This novel is another attempt by the aestheticist writer Junichiro Tanizaki to challenge the ancient literary form of "story". Taking the Warring States Period as the background, the fictional protagonist is placed in a mixture of fictional and factual research and historical materials, which demonstrates the unique charm of fictional writing. As the son of the Musashi Shou Kiryu family, Wuzhou Gonghuisheng has been a hostage in Olu Mountain Castle since he was a child. When he was thirteen years old, Oshikayama Castle was under siege. Terusaki witnessed the strange scene of a young girl holding the enemy's head in her hands, and developed a strange sexual fetish that would last a lifetime... This book is equipped with eight thirty-eight illustrations by the famous painter Kimura Hachisaki of the Taisho and Showa periods, which fully demonstrates the sensual beauty of Tanizaki's works.
Reader comments
The writing style of this book is very unique, combining fictional stories with historical research, just like "Rashomon", making people wander between fantasy and reality. Moreover, the writing style is delicate and the portrayal of the characters' psychology is very good, which reminded me of "The Tale of Genji". The characters in the book are also very vivid, and the image of Duke Wuzhou impressed me deeply. All in all, this is a book well worth reading.
The writing style of this book is very unique, combining fictional stories with historical research, just like "Rashomon", making people wander between fantasy and reality. Moreover, the writing style is delicate and the portrayal of the characters' psychology is very good, which reminded me of "The Tale of Genji". The characters in the book are also very vivid, and the image of Duke Wuzhou impressed me deeply. All in all, this is a book well worth reading.