Tōson Shimazaki was the pen-name of Haruki Shimazaki, a Japanese writer active in the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa periods of Japan. He began his career as a Romantic poet, but went on to establish himself as a major proponent of Japanese Naturalism. Ea ...

's most famous

historical novel 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 ...

. It was originally published in ''

Chūō Kōron is a monthly Japanese literary magazine (), first established during the Meiji period and continuing to this day. It is published by its namesake-bearing Chūōkōron Shinsha (formerly Chūōkōron-sha). The headquarters is in Tokyo. ''Chūō ...

'' in 1929 as a serial work.

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), ...

later published the work in novel form, with the first part being released in January 1932 and the second part being released in November 1935. It started with the phrase "The entire

Kisoji The was an old trade route in the Kiso Valley that stretched from Niekawa-juku in Nagano Prefecture to Magome-juku in Gifu Prefecture. There were eleven resting spots along the route, all of which became part of the Nakasendō when it was establish ...

is in the mountains" (木曾路はすべて山の中である ''Kisoji wa subete yama no naka de aru'').''Yoakemae'' (Part 1a)
Tōson Shimazaki. Aozora Bunko. Accessed May 14, 2008. The Kisoji ran through Shimazaki's hometown in

Gifu Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, F ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Following a character modeled closely after Tōson's own father

Shimazaki Masaki was a Japanese honjin chief, student of kokugaku, and Shinto priest. He was the father of Shimazaki Tōson. He primarily wrote under the name of , but later in life also adopted the names and finally . His courtesy name was , and he was re ...

, the novel carries its story through the turbulent decades before and after the fall of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

sparked by the arrival of Commodore Perry's ships in 1853. The protagonist Aoyama Hanzō, a devout follower of

Hirata Atsutane was a Japanese scholar, conventionally ranked as one of the Four Great Men of Kokugaku (nativist) studies, and one of the most significant theologians of the Shintō religion. His literary name was , and his primary assumed name was . He also u ...

's idealistic nativism but tied down by his duties as the head of a rural mountain village, observes the tide of events leading to the opening and

Westernization Westernization (or Westernisation), also Europeanisation or occidentalization (from the ''Occident''), is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in areas such as industry, technology, science, education, politics, economi ...

of Japan. In the years after the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

of 1868, the Hirata movement achieves its initial goals and becomes superficially incorporated into the new bureaucracy, but deteriorates into political impotence and is gradually expelled by the progressive-minded leadership. Hanzō, fearing that Japan's native way of life will be discarded and forgotten by future generations enamored by things Western, is driven insane by despair and ultimately dies after being imprisoned by his own family. In 1953, a film based on the novel was released. It was adapted by

Kaneto Shindō was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film producer, and writer, who directed 48 films and wrote scripts for 238. His best known films as a director include ''Children of Hiroshima'', ''The Naked Island'', '' Onibaba'', ''Kuroneko'' and ' ...

and directed by

Kōzaburō Yoshimura was a Japanese film director. Biography Born in Shiga Prefecture, he joined the Shōchiku studio in 1929. He debuted as director in 1934, but continued working as an assistant director for such filmmakers as Yasujirō Ozu and Yasujirō Shimazu ...

(吉村公三郎 ''Yoshimura Kōzaburō''). It was also later adapted into a play by

Joseph Stein Joseph Stein (May 30, 1912 – October 24, 2010) was an American playwright best known for writing the books for such musicals as ''Fiddler on the Roof'' and '' Zorba''. Biography Born in New York City to Jewish parents, Charles and Emma ...

List of characters

Historical characters mentioned or appearing in the story include: *

Shimazaki Masaki was a Japanese honjin master, student of kokugaku, and Shinto priest. He was the father of Shimazaki Tōson. He primarily wrote under the name of , but later in life also adopted the names and finally . His courtesy name was , and he was ...

(''Aoyama Hanzō'') *

Tsunoda Tadayuki was a Japanese scholar of kokugaku. He was also a Shinto priest. Biography Tsunoda Tadayuki was born in 1834 in the remote village of Nagadoro (now within the city of Saku, Nagano Prefecture), the second son of , a kannushi of the local C ...

(''Kureta Masaka'') * (''Hachiya Kozō'') * (''Miyagawa Kansai'') *

Kurimoto Jōun was a Japanese hatamoto samurai, physician, diplomat, philosopher, and journalist. He was also known to have used the name . Biography Jōun was born as the third son of , an official physician to the shogunate. His elder brother, , was a prom ...

(''Kitamura Zuiken'') *

Yamakuni Hyōbu was a Japanese samurai retainer of the Mito Domain, military strategist, and student of the Hirata school of kokugaku. Biography He was born the eldest son of , a Mito retainer, under the name Yamakuni Tomoaki. His younger brother was . He ...

Takeda Kōunsai was a Japanese samurai from Mito Domain and councillor to the ''daimyō'' of Mito Domain, Tokugawa Nariaki, in Bakumatsu period Japan. He became the leader of the Mito Rebellion and was executed by the Tokugawa shogunate with a large number of h ...

* *

Tokugawa Yoshikatsu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Edo period, who ruled the Owari Domain as its 14th (1849–1858) and 17th daimyō (1870–1880). He was the brother of Matsudaira Katamori. His childhood name was Hidenosuke (秀之助). Early years Yoshik ...

* Matsudaira Yorinori *

Itagaki Taisuke Count was a Japanese politician. He was a leader of the "Freedom and People's Rights Movement" and founded Japan's first political party, the Liberal Party. Biography Early life Itagaki Taisuke was born into a middle-ranking ''samurai'' ...

Itō Hirobumi was a Japanese politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Japan. He was also a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior statesmen that dictated Japanese policy during the Meiji era. A London-educated samur ...

Shimazu Hisamitsu Prince , also known as , was a Japanese samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the ...

* Charles Richardson *

Makino Narisada was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the mid-Edo period, who ruled the Sekiyado Domain. Starting from relatively humble origins, he first became the karō of the Tatebayashi Domain, before following his lord Tokugawa Tsunayoshi to Edo upon Tsunayoshi's ...

Engelbert Kaempfer Engelbert Kaempfer (16 September 16512 November 1716) was a German naturalist, physician, explorer and writer known for his tour of Russia, Persia, India, Southeast Asia, and Japan between 1683 and 1693. He wrote two books about his travels. ''A ...

* * * (''Iseya Kyūbei'') *

Sagara Sōzō , real name ,Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "The Secret Life of Characters (5) Sagara Sōzō," ''Rurouni Kenshin'' Volume 2. VIZ Media. 28. was the leader of the 1st Unit of the Sekihōtai, a group of Japanese political extremists formed in 1868 during the B ...

Yoshida Shōin , commonly named , was one of Japan's most distinguished intellectuals in the late years of the Tokugawa shogunate. He devoted himself to nurturing many ''ishin shishi'' who in turn made major contributions to the Meiji Restoration. Early life ...

Saigō Takamori was a Japanese samurai and nobleman. He was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Satsum ...

Higashikuze Michitomi Count was a Japanese noble and statesman of the late Edo period and early Meiji period. He was among the pro-Emperor ''sonnō jōi'' faction nobles who escaped to Chōshū Domain after members of the pro-shogunate '' kōbu gattai'' faction stag ...

Oguri Kozukenosuke Oguri Kozukenosuke (Oguri Tadamasa, 16 July 1827 – 27 May 1868) was a statesman of the Tokugawa government in the last stage of the Edo period, and he is often regarded as a rival of Katsu Kaishu. At the time when the power of the Tokugawa ...

Katsu Kaishū Count , best known by his nickname , was a Japanese statesman and naval engineer during the late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period. Kaishū was a nickname which he took from a piece of calligraphy (Kaishū Shooku ) by Sakuma Shōzan. He ...

Yamaoka Tesshū , also known as Ono Tetsutarō or Yamaoka Tetsutarō, was a famous samurai of the Bakumatsu period, who played an important role in the Meiji Restoration. He is also noted as the founder of the ''Itto Shoden Muto-ryu'' school of swordsmanship. ...

Townsend Harris Townsend Harris (October 4, 1804 – February 25, 1878) was an American merchant and politician who served as the first United States Consul General to Japan. He negotiated the "Harris Treaty" between the US and Japan and is credited as the di ...

Léon Roches Léon Roches (September 27, 1809, Grenoble – 1901) was a representative of the French government in Japan from 1864 to 1868. Léon Roches was a student at the Lycée de Tournon in Grenoble, and followed an education in Law. After only 6 mo ...

* Mermet de Cachon *

Princess Kazu (''Kazunomiya'') was the wife of 14th ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Iemochi. She was renamed Lady Seikan'in-no-miya after she took the tonsure as a widow. She was the great-great-great aunt of Emperor Akihito, who reigned from 1989 to 2019. Biography ...

Nakae Chōmin was the pen-name of a journalist, political theorist and statesman in Meiji-period Japan. His real name was . His major contribution was the popularization of the egalitarian doctrines of the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Japan ...

Matthew C. Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the o ...

Tokugawa Iemochi (July 17, 1846 – August 29, 1866) was the 14th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1858 to 1866. During his reign there was much internal turmoil as a result of the "re-opening" of Japan to western nations. ...

Tokugawa Yoshinobu Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned of his position as shogun in late 1867, while aiming ...

Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...

Emperor Kōmei was the 121st Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')孝明天皇 (121)/ref> Kōmei's reign spanned the years from 1846 through 1867, corresponding to the final years of the ...

Maki Yasuomi was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, who served as a retainer of the Arima clan of Kurume Domain, Kurume in northern Kyūshū. He was also a Shinto priest of the Kurume Suitengū, Suitengū shrine in Kurume. Maki, also known by his cour ...

* * *

Tokugawa Nariaki Tokugawa Nariaki (徳川斉昭, April 4, 1800 – September 29, 1860) was a prominent Japanese ''daimyō'' who ruled the Mito Domain (now Ibaraki Prefecture) and contributed to the rise of nationalism and the Meiji Restoration. Biography C ...

Etō Shinpei was a Japanese statesman during the early Meiji period, remembered chiefly for his role in the unsuccessful Saga Rebellion. Early life and Meiji bureaucrat Etō was born into a crestless and poor samurai family in Yae (modern-day Saga), ...

Sanjō Sanetomi Prince was a Japanese Imperial court noble and statesman at the time of the Meiji Restoration. He held many high-ranking offices in the Meiji government. Biography Born in Kyoto, Sanjō was the son of ''Naidaijin'' Sanjō Sanetsumu. He hel ...

* Harry Parkes *

William Keswick William Keswick (15 April 1834 – 9 March 1912) was a British Conservative politician and businessman, patriarch of the Keswick family, an influential shipping family in Hong Kong associated with Jardine Matheson Holdings. Biography Keswick w ...

* Kanagaki Robun *

Takano Chōei was a prominent scholar of ''Rangaku'' (western science) during the Bakumatsu period in Japan. Life Chōei was born as Gotō Kyōsai, the third son of Gotō Sōsuke, a middle-ranking samurai in Mizusawa Domain of Mutsu Province in what is now pa ...

* *

Kusaka Genzui , (born Kusaka Hidezaburō; May 1840 – 20 August 1864) was a samurai of the Japanese domain of Chōshū who was active during the Bakumatsu period and a key proponent of the ''sonnō jōi'' movement. Early life He was born Kusaka Hide ...

Kirino Toshiaki was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, and an Imperial Japanese Army general of the early Meiji era. Biography Kirino, also known as , was renowned as one of the Four Hitokiri of the Bakumatsu. His sword style was ''Ko-jigen-ryū'', a b ...

* *

Matsudaira Katamori Matsudaira Katamori after the Meiji restoration was a samurai who lived in Bakumatsu period and the early to mid Meiji period Japan. He was the 9th ''daimyō'' of the Aizu Domain and the Kyoto Shugoshoku (Military Commissioner of Kyoto). He in ...

Ii Naosuke was ''daimyō'' of Hikone (1850–1860) and also Tairō of the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan, a position he held from April 23, 1858, until his death, assassinated in the Sakuradamon Incident on March 24, 1860. He is most famous for signing the Ha ...

Gotō Shōjirō Count was a Japanese samurai and politician during the Bakumatsu and early Meiji period of Japanese history.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Gotō Shōjirō" in He was a leader of which would evolve into a political party. Early life ...

Iwakura Tomomi was a Japanese statesman during the Bakumatsu and Meiji period. He was one of the leading figures of the Meiji Restoration, which saw Japan's transition from feudalism to modernity. Born to a noble family, he was adopted by the influential Iwa ...

Motoori Norinaga was a Japanese scholar of ''Kokugaku'' active during the Edo period. He is conventionally ranked as one of the Four Great Men of Kokugaku (nativist) studies. Life Norinaga was born in what is now Matsusaka in Ise Province (now part of Mie Pre ...

* Hirata Kanetane * Hirata Nobutane * Robert B. Van Valkenburgh * Richard Boyle * Edmund Morel

Translation

*''Before the Dawn'', transl. by William E. Naff, University of Hawaii Press, April 1987, 798 pages,

Original work

*''Yoakemae'' is now an open source text: :Par
1a

References

1935 novels Novels by Tōson Shimazaki Historical novels Novels first published in serial form Works originally published in Chūōkōron Novels set in Gifu Prefecture Boshin War Shinbutsu bunri Shinchosha books Japanese novels adapted into films {{1930s-hist-novel-stub