August 20, 2017
Blue Orchid
"Blue Orchid" (Seijou no Ran) takes place before the enthronement of Shouryuu as Emperor of En (which chronologically makes it the earliest in the series). As documented at the beginning of Poseidon of the East, the previous emperor had strayed far from the Way and then the Taiho died without choosing a new emperor, "a great catastrophe that had only occurred eight times since the dawn of history."
And so the story will open upon an apocalyptic landscape.
And so the story will open upon an apocalyptic landscape.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, hisho, poseidon, translations
October 18, 2014
Poseidon of the East
Maps
Notes
Covers
Glossary
Downloads
Labels: 12 kingdoms, ebooks, fantasy, japanese, poseidon, translations
October 17, 2014
Poseidon of the East (covers)
2014 edition
Maps
Notes
Covers
Glossary
Downloads
Labels: 12 kingdoms, fantasy, japanese, poseidon, translations
October 16, 2014
Poseidon of the East (notes)
Maps
Notes
Covers
Glossary
Downloads
Labels: 12 kingdoms, fantasy, japanese, poseidon, translations
October 09, 2014
Poseidon of the East (40-41)
The nengou system (年号), called kokureki (国歴) in the novel, resets to year 1 upon the accession of a new emperor. In the past, an emperor could designate a new nengou whenever the fancy struck him, which Shouryuu seems fond of doing.
Taika (大化) and Hakuchi (白雉) are the earliest recorded nengou in Japanese history, marking the reign of Emperor Kotoku (645-654). Daigen (大元) is also the name of the Great Yuan Empire, founded by Kublai Khan after he conquered China in 1271.
Japanese of Shouryuu's time would have been quite familiar with Kublai Khan, thanks to his two failed invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281, ultimately foiled each time by the "Divine Wind" or Kamikaze.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, history, japan, japanese culture, nengou, poseidon
October 02, 2014
Poseidon of the East (39)
The classic depiction of the destruction of a clan, immortalized in history, fiction, and folklore, comes at the end of the Genpei War (1180-1185). In a naval battle at the Straits of Shimonoseki, the Minamoto clan wiped out the Imperial Taira, ushering in the supremacy of the samurai.
For the next 650 years (aside from the brief resurgence of the Southern Imperial Court), emperors reigned but did not rule (they really didn't rule after 1868 either). The head of state was the shogun ("generalissimo"), though he was more the hereditary prime minister in a one-party state.
With the Osaka Campaigns (which destroyed the Toyotomi clan, the one remaining threat to Tokugawa rule) and the Shimabara Rebellion over by 1638, there wasn't any generalling left to do, which left the shogunate woefully unprepared when Admiral Perry showed up in 1853.
For the next 650 years (aside from the brief resurgence of the Southern Imperial Court), emperors reigned but did not rule (they really didn't rule after 1868 either). The head of state was the shogun ("generalissimo"), though he was more the hereditary prime minister in a one-party state.
With the Osaka Campaigns (which destroyed the Toyotomi clan, the one remaining threat to Tokugawa rule) and the Shimabara Rebellion over by 1638, there wasn't any generalling left to do, which left the shogunate woefully unprepared when Admiral Perry showed up in 1853.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, history, japan, poseidon
September 25, 2014
Poseidon of the East (38)
"I'm a greedy man, I guess. Give me a choice between a million or a million and one, and I'll always choose the latter."
Here Shouryuu is expressing a sentiment similar to that in the "Parable of the Lost Sheep," found in the Gospels of Matthew (18:12–14) and Luke (15:3–7). In the parable, a shepherd leaves his flock of 99 sheep in order to find the one who is lost.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, poseidon, religion
September 18, 2014
Poseidon of the East (37)
Aside from using kanji in their writing systems, Chinese and Japanese are grammatically and phonologically unrelated, with Japanese classified in the oddball Altaic language group that includes Korean, Mongolian, Turkish, and sometimes Finnish.
"Shouryuu" is the Japanese approximation (or on'yomi) of "Shanglong," which is how his name would be pronounced in Chinese. "Naotaka" (尚隆) is how it's pronounced in native Japanese (or kun'yomi), and would be entirely unfamiliar to his listeners.
"Shouryuu" is the Japanese approximation (or on'yomi) of "Shanglong," which is how his name would be pronounced in Chinese. "Naotaka" (尚隆) is how it's pronounced in native Japanese (or kun'yomi), and would be entirely unfamiliar to his listeners.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, epic chinese movies, japanese, language, poseidon
September 11, 2014
Poseidon of the East (36)
A kitsuryou (吉量) is a pegasus with a red mane, white stripes, and golden eyes. Youko rides one into battle in chapter 65 of Shadow of the Moon.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, poseidon
September 04, 2014
Poseidon of the East (35)
An emperor commanding his kirin to kill someone is not without precedent. In chapter 32 of Shadow of the Moon, the Emperor of Kou orders his kirin to kill Youko. She instead stabs Youko through the hand.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, poseidon
August 28, 2014
Poseidon of the East (34)
Shouryuu again uses the alias of Fuukan in "Kizan" (from the short story collection, Dreaming of Paradise).
Labels: 12 kingdoms, poseidon
August 21, 2014
Poseidon of the East (33)
In T.S. Eliot's version of the death of Thomas Becket, Murder in the Cathedral, King Henry II complains aloud, "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" A contemporary of Becket, Edward Grim, records a less poetic version:
In either case, several of the king's men took this to not be a hypothetical question and killed the priest. The difference here is that Atsuyu intended the ends to justify the means from the start. All he wants is plausible deniability.
What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric?
In either case, several of the king's men took this to not be a hypothetical question and killed the priest. The difference here is that Atsuyu intended the ends to justify the means from the start. All he wants is plausible deniability.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, politics, poseidon
August 14, 2014
Poseidon of the East (32)
The tonkou (遁甲) is the way shirei can move through the winds in the sky, through veins in the earth, and through the currents in the water, while remaining hidden from view. A similar term, tonjutsu (遁術), is defined as the "art of ninja escape."
In Japan, the Tsuina (追儺) festival is known as Setsubun (節分). It's a spiritual spring cleaning ceremony for driving out evil spirits along with the dust, accomplished by peppering people dressed up like ogres with roasted soybeans.
In Japan, the Tsuina (追儺) festival is known as Setsubun (節分). It's a spiritual spring cleaning ceremony for driving out evil spirits along with the dust, accomplished by peppering people dressed up like ogres with roasted soybeans.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, japanese culture, poseidon
August 07, 2014
Poseidon of the East (31)
Choumei Palace (長明宮) is one of the buildings of the Naiden (Inner Palace or Inner Court). It means "long light." The Inner Palace is the residential compound of the emperor (or the province lord).
Labels: 12 kingdoms, poseidon
July 31, 2014
Poseidon of the East (30)
One way to read Atsuyu is as a politician who rose high riding the tide of public opinion and thought he was on top of the world when the wave disappeared out from under him.
From the early days of the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government was challenged by a series of attempted coups carried out by high-minded idealists and ideologues who always pledged ultimate fidelity to the emperor. Although put down in short order, these insurrections proved popular in the public imagination and had the effect of pushing the government further and further to the right in an effort to outflank public sentiment.
The high-water mark was undoubtedly the attack on Pearl Harbor, which was celebrated with wild acclaim. The Japanese public thought it was the final act of a hot war with the east and a cold war with the west that had stretched on for a decade. It was in fact only the beginning of an unimaginably bloody end.
From the early days of the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government was challenged by a series of attempted coups carried out by high-minded idealists and ideologues who always pledged ultimate fidelity to the emperor. Although put down in short order, these insurrections proved popular in the public imagination and had the effect of pushing the government further and further to the right in an effort to outflank public sentiment.
The high-water mark was undoubtedly the attack on Pearl Harbor, which was celebrated with wild acclaim. The Japanese public thought it was the final act of a hot war with the east and a cold war with the west that had stretched on for a decade. It was in fact only the beginning of an unimaginably bloody end.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, japan, politics, poseidon
July 24, 2014
Poseidon of the East (29)
This chapter was perhaps inspired by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's campaign against the Mori clan in 1582. Under the direction of his chief strategist, Kuroda Kanbei, Hideyoshi's troops diverted the Ashimori River to flood Takamatsu Castle, the Mori's stronghold. The military term is mizuzeme (水攻め) or "attacking with water."
When Oda Nobunaga was assassinated by Akechi Mitsuhide in the midst of the battle, Hideyoshi quickly accepted the surrender of the Mori on generous terms (well, other than the castle lord, Shimizu Muneharu, having to commit seppuku) and stole a march on Mitsuhide, eventually defeating him at the Battle of Yamazaki.
When Oda Nobunaga was assassinated by Akechi Mitsuhide in the midst of the battle, Hideyoshi quickly accepted the surrender of the Mori on generous terms (well, other than the castle lord, Shimizu Muneharu, having to commit seppuku) and stole a march on Mitsuhide, eventually defeating him at the Battle of Yamazaki.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, history, japan, poseidon
July 17, 2014
Poseidon of the East (28)
The "poetry recital" mentioned on page 219 specifically refers to renga (連歌) or linked verse. Following a set of established themes and rules, the participating poets would create a longer work (often 36 lines long) by extemporaneously composing alternating stanzas.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, japanese culture, poseidon
July 10, 2014
Poseidon of the East (27)
At the end of the chapter, Atsuyu spells out one of the stark economic realities of medieval warfare that often goes missing in historical fantasies: "I didn't want to take farmers off their land and press weapons in their hands."
An army marches on its stomach. That food has to come from somewhere and pillaging only goes so far. This connection is made clear in Japanese historical dramas, as the size and strength of a domain was measured in koku (石), equivalent to five bushels of rice.
Shoguns punished disobedient warlords by reducing the size of their provinces, measured according to the the crop yield in koku.
An army breaking free of its supply lines and living off the land, as in Sherman's March to the Sea, would only guarantee mutually assured destruction in a country like Japan with so little arable land.
An army marches on its stomach. That food has to come from somewhere and pillaging only goes so far. This connection is made clear in Japanese historical dramas, as the size and strength of a domain was measured in koku (石), equivalent to five bushels of rice.
Shoguns punished disobedient warlords by reducing the size of their provinces, measured according to the the crop yield in koku.
An army breaking free of its supply lines and living off the land, as in Sherman's March to the Sea, would only guarantee mutually assured destruction in a country like Japan with so little arable land.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, history, japan, poseidon
July 03, 2014
Poseidon of the East (26)
Atsuyu's comment that "they got here faster than expected" reminds me of the Battle of Shizugatake.
In May 1583, still consolidating his power base after the death of his liege, Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi's forts in Shizugatake came under attack by Shibata Katsuie, another of Nobunaga's former generals. Hideyoshi's troops made a four-day march in 36 hours, broke through the besieging armies and cut off their retreat, leaving Katsuie with no defenders. Katsuie's castle fell soon after.
In May 1583, still consolidating his power base after the death of his liege, Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi's forts in Shizugatake came under attack by Shibata Katsuie, another of Nobunaga's former generals. Hideyoshi's troops made a four-day march in 36 hours, broke through the besieging armies and cut off their retreat, leaving Katsuie with no defenders. Katsuie's castle fell soon after.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, history, japan, poseidon
June 26, 2014
Poseidon of the East (25)
As best I can surmise, here are the European equivalents of royalty in the Twelve Kingdoms.
Atsuyu is referred to as a keihaku (卿伯).
- 王 (ou) emperor or empress.
- 公爵 (koushaku) the duke (the Taiho).
- 公 (kou) a prince of the realm; members of the Sankou: ministers of right, left, and privy seal.
- 侯 (kou) a province lord or marquis (nine total); may also include the prime minister.
- 伯 (haku) a count (British earl) or minister.
- 卿伯 (keihaku) an undersecretary or vice minister.
- 卿 (kei) a viscount or province minister.
- 大夫 (daibu) a baron; three subdivisions of baron: upper (上), middle (中), lower (下).
- 士 (shi) a knight (samurai) or gentleman; three subdivisions of knight: upper (上), middle (中), lower (下).
Atsuyu is referred to as a keihaku (卿伯).
Labels: 12 kingdoms, language, poseidon