is a Japanese

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

novel written by

Ken'ichi Sakemi was a Japanese writer. Sakemi is known for his novels with Chinese themes. And his work is renowned for his unbridled imagination, based on Chinese history but not restricted by it. His works have attracted a lot of attention from other fields ...

, 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 ...

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 based in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has exp ...

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 * ''D ...

around 1991, and

animator An animator is an artist who creates 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 games. Animat ...

Katsuya Kondō is a Japanese mangaka, 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 (film), Ocean Waves'', as well as t ...

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 due to a dispute between Oshii and

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli and serves as honorary chairman. Throughout his career, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Anime, Japanese ani ...

Plot

The story takes place in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

during the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

. Liang is a small province between the great powers Zhao and Yan, 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, personal name Mo Di, was a Chinese philosopher, logician, and founder of the Mohist school of thought, making him one of the most important figures of the Warring States period (221 BCE). Alongside Confucianism, Mohism became the ...

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 A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...

(

Shinchosha is a publisher founded in 1896 in Japan and headquartered in , 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), '' Ute ...

, 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. Publication history It was originally launched as a monthly magazine, but switched to twice monthly on the 10th and 25th beginning in April 1 ...

'' (

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...

) from 1992 to 1996 and won the 40th

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is ...

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 Warring States period in fiction Novels set in ancient China Novels adapted into comics Japanese novels adapted into films Shinchosha books Bungeishunjū books