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A review by puzzleguzzler
Clouds Above the Hill: A Historical Novel of the Russo-Japanese War, Volume 1 by Ryōtarō Shiba
4.0
I can't stop talking about this book series, no one is spared an earful. To be totally transparent, I heard about Clouds Above the Hill as one of many sources of inspiration for Attack on Titan and started reading the series as part of a quest to enrich my reading of AOT - especially the cultural/literary context in which Japanese readers understand it. (Some other sources I've delved into include nihilistic manga by Furuya Minoru, Kevin Crossley-Holland's helpfully annotated book about Norse Mythology, and a terrible vomitable what is called "visual novel"). There are 4 volumes in Clouds Above the Hill, each around 400 pages, so I thought I would just read the first volume to get the gist. Interlibrary Loan delivered all 4 volumes though, and, well, I got hooked on the first book so the rest is history.
In terms of satisfying the deeper reading of AOT, I can clearly see the impact this series had on that story and storytelling. Besides some character inspiration (Akiyama Yoshifuru/Pyxis, the choice of Mikasa's name, maybe even clever cavalry strategy), what is especially compelling is the nuanced portrayal of soldiers' feelings about war, battle, and self-worth. I believe that is one of the strongest elements of AOT storytelling and also what this historical fiction series achieves.
Shiba's agenda with this novel series is to show how all the people, circumstances, attitudes, everything, etc lined up "just so" - and that became the outcome of the Russo-Japanese War. He often points out how easily one event or another could have easily turned out the opposite and is not shy about his belief that WWII/Pacific War was senseless, because he thinks Japan did not learn from its mistakes, or victories, in this war. His commentary on blunders on either side of the war are some of the best parts of reading. His conversational tone and clear passion for this topic (he purportedly cleared out all of jimbucho, Tokyo's used book district, to research this series) are palpable and make reading minute details of war strategy so readable. Like, I think I understand how war strategy works now, where before I didn't even have an inkling to ever want to learn about anything military. Again, I can see where Isayama could have gleaned inspiration here not just from the war history itself but also the kind of storytelling that makes strategy comprehensible and immersive. I am thinking of a famous rallying cry scene in AOT - and how often "morale" is brought up in Clouds as an essential component of warfare. I could also compare the theme of shinzo wo sasegeyo/dedicate your heart with Shiba's criticism of sending willing soldiers to their death as any kind of viable tactic.
Another strength here, also found in AOT, is recognition that good and evil are not absolutes. Sure, the author has the reader rooting for a Japanese victory but there aren't "good guys" or "baddies". The author plays favorites and wants to see credit where credit is due, but largely judgements are made about smarts and strategy, occasional praise or lament for moral character.
Again, as part of the thesis of Clouds Above the Hill, Shiba takes pains to outline even the smallest of circumstances that have huge consequences. The Japanese spy who wasn't a very good spy I guess but earned trust among revolutionaries to assist in inciting unrest in Russia, leftover samurai allegiances of fighting factions in Japan prior to the Meiji restoration, poverty conditions as a sort of national contract for a patriotic victory, the delicate handling of commanders that prioritized egos over lives, the quirks, particularities, personalities of people in power that made them in/suitable to their positions and lead to catastrophic mistakes or victories against all odds...
Digressions upon digressions are some of the most fascinating elements of Clouds Above the Hill - generals taking naps on the sides of battlefields (two!!), haiku!, a man nearly falling to his death off the side of a train while relieving himself, binoculars and humble fishermen, this quote: "After that, the phrase 'sleeping on firewood and eating bears' gall bladders' came into vogue." Nicknames given to enemy ships to improve target practice "It wouldn't do to shoot the wrong target in the heat of battle... But Russian names were devilishly hard for the sailors to muster, so Abo coined humorous nicknames that were easy to remember. The Alexander III became 'akiresanta' which means 'stupid Santa' the Borodino 'borodero' or 'flaws galore' the Oryol 'ari-yoru' or 'ant farm' and the Dmitri donskoi 'gomitori gonsuke' or 'garbage-man gonsuke'." One time the author simply ended a chapter with "This has been a long digression."
The translation efforts (3 translators!) are impressive and contribute to readability of something I previously would have overlooked as boring. Honestly I could go on and on. I thought the series was great but also hesitate from burdening anyone with the recommendation because of how dense each book is (it took me a month per book). All the same, if you read it tell me because I want to exchange favorite exasperated digressions. Weather today fine but high waves.
(one star off though because of a peculiar trend of using "female" characteristics as insults. Even if written in the 1970s that's not forgiveable on my rating scale)
In terms of satisfying the deeper reading of AOT, I can clearly see the impact this series had on that story and storytelling. Besides some character inspiration (Akiyama Yoshifuru/Pyxis, the choice of Mikasa's name, maybe even clever cavalry strategy), what is especially compelling is the nuanced portrayal of soldiers' feelings about war, battle, and self-worth. I believe that is one of the strongest elements of AOT storytelling and also what this historical fiction series achieves.
Shiba's agenda with this novel series is to show how all the people, circumstances, attitudes, everything, etc lined up "just so" - and that became the outcome of the Russo-Japanese War. He often points out how easily one event or another could have easily turned out the opposite and is not shy about his belief that WWII/Pacific War was senseless, because he thinks Japan did not learn from its mistakes, or victories, in this war. His commentary on blunders on either side of the war are some of the best parts of reading. His conversational tone and clear passion for this topic (he purportedly cleared out all of jimbucho, Tokyo's used book district, to research this series) are palpable and make reading minute details of war strategy so readable. Like, I think I understand how war strategy works now, where before I didn't even have an inkling to ever want to learn about anything military. Again, I can see where Isayama could have gleaned inspiration here not just from the war history itself but also the kind of storytelling that makes strategy comprehensible and immersive. I am thinking of a famous rallying cry scene in AOT - and how often "morale" is brought up in Clouds as an essential component of warfare. I could also compare the theme of shinzo wo sasegeyo/dedicate your heart with Shiba's criticism of sending willing soldiers to their death as any kind of viable tactic.
Another strength here, also found in AOT, is recognition that good and evil are not absolutes. Sure, the author has the reader rooting for a Japanese victory but there aren't "good guys" or "baddies". The author plays favorites and wants to see credit where credit is due, but largely judgements are made about smarts and strategy, occasional praise or lament for moral character.
Again, as part of the thesis of Clouds Above the Hill, Shiba takes pains to outline even the smallest of circumstances that have huge consequences. The Japanese spy who wasn't a very good spy I guess but earned trust among revolutionaries to assist in inciting unrest in Russia, leftover samurai allegiances of fighting factions in Japan prior to the Meiji restoration, poverty conditions as a sort of national contract for a patriotic victory, the delicate handling of commanders that prioritized egos over lives, the quirks, particularities, personalities of people in power that made them in/suitable to their positions and lead to catastrophic mistakes or victories against all odds...
Digressions upon digressions are some of the most fascinating elements of Clouds Above the Hill - generals taking naps on the sides of battlefields (two!!), haiku!, a man nearly falling to his death off the side of a train while relieving himself, binoculars and humble fishermen, this quote: "After that, the phrase 'sleeping on firewood and eating bears' gall bladders' came into vogue." Nicknames given to enemy ships to improve target practice "It wouldn't do to shoot the wrong target in the heat of battle... But Russian names were devilishly hard for the sailors to muster, so Abo coined humorous nicknames that were easy to remember. The Alexander III became 'akiresanta' which means 'stupid Santa' the Borodino 'borodero' or 'flaws galore' the Oryol 'ari-yoru' or 'ant farm' and the Dmitri donskoi 'gomitori gonsuke' or 'garbage-man gonsuke'." One time the author simply ended a chapter with "This has been a long digression."
The translation efforts (3 translators!) are impressive and contribute to readability of something I previously would have overlooked as boring. Honestly I could go on and on. I thought the series was great but also hesitate from burdening anyone with the recommendation because of how dense each book is (it took me a month per book). All the same, if you read it tell me because I want to exchange favorite exasperated digressions. Weather today fine but high waves.
(one star off though because of a peculiar trend of using "female" characteristics as insults. Even if written in the 1970s that's not forgiveable on my rating scale)