May 17, 2008
The Shore in Twilight
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May 16, 2008
The Shore in Twilight (covers)
2014 edition
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May 15, 2008
The Shore in Twilight (notes)
| Book I | Book II | |
|
Prologue Chapter 01 Chapter 02 • Chapter 03 Chapter 04 Chapter 05 Chapter 06 Chapter 07 Chapter 08 • Chapter 09 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 • Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 • Chapter 17 Chapter 18 • Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 |
Chapter 24 Chapter 25 • Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 • Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 • Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 • Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 • Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 The Chronicles |
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Labels: 12 kingdoms, fantasy, japanese, shore in twilight, translations
May 11, 2008
Chapter 51 (The Shore in Twilight)
弘始 [こうし] Koushi (vast beginning); the nengou system, called kokureki (国歴) in the novel, resets to year 1 upon the accession of a new emperor.
朴高 [ぼくこう] Boku Kou (simple height)
As far as I know, the fate of Taiki's shirei remains a mystery. The Shore in Twilight ends with the fate of the Royal Tai similarly unresolved, as well as Tai itself. I'd like to believe that they will be reunited in the future, but only the author knows for certain, and she hasn't written the sequel yet.
朴高 [ぼくこう] Boku Kou (simple height)
As far as I know, the fate of Taiki's shirei remains a mystery. The Shore in Twilight ends with the fate of the Royal Tai similarly unresolved, as well as Tai itself. I'd like to believe that they will be reunited in the future, but only the author knows for certain, and she hasn't written the sequel yet.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
May 04, 2008
Chapter 50 (The Shore in Twilight)
烙款 [らっかん] rakkan; the Twelve Kingdoms equivalent of an ATM card that can be used at trade credit unions.
Tama is the suguu that Rakushun borrows from Enki in chapter 41 of A Thousand Leagues of Wind.
Tama is the suguu that Rakushun borrows from Enki in chapter 41 of A Thousand Leagues of Wind.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
April 20, 2008
Chapter 48 (The Shore in Twilight)
司右 [しゆう] Shiyuu (administrator + right); the division in the Ministry of directly responsible for the armed forces, sort of like the Joint Chiefs of Staff serving under the Secretary of Defense.
射人 [しゃじん] Shajin (shoot arrow person); in American terms, the director of the Secret Service. The Daiboku serves under the Shajin.
虎賁氏 [こふんし] Kofun-shi (tiger + decorate); the royal bodyguard assigned to public functions.
外殿 [がいでん] Gaiden, lit. "outer palace"
内殿 [ないでん] Naiden, lit. "inner palace"
Somewhat problematic with these two translations is that the author also uses "outer palace" (外宮) to mean: "outside the Naiden and Gaiden." If the White House--specifically the Oval Office--is the Naiden, and the Capitol is the Gaiden, then the "inner palace" (外宮) would be the White House residence, Camp David, and the president's personal residences. The rest of the National Mall would be the "outer palace." Unfortunately, I haven't been terribly careful about making these distinctions explicit throughout.
射人 [しゃじん] Shajin (shoot arrow person); in American terms, the director of the Secret Service. The Daiboku serves under the Shajin.
虎賁氏 [こふんし] Kofun-shi (tiger + decorate); the royal bodyguard assigned to public functions.
外殿 [がいでん] Gaiden, lit. "outer palace"
内殿 [ないでん] Naiden, lit. "inner palace"
Somewhat problematic with these two translations is that the author also uses "outer palace" (外宮) to mean: "outside the Naiden and Gaiden." If the White House--specifically the Oval Office--is the Naiden, and the Capitol is the Gaiden, then the "inner palace" (外宮) would be the White House residence, Camp David, and the president's personal residences. The rest of the National Mall would be the "outer palace." Unfortunately, I haven't been terribly careful about making these distinctions explicit throughout.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
April 13, 2008
Chapter 47 (The Shore in Twilight)
内宰 ［ないさい］ Naisai (inner manager), vice-minister of the Interior
冗祐 [じょうゆう] Jouyuu, the warrior spirit that "possesses" Youko and helps her fight; he first appears in chapter 6 of Shadow of the Moon.
冗祐 [じょうゆう] Jouyuu, the warrior spirit that "possesses" Youko and helps her fight; he first appears in chapter 6 of Shadow of the Moon.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
April 07, 2008
Chapter 46 (The Shore in Twilight)
Labels: 12 kingdoms, fantasy, japanese, shore in twilight, translations
March 30, 2008
Chapter 45 (The Shore in Twilight)
滝久閣 [えんきゅうかく] Enkyuu Palace (waterfall + long time)
Bush clover
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
March 09, 2008
Chapter 42 (The Shore in Twilight)
悧角 [りかく] Rikaku (clever horn)
Drawing on Youko's theological musings in chapter 40, Risai concludes that "Heaven must make mistakes. But those mistakes too could be amended. A Heaven that could not err could never correct itself."
This suggests that there might be loopholes in the strict legalism of divine law in the Twelve Kingdoms (articulated at the end of chapter 41).
Or as Jesus responds when pressed on the exacting terms of the Mosaic Law, "If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?" (Luke 14:5).
Drawing on Youko's theological musings in chapter 40, Risai concludes that "Heaven must make mistakes. But those mistakes too could be amended. A Heaven that could not err could never correct itself."
This suggests that there might be loopholes in the strict legalism of divine law in the Twelve Kingdoms (articulated at the end of chapter 41).
Or as Jesus responds when pressed on the exacting terms of the Mosaic Law, "If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?" (Luke 14:5).
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
March 02, 2008
Chapter 41 (The Shore in Twilight)
The Sankou, or Three Ministers: Minister of the Left, Minister of the Right, and the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. More here.
The koseki (戸籍) census record system is still used in Japan. More here.
At the end of this chapter, Gyokuyou succinctly sums up the political philosophy of legalism that became a powerful political force in China two millenia ago. In contrast to absolute monarchy, legalism shares with modern constitutional democracy the concept of the rule of law. However, the implementation of the law is diametrically opposite.
The philosophy of constitutional democracy is perhaps best summed up in the Tenth Amendment, which states that the powers of the federal government are limited only to those granted in the Constitution. That is, the government can do only what the law says it can, while the people may do everything except what the law says they can't.
Legalism turns that on its head. It essentially says that nobody can do anything unless it's defined by law, and the government is empowered to use any and all means to enforce this totally embracing reach of the civil and criminal code. The letter of the law becomes all important.
Legalism was promulgated as a check on human folly and ambition. Unfortunately, as Lord Acton put it, absolute power corrupts absolutely. "All disagreement with the government was made a capital crime; all alternative ways of thinking, which the Legalists saw as encouraging the natural fractiousness of humanity, were banned."
So it quickly degraded into totalitarianism and despotism. Maoism can accurately be described as less a communist revolution than a resurrection of Qin Dynasty legalism. The legalistic impulse can also be recognized in various implementations of the Mosaic Law and Sharia.
The koseki (戸籍) census record system is still used in Japan. More here.
At the end of this chapter, Gyokuyou succinctly sums up the political philosophy of legalism that became a powerful political force in China two millenia ago. In contrast to absolute monarchy, legalism shares with modern constitutional democracy the concept of the rule of law. However, the implementation of the law is diametrically opposite.
The philosophy of constitutional democracy is perhaps best summed up in the Tenth Amendment, which states that the powers of the federal government are limited only to those granted in the Constitution. That is, the government can do only what the law says it can, while the people may do everything except what the law says they can't.
Legalism turns that on its head. It essentially says that nobody can do anything unless it's defined by law, and the government is empowered to use any and all means to enforce this totally embracing reach of the civil and criminal code. The letter of the law becomes all important.
The only way to check human selfishness and depravity was to establish laws that bountifully rewarded actions that benefited others and the state, and ruthlessly punish all actions that harmed others or the state.
Legalism was promulgated as a check on human folly and ambition. Unfortunately, as Lord Acton put it, absolute power corrupts absolutely. "All disagreement with the government was made a capital crime; all alternative ways of thinking, which the Legalists saw as encouraging the natural fractiousness of humanity, were banned."
So it quickly degraded into totalitarianism and despotism. Maoism can accurately be described as less a communist revolution than a resurrection of Qin Dynasty legalism. The legalistic impulse can also be recognized in various implementations of the Mosaic Law and Sharia.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
February 24, 2008
Chapter 40 (The Shore in Twilight)
The theological question Risai and Youko touch upon in this chapter revolves around theodicy, or arguments challenging or confirming the existence of the divine in the face of the existence of evil: "If God exists, why does He allow suffering to happen?" The answer Youko seems to arrive at is "theistic finitism," or the proposition that God is not truly omnipotent or omnipresent (or acts as such). On the other hand, the Greeks and Romans basically proposed that even if the Gods are omnipotent, they are not necessary good and certainly not trustworthy, which does make for more entertaining melodramas.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
February 17, 2008
Chapter 39 (The Shore in Twilight)
天馬 [てんば] tenba (heaven horse); often translated (not just by me) as "pegasus."
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
February 10, 2008
Chapter 38 (The Shore in Twilight)
半嗣 [はんし] Hanshi (half + heir)
女怪 [にょかい] nyokai (female + mysterious/apparition); the guardian born shortly before the kirin and destined to watch over him.
女怪 [にょかい] nyokai (female + mysterious/apparition); the guardian born shortly before the kirin and destined to watch over him.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
January 20, 2008
Chapter 35 (The Shore in Twilight)
五門 [ごもん] Gomon (five gates); the outermost of the palace gates and its forward line of defense. The public government offices of the Outer Palace are accessible between the Gomon and the Chimon or Pheasant Gate (雉門). The analog to the Gomon in the Forbidden City is the Meridian Gate, with its five arches or accessways. The Forbidden Gate, in contrast, is the forward line of defense to the Inner Palace.
The final character in Gogoukanda (呉剛環蛇) is "snake," hence Rokuta saying that he held onto its "tail."
Youko first encounters one of these enchanted staircases in chapter 57 of Shadow of the Moon.
清香殿 [せいこうでん] Seikou Manor (refreshing scent)
蘭雪堂 [らんせつどう] Ransetsu Hall (orchid snow)
弧琴斎 [こきんさい] Kokinsai (box + koto + room)
什鈷 [じゅうこ] Juuko (ten cobalt)
饕餮 [とうてつ] toutetsu (ravenous + voracious); first described in chapter 18.
The final character in Gogoukanda (呉剛環蛇) is "snake," hence Rokuta saying that he held onto its "tail."
Youko first encounters one of these enchanted staircases in chapter 57 of Shadow of the Moon.
清香殿 [せいこうでん] Seikou Manor (refreshing scent)
蘭雪堂 [らんせつどう] Ransetsu Hall (orchid snow)
弧琴斎 [こきんさい] Kokinsai (box + koto + room)
什鈷 [じゅうこ] Juuko (ten cobalt)
饕餮 [とうてつ] toutetsu (ravenous + voracious); first described in chapter 18.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
January 13, 2008
Chapter 34 (The Shore in Twilight)
When the Royal Han says that Taiki is "not a ki," he uses the first character (麒) of kirin (麒麟). When referring to Hanrin, he uses the second character (麟). Both characters mean "Chinese unicorn," but they are rarely written separately, except in given names ("Rin" is a girl's name).
The word Rokuta uses to refer to Hanrin is nee-chan. Like "uncle" (oji-san), "sis" can be used to refer familiarly to a girl (or older man) who is not actually related to you. In the latter case, "mister" or "pops" come close.
"Not as big as any one of our kingdoms, if you're just talking about Yamato." Japan is very long north to south, and very narrow east to west, so the comparison in terms of geography is difficult to make. But in terms of total land area, Japan is slightly smaller than Norway (or Montana), and slightly larger than Germany. Spain is 130,000 sq. km larger, so I'd imagine a kingdom like Kei to be at least Spain-sized.
During the early 19th century, it took about six months to travel the Oregon Trail on foot from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast, a journey of 2,000 miles across rugged terrain. The 1300 mile Pioneer Trail to Utah took four months. Takki says that Kou could be crossed in three months, so I'd put that distance at a little under 1000 miles.
鴻溶鏡 [こうようきょう] Kouyoukyou (wild goose + dissolve + mirror)
呉剛環蛇 [ごごうかんだ] Gogoukanda (give + strength + ring + snake)
遁甲 [とんこう] tonkou (escape + carapace); the way shirei travel through the sky, the earth, and the water, while remaining hidden from view.
The word Rokuta uses to refer to Hanrin is nee-chan. Like "uncle" (oji-san), "sis" can be used to refer familiarly to a girl (or older man) who is not actually related to you. In the latter case, "mister" or "pops" come close.
"Not as big as any one of our kingdoms, if you're just talking about Yamato." Japan is very long north to south, and very narrow east to west, so the comparison in terms of geography is difficult to make. But in terms of total land area, Japan is slightly smaller than Norway (or Montana), and slightly larger than Germany. Spain is 130,000 sq. km larger, so I'd imagine a kingdom like Kei to be at least Spain-sized.
During the early 19th century, it took about six months to travel the Oregon Trail on foot from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast, a journey of 2,000 miles across rugged terrain. The 1300 mile Pioneer Trail to Utah took four months. Takki says that Kou could be crossed in three months, so I'd put that distance at a little under 1000 miles.
鴻溶鏡 [こうようきょう] Kouyoukyou (wild goose + dissolve + mirror)
呉剛環蛇 [ごごうかんだ] Gogoukanda (give + strength + ring + snake)
遁甲 [とんこう] tonkou (escape + carapace); the way shirei travel through the sky, the earth, and the water, while remaining hidden from view.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
December 23, 2007
Chapter 31 (The Shore in Twilight)
氾王呉藍滌 [はんおうごらんじょう] Han'ou Go Ranshou (the Royal Han Go Ranshou)
梨雪 [りせつ] Risetsu (snow pear); Hanrin's azana
蠱蛻衫 [こせいさん] koseisan (enchanted + chrysalis + thin kimono)
"It began with a seasonal greeting" Traditional Japanese letters still begin with a seasonal greeting (時候の挨拶). Otherwise (and more commonly these days), the expression zenryaku (前略) is used instead, meaning "to dispense with the introductions."
The girl Youko is reminded of is Rangyoku from A Thousand Leagues of Wind. Keikei is her younger brother.
梨雪 [りせつ] Risetsu (snow pear); Hanrin's azana
蠱蛻衫 [こせいさん] koseisan (enchanted + chrysalis + thin kimono)
"It began with a seasonal greeting" Traditional Japanese letters still begin with a seasonal greeting (時候の挨拶). Otherwise (and more commonly these days), the expression zenryaku (前略) is used instead, meaning "to dispense with the introductions."
The girl Youko is reminded of is Rangyoku from A Thousand Leagues of Wind. Keikei is her younger brother.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
December 16, 2007
Chapter 30 (The Shore in Twilight)
To put this chapter in context, during that six year gap, Taiki would be passing through the secondary education system. In high schools in Japan, the hazing directed at teenagers who "stand out" or "don't fit in" can be particularly cruel. Recall the treatment of Sugimoto in the chapter 2 of Shadow of the Moon. With boys, the abuse is less psychological and mostly physical. So that'd be one more thing Taiki (and Sanshi and Gouran) would have to put up with, along with everything else.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
December 09, 2007
Chapter 29 (The Shore in Twilight)
塙果 [こうか] Kouka; the ranka of the kirin of Kou.
氾王 [はんおう] Royal Han (overflowing)
dispensation: a divine appointment, arrangement, or favor, as by God; a special privilege granted by a divine authority.
氾王 [はんおう] Royal Han (overflowing)
dispensation: a divine appointment, arrangement, or favor, as by God; a special privilege granted by a divine authority.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, shore in twilight
December 02, 2007
Chapter 28 (The Shore in Twilight)
代 [たい] Tai (generation); previous kokushi (国氏) of Tai.
泰 [たい] Tai (peaceful calm); present kokushi of Tai.
捨身木 [しゃしんぼく] Shashinboku (shashin + tree); "shashin" is a Buddhist term meaning to renounce the world in search of Enlightenment.
王夫人 [おうふじん] Oufujin (king + wife); rumored guardian deity of Mt. Hou.
玉京 [ぎょくけい／ぎょっけい] Gyokukei/Gyokkei (jewel + capital); legendary home of the Gods.
"That which they did not then know was written upon their minds." Surprisingly similar to Hebrews 10:16 (Jeremiah 31:33-34): "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."
Unction: act of anointing as a religious rite; besowing of a divine or spiritual influence upon a person.
泰 [たい] Tai (peaceful calm); present kokushi of Tai.
捨身木 [しゃしんぼく] Shashinboku (shashin + tree); "shashin" is a Buddhist term meaning to renounce the world in search of Enlightenment.
王夫人 [おうふじん] Oufujin (king + wife); rumored guardian deity of Mt. Hou.
玉京 [ぎょくけい／ぎょっけい] Gyokukei/Gyokkei (jewel + capital); legendary home of the Gods.
"That which they did not then know was written upon their minds." Surprisingly similar to Hebrews 10:16 (Jeremiah 31:33-34): "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."
Unction: act of anointing as a religious rite; besowing of a divine or spiritual influence upon a person.
Labels: 12 kingdoms, buddhism, shore in twilight