の上の雲), all of which have spawned dramatizations, most notably Taiga drama
s aired in hour-long segments over a full year on NHK
television. He also wrote numerous essays that were published in collections, one of which—Kaidō wo Yuku—is a multi-volume journal-like work covering his travels across Japan and around the world. Shiba is widely appreciated for the originality of his analyses of historical events, and many people in Japan have read at least one of his works.
Several of Shiba’s works have been translated into English, including his fictionalized biographies of Kukai
(Kukai the Universal: Scenes from His Life, 2003) and Tokugawa Yoshinobu
(The Last Shogun: The Life of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, 2004), as well as The Tatar Whirlwind: A Novel of Seventeenth-Century East Asia (2007).
, a samurai
who was instrumental in bringing about Japan’s Meiji Restoration
, after which values and elements from Western culture were introduced into the country, sparking dramatic change. The late Edo period
was a very confused time when the country split into two factions. Japan had banned international trade for over two hundred years and isolated itself
from the rest of the world. During the Edo period, the Japanese government
, which was led by the Tokugawa clan
, had agreed to open the country to trade with the United States
and several Europe
an countries. However, many people were against this and they started a movement called Sonnō-Jōi
(revere the emperor
and eradicate the barbarian
s). They believed that they should stand up and fight the foreigners to protect the country from outside domination. The Tokugawa had usurped political power from the emperor
, but he was still considered by many to be the sacred symbol of Japan. To protect the country, the Sonnō-Jōi faction sought to restore the emperor’s political authority by overthrowing the Tokugawa shogunate
. Partisans of these two political institutions caused civil war
-like confusion, and assassinations were frequent.
In Ryōma ga Yuku, Sakamoto Ryōma, the protagonist, starts out as a member of the Sonnō-Jōi faction but gradually realizes that people need to realize how much stronger other countries have grown during Japan’s two centuries of national seclusion
. Japan was almost powerless in the face of the technology and well-developed industry of the contemporary Western powers. He believed that Japan needed to adopt elements of Western culture to develop into a country that could stand equally among nations.
Despite his historical significance, Sakamoto Ryōma was not well known in Japan prior to the publication of Ryōma ga Yuku.
countries (Spain and Portugal), Ireland, the Netherlands, Mongolia, Taiwan, and New York.
The work, now available in multi-volume book form, was also developed into documentary series and broadcast on NHK
, Japan’s public television broadcaster.
The series ran for 1,146 installments.
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, was a Japanese author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
best known for his novels about historical events in Japan and on the Northeast Asian sub-continent, as well as his historical and cultural essays pertaining to Japan and its relationship to the rest of the world.
Career
Shiba studied MongolianMongolian language
The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...
at the Osaka School of Foreign Languages (now the School of Foreign Studies at Osaka University http://www.osaka-u.ac.jp/) and began his career as a journalist with the Sankei Shimbun
Sankei Shimbun
is a daily newspaper in Japan published by the . It has the sixth highest circulation for a newspaper in Japan, and is considered as one of the five "national" newspapers...
, one of Japan's major newspapers. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Shiba began writing historical novels. The magazine Shukan Asahi printed Shiba's articles about his travels within Japan in a series that ran for 1,146 installments. Shiba received the Naoki Prize
Naoki Prize
The Naoki Prize is a Japanese literary award presented semiannually. The official name is Naoki Sanjugo Prize. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the Bungeishunjū magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo...
for the 1959 novel Fukuro no Shiro
Fukuro no Shiro
Fukurō no Shiro is a 1959 ninja-themed novel by the debuting Japanese author Ryōtarō Shiba, which won him the Naoki Prize in 1960 after the story was published by Kodansha...
("The Castle of an Owl"). In 1993 Shiba received the Government's Order of Cultural Merit. Shiba was a prolific author who frequently wrote about the dramatic change Japan went through during the late Edo
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
and early Meiji
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
periods. His most monumental works include Kunitori Monogatari (国盗り物語), Ryoma ga Yuku (竜馬がゆく; see below), Moeyo Ken, and Saka no ue no kumo
Saka no ue no kumo
, "Cloud over the slope," is a popular Japanese historical novel by Shiba Ryōtarō originally published serially from 1968 to 1972 in eight volumes...
(坂の上の雲), all of which have spawned dramatizations, most notably Taiga drama
Taiga drama
is the name NHK gives to the annual, year-long historical fiction television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white Hana no Shōgai, starring kabuki actor Onoe Shōroku and Takarazuka star Awashima Chikage, the network has hired a producer, director, writer, music...
s aired in hour-long segments over a full year on NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
television. He also wrote numerous essays that were published in collections, one of which—Kaidō wo Yuku—is a multi-volume journal-like work covering his travels across Japan and around the world. Shiba is widely appreciated for the originality of his analyses of historical events, and many people in Japan have read at least one of his works.
Several of Shiba’s works have been translated into English, including his fictionalized biographies of Kukai
Kukai
Kūkai , also known posthumously as , 774–835, was a Japanese monk, civil servant, scholar, poet, and artist, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism. Shingon followers usually refer to him by the honorific titles of and ....
(Kukai the Universal: Scenes from His Life, 2003) and Tokugawa Yoshinobu
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
was the 15th and last shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful...
(The Last Shogun: The Life of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, 2004), as well as The Tatar Whirlwind: A Novel of Seventeenth-Century East Asia (2007).
Ryōma Coming to Us - Ryōma ga Yuku
One of Shiba’s best known works, , is a historical novel about Sakamoto RyōmaSakamoto Ryoma
was a leader of the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate during the Bakumatsu period in Japan. Ryōma used the alias .- Early life :Ryōma was born in Kōchi, of Tosa han . By the Japanese calendar, this was the sixth year of Tenpō...
, a 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...
who was instrumental in bringing about Japan’s Meiji Restoration
Meiji 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...
, after which values and elements from Western culture were introduced into the country, sparking dramatic change. The late Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
was a very confused time when the country split into two factions. Japan had banned international trade for over two hundred years and isolated itself
Sakoku
was the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633–39 and remained in effect until...
from the rest of the world. During the Edo period, the Japanese government
Government of Japan
The government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the 1947 constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected...
, which was led by the Tokugawa clan
Tokugawa clan
The was a powerful daimyo family of Japan. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa and were a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Nitta clan. However, the early history of this clan remains a mystery.-History:...
, had agreed to open the country to trade with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and several Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries. However, many people were against this and they started a movement called Sonnō-Jōi
Sonno joi
is a Japanese political philosophy and a social movement derived from Neo-Confucianism; it became a political slogan in the 1850s and 1860s in the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa bakufu, during the Bakumatsu period.-Origin:...
(revere the emperor
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
and eradicate the barbarian
Barbarian
Barbarian and savage are terms used to refer to a person who is perceived to be uncivilized. The word is often used either in a general reference to a member of a nation or ethnos, typically a tribal society as seen by an urban civilization either viewed as inferior, or admired as a noble savage...
s). They believed that they should stand up and fight the foreigners to protect the country from outside domination. The Tokugawa had usurped political power from the emperor
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
, but he was still considered by many to be the sacred symbol of Japan. To protect the country, the Sonnō-Jōi faction sought to restore the emperor’s political authority by overthrowing the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
. Partisans of these two political institutions caused civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
-like confusion, and assassinations were frequent.
In Ryōma ga Yuku, Sakamoto Ryōma, the protagonist, starts out as a member of the Sonnō-Jōi faction but gradually realizes that people need to realize how much stronger other countries have grown during Japan’s two centuries of national seclusion
Sakoku
was the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633–39 and remained in effect until...
. Japan was almost powerless in the face of the technology and well-developed industry of the contemporary Western powers. He believed that Japan needed to adopt elements of Western culture to develop into a country that could stand equally among nations.
Despite his historical significance, Sakamoto Ryōma was not well known in Japan prior to the publication of Ryōma ga Yuku.
Kaidō wo Yuku
Kaidō wo Yuku (街道をゆく: “On the highways”) is a series of travel essays initially published in Shūkan Asahi, a weekly magazine, from 1971 until 1996. Shiba wrote the series with an intercultural perspective, making observations about the history, geography, and people of the places he visited. Though mostly about different areas of Japan, the series includes several volumes on foreign lands as well—China, Korea, the NambanNanban trade
The or the in Japanese history extends from the arrival of the first Europeans to Japan in 1543, to their near-total exclusion from the archipelago in 1614, under the promulgation of the "Sakoku" Seclusion Edicts.- Etymology :...
countries (Spain and Portugal), Ireland, the Netherlands, Mongolia, Taiwan, and New York.
The work, now available in multi-volume book form, was also developed into documentary series and broadcast on NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
, Japan’s public television broadcaster.
The series ran for 1,146 installments.
Death
Shiba suffered internal bleeding and lapsed into a coma on February 14, 1996. He died two days later.Novels
- Fukuro no ShiroFukuro no ShiroFukurō no Shiro is a 1959 ninja-themed novel by the debuting Japanese author Ryōtarō Shiba, which won him the Naoki Prize in 1960 after the story was published by Kodansha...
梟の城 (1959) - Kamigata Bushido 上方武士道 (1960)
- Kaze no BushiKaze no BushiKaze no Bushi is a 1961 jidaigeki novel by Ryōtarō Shiba and a Toei Company 1964 color chanbara film under the same title, directed by Tai Kato.- Story :...
風の武士 (1961) - Senun no yume 戦雲の夢 (1961)
- Fujin no mon 風神の門 (1962))
- Ryoma ga Yuku 竜馬がゆく (1963–66)
- Moeyo Ken ("") 燃えよ剣 (1964)
- Shirikurae Magoichi 尻啖え孫市 (1964)
- Komyo ga tsuji 功名が辻 (1965)
- Shiro wo toru hanashi 城をとる話 (1965)
- Kunitori monogatari 国盗り物語 (1965)
- Hokuto no hito 北斗の人 (1966)
- Niwaka Naniwa yukyoden 俄 浪華遊侠伝 (1966)
- Sekigahara 関ヶ原 (1966)
- Jūichibanme no shishi 十一番目の志士 (1967)
- Saigo no Shōgun 最後の将軍 (1967)
- Junshi 殉死 (1967)
- Natsukusa no fu 夏草の賦 (1968)
- Shinshi taikoki 新史太閤記 (1968)
- Yoshitsune 義経 (1968)
- Touge 峠 (1968)
- Musashi 武蔵 (1968)
- Saka no ue no kumoSaka no ue no kumo, "Cloud over the slope," is a popular Japanese historical novel by Shiba Ryōtarō originally published serially from 1968 to 1972 in eight volumes...
坂の上の雲 (1969) - Yōkai 妖怪 (1969)
- Daitōzenshi 大盗禅師 (1969)
- Saigetsu 歳月 (1969)
- Yoni sumu hibi 世に棲む日日 (1971)
- Jousai 城塞 (1971–72)
- Kashin 花神 (1972)
- Haō no ie 覇王の家 (1973)
- Harimanada monogatari 播磨灘物語 (1975)
- Tobu ga gotoku 翔ぶが如く (1975–76)
- Kūkai no fukei 空海の風景 (1975)
- Kochō no yume 胡蝶の夢 (1979)
- Kouu to Ryūhō 項羽と劉邦 (1980)
- Hitobito no ashioto ひとびとの跫音 (1981)
- Nanohana no oki 菜の花の沖 (1982)
- Hakone no saka 箱根の坂 (1984)
- Dattan shippuroku 韃靼疾風録 (1987)