is a Japanese

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

novel written by

Ken'ichi Sakemi is a Japanese writer, whose works have been adapted into other formats, including films, manga, and anime. Life and career Sakemi was born in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture. In 1988, In 1988 he graduated from Aichi University, Faculty of Letters, ...

, published in 1991. It was nominated for the 104th

Naoki Prize The Naoki Prize, officially , is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the ''Bungeishunjū'' magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo. Sponsored by the Society for the ...

and won the Atsushi Nakajima Memorial Prize for the 50th anniversary of his death in 1992. A manga adaptation was serialized from 1992 to 1996, and a film premiered in 2006.

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and ha ...

considered an anime film with

Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including ''Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), ''Angel's Egg'' (1985), ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

around 1991, and

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video gam ...

Katsuya Kondō is a Japanese manga artist, character designer, animator and animation director. He is best known for his character design work on the Studio Ghibli films ''Kiki's Delivery Service'' and ''Ocean Waves'', as well as the PlayStation game '' Jad ...

also created

imageboards An imageboard is a type of Internet forum that focuses on the posting of images, often alongside text and discussion. The first imageboards were created in Japan as an extension of the textboard concept. These sites later inspired the creation of ...

, but the plan was abandoned midway through.

Plot

The story takes place in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

. Liang is a small province between the great powers Zhao and

Yan Yan may refer to: Chinese states * Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty * Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC * Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed inde ...

, and was about to be invaded by Zhao. The King of Liang asks the Mohists for help as a last resort. The Mohists were a unique group of thinkers who preached "non-war and love" and went wherever to help defend castles and towns if required. The people of Liang had hoped that the Mohists would send a group of excellent military strategists to defeat Zhao, but only one strategist, named Kakuri, appeared. The Mohist organization founded by

Mozi Mozi (; ; Latinized as Micius ; – ), original name Mo Di (), was a Chinese philosopher who founded the school of Mohism during the Hundred Schools of Thought period (the early portion of the Warring States period, –221 BCE). The ancie ...

was then under the third generation of leadership, and corrupt. Under such circumstances, Kakuri, loyal to the Mohists' ideology, defied the leader's orders and rode alone to defend the walled city, Liangcheng. None of the lord's clans, chief vassals, or the peasants accommodated in the citadel have any experience in warfare, nor does he have the cooperation of the Mohists. Against this backdrop, Kakuri leads thousands of villagers with amazing strategy and skill to defeat the large army of Zhao, consisting of over ten thousand professional soldiers.

Publications

Tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

(

Shinchosha is a publisher founded in 1896 in Japan and headquartered in Yaraichō, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Shinchosha is one of the sponsors of the Japan Fantasy Novel Award. Books * Haruki Murakami: ''Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'' (1985), ...

, March 1, 1991) - *

Bunkobon In Japan, are small-format paperback books, designed to be affordable and space saving. The great majority of ''bunkobon'' are A6 (105×148mm or 4.1"×5.8") in size. They are sometimes illustrated and like other Japanese paperbacks usually ...

(Shincho Bunko, June 29, 1994) - *Bunkobon (Bunshun Bunko, April 10, 2014) -

Adaptations

Manga

A manga adaptation was serialized in ''

Big Comic is a semimonthly ''seinen'' manga magazine published since 18 February 1968 by Shogakukan in Japan. It was originally launched as a monthly magazine, but switched to twice monthly on the 10th and 25th beginning in April 1968. It is paired wit ...

'' (

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...

) from 1992 to 1996 and won the 40th

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga awards, and is sponsored by Shogakukan, Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga and features candidates from a number of publishers. It is the oldest manga award in Japan, being ...

in 1995.

Film

A China-Korea-Japan-Hong Kong joint film was produced in 2006 based on the manga version.

References

{{Reflist Japanese historical novels 1991 Japanese novels Zhou dynasty in fiction Novels set in ancient China Novels adapted into comics Japanese novels adapted into films Shinchosha books Bungeishunjū books