The Taiheiki was probably compiled by a Buddhist monk, and indeed, the text shows a strong Buddhist influence. During the time, the Buddhist temples wielded vast influence, not only because of the respect for Buddhism or the belief that if you pissed off Buddhist monks they might curse you or send you to Buddhist hell, but because they had vast lands, and therefore a lot of cash. And in those troubled times, they used that cash to support hordes of warrior monks. Everyone was afraid of the monks of Mount Hiei. Anyway, within the narrative, there are many references to acts of Buddhist piety by the warriors, references to Buddhist philosophy, and Buddhist interpretations of events; for example, as a warrior commits suicide in the face of certain defeat, after his children and wife have also committed suicide by jumping into a pool of water, the text says that he went to a Buddhist hell because of his inability to separate himself from his attachment to his family.

The story is generally very episodic, and vast numbers of characters pop in and out of the foreground. We are treated to many scenes where samurai rush to be the first into battle, so they may perish leaving their names forever. Although warfare is often conducted in a pragmatic manner (Kusunoki, one of the heroes of the tale, actually intelligently fakes his own suicide and that of his retainers so that he may escape a seige and live to fight another day), we also have many cases of warriors “not cherishing life” (a phrase oft repeated throughout the text. It’s a positive thing in the culture of the time, BTW) and rushing off alone into enemy lines simply for the purpose of dying gloriously, or burning down temples in order to restore them. The story is also loaded with interesting anecdotes, such as tales from the Chinese classics, such as the story of the king Gou Jian, who lived through disgrace for the sake of vengeance, or more contemporary Japanese examples, such as the story of the god of the Tenmangu Jingu, Michizane, who after his death in unjust exile, continued to harass the emperor in many frightening ways, even after he apologized and attempted to propitiate him, until the emperor posthumously promoted him.

There’s only one translation available, and I’m not really competent to judge it, given that I can’t read medieval Japanese. I must say, though, certain archaic phrases (probably chosen in order to give that impression?) are repeated at great length throughout the text, to the point where I wondered what the phrase they were a translation of was in Japanese. There are also copious and helpful footnotes. In general, though, if you want Japanese war epics, I would advise you to read the Heike Monogatari instead. The Genpei (Taira (or Heike) vs. Genji (or Minamoto)) wars are better known and less confusing, as well as having much more literary influence. I would say that the atmosphere and beauty of the Heike Monogatari is much stronger, too. Also, if you dislike the rather disjointed narrative of these texts, however, I’d advise you to read the more novelistic Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Disclaimer: I am not perfectly fluent, so neither is this translation perfect. Read at your own risk.

His expression and manner, everything about him was as cold as winter, hard and incisive. Although he was wearing the informal official wear, at a glance his badge of office showed that his rank was above the Six Departments, the True Upper Third Rank. Carved upon it was the seal of the rising sun and paulownia flower, showing that he was the Chief of the Censorate. Shuurei would know the name of Ki Kouki slightly after. As if to appraise them, he glanced at them coolly. At last, his glance stopped at Shuurei. His pale eyes, without a smidgen of warmth, seemed to pierce right through her.

“… In every way, it looks like you’re foolishly soft. Thoroughly useless.”

Shuurei bit her lips. Right now, she could not raise a single objection.

“However, the quickness of your wits is on par with Seiga’s…”

Although Seiga angrily pressed his lips together, he said nothing. Certainly, if you were to subtract her naivete to the point of foolishness, she was someone worth allying with. Perhaps that was another a reason for his dislike.

“Because of your many connections, it’s not that you’re totally useless. There are not many who can cause the Ran clan to move. So you may have some value.

Before the person in question, he squarely said such things.

“But it’s meaningless to speak of you alone. Shin Suou, if you come with her, I’ll consider it. If you are with her, things will be slightly better. Despite this, she’s still so naive as to be throughly useless. — Shin Suou, you have no merits in particular, but that in itself is a merit. There are few opponents who can get something past Seiga. It may be difficult for Seiga to play the fool, so someone even more of a fool will never be suspected. In that gap, is the excellent sense of intuition which grasped the truth without realizing it, and unconsciously chose the best path. No matter who you speak to, in the end you have the courage to say what you want. If they possess ability, you will be a great aid to them; but if their ability is small, you will be slowly demoted, and in the end just finish idling on the bottom. You are without significant talent on your own, but you are gifted with the talent to develop others. Seeing that, I picked you up, but I have no use for people who do nothing. I had thought to make an example to decrease corruption, which would make you slightly useful. If you are willing to work, you may return. I shall make use of you to the full extent of your talents.

Suou’s cheek twitched.

“I don’t feel like I’ve been praised at all–”

Shuurei’s face changed color hearing these harsh words. Then Kouki’s chilly gaze fell upon her.

“This is politics. Do not think that in the Censorate, softness and fine words are at all permitted. If you are willing to do anything, then you may come. If it is necessary to preserve the secrecy of the investigation, I may order you to let people be killed, take part in corruption, abandon your family, or sleep with men. If you have the resolve to do this silently, then come. Throw away all of the righteousness and idealism you have now. You do not move politics with them. If you want to talk about righteousness, then quit being an official. If you want to accomplish something, then throw away your ideals until you reach an appropriate position. Seiga should be living proof that with money and authority at the center of things, crying out alone about it is meaningless. If you don’t kick down your opponent, you will be the one who falls. If you fall, your existence will be meaningless. It will only be said, that just as expected, female officials are useless. If you want to play at being an official, then find some kids to do it with.”

Having said that, after giving a single order to an official at his side, he returned to the palace without casting a second glance at them.

Anyway, as for the story, an elderly writer, Hinoki Shunsuke, one day meets a peerlessly beautiful youth, Minami Yuichi. Shunsuke, BTW, is full of a misogynistic passion of revenge against all women. Yuichi is going to marry Yasuko, the former lover of Shunsuke, but confesses to Shunsuke that he is full of misgivings because he’s gay and finds it impossible to be sexually attracted to women. Shunsuke, struck by a flash of inspiration, tells Yuichi that he shall give him some money if he marries Yasuko and aids him in his scheme to take revenge on the female sex by seducing them without desire, throwing them into the hell of a passion that will never be reciprocated (I think: in some ways I’m vague about why exactly Shunsuke feels so wronged by women, given that he deliberately runs after women he has contempt for, and just what will make him satisfied.) So, Yuichi accepts his offer, and accepts Shunsuke’s instructions in attempting to seduce two of his former lovers. Meanwhile, Yuichi finally enters the secret world of homosexuality, and becomes a great object of desire. Basically, Yuichi is the center of the book; he possesses a perfect beauty, described like that of a young wolf’s, and everyone wants him. (In some ways, Yuichi reminds me of sort of an evil version of the hero of the Sound of the Waves, who was written as some kind of masculine ideal, or a perverse, homme fatal version of the incarnation in Runaway Horses.)

The most interesting parts of the book, I found, were the descriptions of the coffee houses, cruising areas, hotels, and underground parties that made up the underground gay milieu, and what must be Mishima’s philosophies about homosexuality. The recurring motif of the mirror (the constant discussions of the look seem to coincide interestingly with modern ideas about the so-called “male gaze,” and subject/object. Maybe throw in some Lacan also. I feel that maybe to really unpack this book I’d have to go through it with the eye to writing a paper about the symbology, because sometimes, as in the recurring firetrucks, things are a bit too blatant), the psychology of Yuichi, who becomes pathologically narcissistic (this isn’t a story about Forbidden Gay Love, in the sense that Yuichi is in love passionately with one person, himself) and rather sadistic over the course of the book, are also rather fascinating, but many of the more aesthetic portions about What is Beauty and The Nature of Art simple seemed obscure and indulgent; they’re perhaps one reason why this novel is so long.

Well, actually that mood comes through a bit in This Scheming World (there are some interesting details, like the fact that it was traditional for people to put Ise lobsters out with the mochi to welcome the gods. A lobster is mentioned as lasting two weeks, which confuses me; there are also many fascinating details of daily life), but during the Edo Period, the New Year had another meaning: it was the time when debt collectors came pounding on their door, because (I gather) it was their last chance to collect debts, and otherwise they would often just cancel them. So while the rich spent this time squabbling over their social obligations (as New Year’s is also a time to give gifts to people), the poor and financially struggling spent their time scheming to avoid bill collectors and thinking up schemes for making money. So in the end, actually many of the stories revolve around money, appropriate for the world of the townspeople, where money was how one climbed to the top of the ladder. (Rather than artistic refinement or military valour).

I read it in English, but maybe I should have stretched and tried the Japanese: “智に働けば角が立つ。情に棹させば流される。意地を通せば窮屈だ。とかくに人の世は住みにくい。

I expected the rest of the novel to be an illustration of this, but unfortunately (okay, not really), it’s mostly a meditation about aesthetics, in which the narrator (a painter wandering around in the Japanese countryside) stays at a hot springs inn near a temple and a village in 1906; the Japanese-Russo War is in the background. He converses frequently with the strange and individual daughter of the landlord. The narrator insists that art must remain objective, and praises the objectivity of nature (so this reminded me of Doi’s Anatomy of Dependence, in that the charm of nature is located partially in its inhumanity), which interested me because I was reading something about John Gardner, who insists that literature where we don’t enter in the feelings of the characters suffers from the flaw of frigidity. Indeed, although the narrator insists that the novel is a low form because it’s gossipy and concerned with the self-interests of the characters, there’s nothing like that for getting people interested in reading a story. Anyway, this book probably isn’t a good way to start out Soseki, as it is largely devoid of incident, although quite well-written, and filled with outstanding natural descriptions; I suggest Kokoro if you want to be depressed, and Botchan, if you want to be somewhat more amused.