Bullfight

by Yasushi Inoue, Michael Emmerich (Translator)

First English translation of an amazing debut novella by a major and incredibly prolific Japanese author

Tsugami, the editor-in-chief of a newspaper in war-scarred Osaka, agrees to sponsor a bullfight. For months this great gamble consumes him, makes him as wary and combative as if he was in a ring himself. And, as he becomes ever more distant, his lover Sakiko is unsure if she would like to see him succeed or be destroyed.

Yasushi Inoue's novella won him the prestigious Akutagawa Prize and established him as one of Japan's most acclaimed authors. From the planning of a bullfight-through Tsugami's struggle, his focus and his aloneness-he crafts something intensely memorable, a compelling existential tale.

Born in 1907, Yasushi Inoue worked as a journalist and literary editor for many years, only beginning his prolific career as an author in 1949 with Bullfight. He went on to publish 50 novels and 150 short stories, both historical and contemporary, his work making him one of Japan's major literary figures. In 1976 Inoue was presented with the Order of Culture, the highest honour granted for artistic merit in Japan. He died in 1991.

Genres: Fiction, Japan, Japanese Literature, Classics, Asia, Novella, Novels

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Yasushi Inoue (井上靖) was a Japanese writer whose range of genres included poetry, essays, short fiction, and novels.

Inoue is famous for his serious historical fiction of ancient Japan and the Asian continent, including Wind and Waves, Tun-huang, and Confucius, but his work also included semi-autobiographical novels and short fiction of great humor, pathos, and wisdom like Shirobamba and Asunaro Monogatari, which depicted the setting of the author's own life — Japan of the early to mid twentieth century — in revealing perspective.

1936 Chiba Kameo Prize --- Ruten,流転
1950 Akutagawa Prize --- Tōgyu,闘牛
1957 Ministry of Education Prize for Literature --- The Roof Tile of Tempyo,天平の甍
1959 Mainichi Press Prize --- Tun-huang,敦煌
1963 Yomiuri Prize --- Fūtō,風濤

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[E. G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

--Bullfight

Afterword

[Sepehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

چاقوی کند امید:

ژاپن بعد از جنگ. بسیاری کشته شده اند و باقی مانده ها دارند با آنچه باقی مانده است خود را بازسازی میکنند. روندی افسرده و مبهم اما امیدوار. داستان در همین حال و هوا رخ میدهد.
سردبیر روزنامه تازه ای که اتفاقا با وجود قدمت کمش به خوبی عمل کرده و توانسته مخاطبان جدی خود را پیدا کند، با تنهایی و سکوت و افسردگی سر می کند. البته تنها نیست. پارتنری دارد که بیوه دوستی است که در جنگ کشته شده. همین سر در گریبان بودن و بی اعتنایی مرد داستان، رابطه اش را با پارتنرش به مرحله بحران رسانده. در این احوال پیشنهادی از طرف شخص ناشناسی به او میشود که دگرگونش میکند؛ سوموی گاوها. تصمیم میگیرد آنچه از خودش باقی مانده را قمار کند؛ اعتبار، پول، موقعیت شغلی، روحیه و رابطه عاطفی اش را. در مکان و زمانی که امید کالایی قاچاق محسوب میشود، شانسش را امتحان میکند و میبازد.
سوموی گاوها از آن دست ابزوردهای ژاپنی است که درگیر سکوت و باران و هوای دلگیر و فضای عبوس شهری است. ژاپنی مغموم و در انتظار اخباری هیجان انگیز. این کتاب را مثل بیابان تاتارها یا محاکمه هم نمیتوان دانست. چون اصلا تمثیلی نیست. پیامش خیلی شفاف تر آثار ابزورد اروپایی است. با این حال به سبب واقع‌گرا بودن و روایتی سر راست و بدون نمادپردازی، در ابتدا فقط یک داستان نیمه بلند معمولی به نظر می‌رسد. اما از آن دست کتابهایی است که بعد از خواندن تازه شروع میشود و همان طور که در صحنه های جنگ گاوها در داستان آمده، افرادی به گاوها سیخک میزنند تا آنها را به میدان نبرد برگردانند، این کتاب هم سیخک هایی میزند که به جهان تلخ واقعیت برگردیم. همان طور که در این داستان کوتاه هم موقعیت‌های مشابهی میبینیم، چه بسا در روزهایی که اگر امید کمتری داشتیم، میتوانستیم تصمیمات بهتری بگیریم.

دی ۱۴۰۴

[JimZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked ‘The Hunting Gun’ (1937) so much, and so ‘Bullfight’ was a disappointment, relative to that novella. 2.5 stars for me. The only thing that saved this from a 2 for me was the writing. Inoue is undoubtedly an accomplished writer.

The short book is about a newspaper editor, Tsugami, 37 years of age, who agrees to his newspaper sponsoring a bull fight in post-war Japan, 1946. He has a lover, Sakikonm, 35 years of age, who is constantly frustrated by his apparent aloofness to her…that he cannot fully give himself to her and so she goes between loving and hating him. He spends months ahead of the bullfight preparing for it and lining up people who will back it with money, and that seems to be a good part of the book. And then comes the 3-day event…but the weather is turning ominous. Too bad it is not being held in a domed stadium. 😑 Tsugami and his newspaper might lose their shirts. Big frigging deal. 😑

Far be it from me to criticize…this won Inoue the Akutagawa Prize.

Note: One odd thing is that Tsugami has a wife and two children and aside from stating this early on, they are never mentioned again in the novella. It’s not like they’re dead or he divorced his wife…why would Inoue build this into Tsugami’s life and say nothing about it in the rest of the novella? Weird if you ask me…

I read the Pushkin Press version (2013), translated by Michael Emmerich.

Reviews (all three loved it…they all called it a classic):
• https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2014...
• https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...
• http://tonysreadinglist.blogspot.com/...

[Ernst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Von den 3 Inoue Romanen, die mir alle gut gefallen haben, sehe ich diesen als Überzeugendsten. Die Stimmung der Zeit authentisch eingefangen, man sieht einen alten Schwarzweiss Film auf ARTE vor sich. Es gibt eine Geschichte im Vordergrund, an der Oberfläche, um die sich alles zu drehen scheint und die subtilere zweite Ebene, um die es eigentlich geht. Der Schreibstil, der sprachliche Ausdruck hat etwas reportagehaftes, was im allgemeinen nicht mein liebster Literaturstil ist, deshalb nur 4🌟, aber absolut lesenswert.

[Henk · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Tsugami werd bekropen door het onbehaaglijk gevoel dat hij zonder dat hij het wist omwonden werd door onzichtbare touwen.”

Een korte novelle die mij een beetje aan de financiële crisis deed denken, hoe de hoofdpersoon losgezongen is van de gevolgen van zijn keuzes die potentieel het bedrijf waar hij werkt om zeep kan helpen. Tsugami is een ambitieuze medewerker die zijn avondkrant in Osaka op de kaart wil zetten. Stierensumo, een sport uit zuid Japan, lijkt hiervoor het ideale middel en Tsugami gebruikt voortvarend de advertentieruimte en andere middelen van zijn krant om bekendheid te generen. Maar operationele problemen stapelen zich op en ook zijn relatie staat onder spanning naar mate het toernooi dichterbij komt.

Iedereen bedriegt iedereen en is zwaar kapitalistisch in dit na-oorlogse Japan. Het land ligt in puin en de schaarste zorgt ervoor dat alles lastig gaat en aparte vergunningen vereist. Greed is good lijkt het wel naarmate je verder in het verhaal komt; niet alleen rekent Tsugami erop tussen de 2 en 3 miljoen yen winst te maken, maar ook louche figuren, zoals de tussenpersoon die werkt met geleend geld en de egocentrische zakenman Okanabe, zien alleen de mogelijkheden voor snelle winst.

Een andere moderne analogie die dit boek bij me opriep was het Fyrefestival (kijk de documentaire op Netflix, erg boeiend!). Het toernooi is een soort vertraagd treinongeluk, en Tsugami en zijn baas gaan zelfs niet met regen opkomst in op een aanbod van een zakenman om het risico van de ticketverkoop te verminderen. Ik vond, ondanks de humor in het verhaal, de manier waarop Tsugami zijn ondergang zonder veel emoties tegemoet ging bevreemdend, waarbij hij voor mij niet helemaal als een echt uitgewerkt personage aanvoelde.

[Ruskoley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little novel is one of Inoue's early works. It is definitely not for every reader, but there are many who will be able to appreciate it. As is expected with his writing, the plot and the story are not thrillers. In another review of another of his works, I described his stories as haunting and mundane. I think that is still true. While the storylines are not outrageous and unusual, the way in which they are written can be haunting. The setting is enveloping and the characters are very realistic.

This one is called "Bullfight" and yes, there is a bullfight (a sort of bracket tournament among actual bulls). However, that is really a minor element. The true bullfight tournament may be between the main character and his business partner. Or the main character and his girlfriend. Or between the Japan of what was and what could be. Or even symbolizing the concepts of Success and Greed and Failure and Resignation. There are many ways this story, in its utter mundanity could be interpreted.

Inoue writes as if putting his scenes and characters on a microscope - and it seems he turns the knob and zooms, zooms in - until the we are focused on the character's reactions to their daily lives. Facial expressions. The way they smoke their cigarette. Their posture. We do not get to see extraordinary characters in unusual situations. Instead, we see realistic characters in intensely portrayed realistic situations. And when it rains, we feel the raindrops. When they pour tea, we see the steam from the cup.

For strong readers and for fans of Japanese literature.

[Richard Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short potent tale of chasing after a doomed dream with earnest hopes and frantic energy only to realize too late that it was nothing more than a distraction from the postwar reality, from the devastation, the oppression of chaos, loss, and disillusionment of the Japanese people.

Personally, I like to think the entire book is really about Sakiko and her tragic love for Tsugami, not about Tsugami and his bullfight!

[küb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boğa Güreşi, yazı işleri müdürü olmak için hayli genç olan başkarakter Tsugami’nin savaş sonrası Japon halkını eğlendirmek adına bir boğa güreşi etkinliğini düzenlemek için bir organizatörün ısrarına kayıtsız kalamamasının romanı.
Hiçbir bilgisi, fikri, ilgisi olmadan giriştiği bu işte bir anda bundan fayda sağlayacak insanların ısrarlı tavırlarının şahitliği, kendisinin özel hayatında kayıtsız bir insan olması ve partnerinin ruh haline kayıtsızlığının sinir bozuculuğu, boğa güreşinin izinler ve gereklilikleri doğrultusunda oldukça politik ve bürokratik olmasıyla sıkışması derken benim için okuması keyifli bir okuma oldu.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this little gem after hearing an adaptation on BBC Radio. Set (and written) in the aftermath of World War II in Japan, it tells the story of a newspaper publisher trying to organize a bullfight in Japan. He deals with excessive paperwork and organized crime as he works through it. Added upon traditions and the depression of the aftermath of war and surrender, it is a delightful novel. It is a clean and elegant little novel.

One note, do not think of this is bullfighting a la Spain. No, not at all, I had no idea that Japan had its own bullfighting culture, which seems to be centered around one specific island. I highly recommend this!

[Hulyacln · Rating 4 out of 5]

1946, büyük savaşın bitişinin ertesi yılı. Osaka Yeni Akşam gazetesi yeni yeni varlığını gösteriyor. Diğer gazetelerden farklılığını göstermek, finansal bağımsızlık ve tanınırlık istiyor. Bir organizatör fikir atıyor ortaya: boğa güreşleri turnuvası düzenlemeyi ve bu organizasyonu gazetelerinin yapmasının ne kadar karlı bir iş olacağını.
Hazırlıklar başlıyor.
Ama hesaba katmadıkları bir şey var: Japonya artık savaş öncesi Japonya’dan çok farklı.
.
Yasushi Inoue çok merak ettiğim kalemlerdendi. Görece geç bir yaşta yazarlık kariyerine başlasa da üretkenliği ile büyük bir isim olmayı başaran Inoue, ufak bir kıvılcımdan yola çıkarak; büyük bir yangını gözler önüne sermeyi başarıyor. Değişen ikili ilişkileri, savaşın kimilerince zenginleşme kaynağı da olabildiğini, hayatın pek çok yerinde ‘atılan zarların şansına’ kararlar aldığını uzun cümlelere gerek kalmadan anlatıyor.
Severek ve diğer eserlerinin çevrilmesi için büyük bir istek duyarak okudum Boğa Güreşi’ni.
.
Barış Bayıksel çevirisi, Utku Lomlu kapak tasarımıyla ~

[Freddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read on, the metaphorical significance of bullfighting became more on the nose, but at the same time quite elegant. There's a dash of absurdism here and there - which is a guilty pleasure of mine... 😚

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read, I think this is a book for me where I will need a few read throughs to truly appreciate it. Whilst I enjoyed it I think there is some depth to it which I didn't quite get.

I have given it a 3 but I think 3.5 is more accurate. I will say it is a beautiful edition by Pushkin Press, I like the design and feel of the book. I will certainly be purchasing more of their books in the future.

[Temy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
This novella is as good as, if not better than, The Hunting Gun. The writing is sharp and elegant, and tells of the life in post war Japan, and of course of bullfight, albeit not much.

[Dion Yulianto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alur ceritanya sebenarnya biasa saja. Sebuah perusahaan surat kabar menjadi sponsor tunggal dari pertandingan adu banteng untuk yang pertama kalinya. Tsugami, san editor kepala, ditugasi tanggung jawab untuk mempersiapkan acara ini jauh-jauh hari. Tidak ada kesan horor, misteri, atau thriler, tapi nuansa muram dan "hari hujan yang dingin" sangat terasa. Mungkin lebih ke bagaimana kisah ini ditulis, yang menjadikan novela ini menarik. Latar tempatnya di Jepang seusai pengeboman tahun 1946 menjadikan kisahnya unik, dan karakter-karakternya selain sangat biasa-biasa saja (dalam artian yang bagus, karena mereka ini sangat realistis) juga digambarkan dengan detail yang membuat pembaca bisa membaca mereka secara mentally. Tidak ada karakter yang wah atau wow, tapi pembaca akan disuguhi karekater-karakter yang realistis dalam situasi realistis yang digambarkan dengan sangat cerdas.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book where the guy has wife and kids but is somehow dating someone else in a far away city. For a smart guy he sure is dumb. He has a failing relationship with his mistress and now a failing company. His dream was doomed from the start. He should have Atleast learned what bullfighting was before risking the whole company. He’s like Todd Bohely taking over Chelsea. Tricked into losing everything and now a loser. BIG Loser. Also he has an inferiority complex, every men he sees that is successful he’s scared of. What a loser, now his girlfriend gonna leave him, he’s gonna lose his job, reputation and hopefully his wife leaves him. Bleh. I bet he has dreamy eyes tho. I like book tho, probably no read again, business hard. Snow country better. Bleh do I feel bad for him? No, idk why I just don’t. Bleh

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The genre of older Japanese literature is hit and miss for me. Often the gender roles and relationship perspectives do not sit well with me and, to be honest, I am often a little disappointed.
The Bullfight , I am happy to say, falls more on the hit side of things (although I did find myself wondering aloud "BUT WHY?" quite a few times.)

Perhaps it works because it is in many ways a character study: A small Japanese newspaper wants to hold a traditional japanese Bull tournament right after the war. It is not quite clear why, but a lot of men, especially the editor of said newspaper, put a lot of energy into the project. At a time when food is scarce, finding, transporting, feeding and keeping 42 huge bulls is not only difficult, it seems like a lesson in futility. On the way to the tournament, the editor encounters a mixture of unsavoury characters who try (and often succeed) in exploiting the breakdown of society.

Perhaps the novel works because it is more a book about post-war Japan, about the nature of hope, ambition and despair. These men want to build something, they want to do something great - something that will prove to them that their nation is coming back. We see disaster looming for this small, financially strapped newspaper, but the men in it are unwilling to accept anything less than everything.

A third reason why the novel works may be that there are very few women, and the one who is there shows discontent and a personality of her own. She looks at her boyfriend, at his obsessive concentration on the bullfight, and tries to find her own way of dealing with the situation. Compared to other books I have read, this was a refreshingly modern portrayal, and although the story did not go quite as deep as I would have liked, I was still captivated.

The fourth and final aspect that works for this novel is the prose. It kept me close to the narrative, it made me want to know why these men act the way they do, and every time I thought I might put the novel down for a bit, I immediately wanted to read on.

So, this was an unusual but much appreciated novel that I will keep in my mental "weird but somehow fascinating" shelf. No idea who I would recommend it to, but it deserves to be read.

[Ross McMeekin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished Bullfight in less than three days—fast for me—which speaks to the fluidity of the prose and the momentum Inoue builds around the plot (which hangs on the organization of a massive, high leverage bullfight). While the novel operates as a microcosm of the socio-economic forces facing post-WWII Japan, more interesting to me were the characters, a cast of swindlers and opportunists trying to take advantage of their country’s rebuilding process. The story centers around Mr. Tsugami, a newspaper editor, and the sharply-drawn peculiarities of his drive towards success. Inoue is a writer who spends a good amount of time in his character’s heads, often using metaphor to illuminate his character’s inner workings. Here’s an example involving Mr. Tsugami:

“His practice was to listen noncommittally with half his mind, while he allowed the other half to lose itself in utterly unrelated , often deeply lonely musings. From the speaker's perspective it was like sticking a lance into something again and again with no result...” 

I found this book through a local bookstore’s curated reading program, in which the store owner sends a recommended book every month, usually one that’s outside the scope of the usual publicity channels. For what it’s worth, I plan to read more translations of Yasushi’s work. Highly recommended.

[James J · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was in the library looking for a book, this one was not on my list. I walked past it to what I actually wanted to take out. I passed it by again as I searched for another book. And then - you guessed it- again for another (I never said my library process was sensible).

On the third pass, this red book called 'Bullfight' caught my attention, a bit like a stereotypical bullfight, I was drawn in by the red. I picked it up. I had not heard of the author or the book, but at 130 pages, I thought I'd take the chance.

I had to read the first 20 pages about three times. Simply, it wasn't going in. I'm not sure if it is the author's writing style or the translation, but something wasn't working for me. Eventually, I clicked into the writing style and from there it became easier to read.

I felt like the story was a bit empty, but the concept intriguing. Post-WW2 Japanese journalism and bulls is not a concept I had considered much (who has?), so it was interesting to read this from that perspective, though the world-building and imagery was quite minimal.

I like opportunities for a reader to infer and create their own story/understanding, but there were a few too many plot points within this book which felt vacuous. The main character has a wife and children whom he just abandons? It's implied he intends to return, maybe? I assume the idea is he is so swept away with work he 'forgets' to return? Or maybe it's a post-war commentary on communities? Either way, I feel elements like this rely on excessive inference on what wasn't intended.

The general plot was interesting, and I can see why the character gets swept up: debt. I assume some of the subtext may have been more apparent for contemporary readers, but a lot of the 'hush hush' aspect was truthfully lost on me.

Side characters seemed a bit odd too. The man who instigated the whole idea seemed to be dodgy, but then was just as screwed as the main character - or so we are led to believe. The benefactor had the energy of a mobster (quite possible post-war Japan) but nothing aside quick access to barley suggests much. The girlfriend/affair/lover seemed to have little to offer aside as an occasional reminder for the main character that she exists (unlike his actual family, apparently?) A random, hitherto unknown business man appears to offer a great escape clause (how convenient) which is duly ignored due to pride and greed, and whose only purpose was to show this, rather than any depth.

The story centres on the main character being enticed to a money-making scheme. Classic. Like my library experience, the opportunity was dangled in front of the main character, who succumbed to the pressure. Except all of the signs of a scam or disingenuous dealings were blaring throughout and thoroughly ignored, fueled by greed.

The ending for the main character was deserved. It's truthfully an unhappy story, which is intriguing in its own right. Stupid choices win stupid prizes - I enjoyed that aspect.

The bottomline for me is that I wanted to enjoy the book more than I did.

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly thanks to Tony Malone and his wonderful website https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/ and to Pushkin Press for providing this copy of the book to me. And indeed thanks to Pushkin Press and the translator Michael Emmerich for making it available to English speaking readers generally, in this beautifully produced edition.

Bullfight was Yasushi Inoue's 2nd novella, albeit written aged 42, and won the Akutagawa Prize, establishing him as a major author in Japan, and was ably translated by the prolific Michael Emmerich.

The author himself describes, in an Afterword written 40 years later towards the end of his career, indeed of his life, his retrospective impressions of this novella and his first, Hunting Gun:

I find myself dazzled by the beginner's enthusiasm...works of a very green novelist...The Hunting Gun and Bullfight carry within them, alongside their youthful ungainliness, something fundamental from which I have never been able to break free. For this reason, I believe I am more fully present in their pages than in any other texts.

Bullfight is set in post WW2 Osaka in late 1946-7. The post-War destruction forms a backdrop rather than being central, but over the course of the slim novella Inoue still manages to make several telling observations:

Close to the peak of Mount Rokko there were a few white streaks of lingering snow. Those few unmelted patches were the only thing that offered Tsugami any relief from his weariness. It seemed to him that something pure had managed to hold on there, something that had otherwise vanished from this defeated nation.

The main character, Tsugami, is editor-in-chief of a start-up newspaper, the Osaka New Evening Post, described by a commentator as "a newspaper for the slightly unsavoury intellectual". Tsugami admits to himself that the paper has

a certain shadow of emptiness, of devil-may-care negligence, of loneliness...qualities that Tsugami, who gave the paper its editorial direction, carried within himself, although he kept them carefully concealed.

He is approached by a country showman, Tashiro, with the idea of creating a "Bull Sumo" tournament, the local speciality of another area of Japan, to promote the paper, make some money and indeed to help overcome the post War torpor of the people: "just the sort of thing the Japanese needed if they were going to keep struggling through their lives...Just imagine it - tens of thousands of spectators betting on a bullfight in a stadium hemmed in on every side by the ruined city."

Putting the tournament together involves some rather convoluted dealing with the local and occupational authorities and with the black market, including a succession of memorably shady businessmen to whom the "schemer' Tashiro introduces Tsugami. But Tsugami is no innocent, indeed it is Tashiro that displays "naïve optimism" about the project. Tsugami had

made a fairly accurate assessment of his character as a showman when they first met - his cunning, his shamelessness, the likelihood that he would stray from the straight and narrow if it proved necessary to bring in a bit of money. He had no fear, despite all of this, that he would get burned in the course of their colloboration. In part this was because he sensed there was a limit to how deep these admittedly caution-inspiring traits went...but more reassuring still was the oddly pure enthusiasm Tashiro showed for his work on occasion, a sort of passion that made Tsugami think with a start that he himself probably had a lot more bad inside him that Tashiro.

At its heart the novella is a character study of Tsugami, outwardly a respected newspaper editor, but with the concealed side referred to above. No one knows him better than his lover Sakiko, with whom he has a rather fractuous relationship. Indeed as soon as she hears about the plan she immediately and accurately observes:

'You'd love a project like that...You'd get totally wrapped up in it, I can tell. You've got that side to you. The unsavoury side.'

She accurately predicts how Tsugami will become, willingly but inextricably caught up in "rather shady business dealings, the not-quite-right incidents, all so problematic of this confused age, fighting against the odds to make things work."

Indeed, her knowledge of this secret side of Tsugami is the source of her love for him, as well as the cause of their constant falling out:

'No one else knows you have this side to you', she would say when she was feeling happy, 'This sneaky, sloppy, unsavoury side. No one else, just me.' Her eyes would shine, as though that element of Tsugami's character were a trace of the love she had given.

On other occasions, however, she would utter the exact same words but as a criticism.

Tsugami's true character isn't quite as hidden as both he and Sakiko, for different reasons, hope and believe. As he gets more enmeshed in the project it starts to threaten the financial viability of the newspaper, but Tsugami deliberately avoids a number of easy opportunities to cut his losses on the paper's gamble in financing the tournament. His Chairman "noted with a certain unease that underneath his stern outer shell, this young reporter, reputed to be so sharp, so clearly fastidious, even picky, harboured a tendency to wallow half-wittedly in his desires that made it unwise to trust him too far."

Sakiko's feelings about the project - and her relationship with Tsugami - are complex. His increasing enmeshment means he has little time for her, and she realises that she almost wishes the project to fail to create within him "an emptiness that only she can fill.". Indeed, at the lowest point in the saga, when the tournament appears doomed to spectacular failure, "an almost maternal sense of victory flickered within her. She felt a strange love for him, paired with a kind of cruel pressure".

Overall, despite its brevity, and the relative simplicity of the plot, Bullfight offers a wonderful character study of one man's obsession and a woman's love, while at the same time providing a subtle exploration of the rebuilding of post-War Japan both physically and in the attitudes of the people.

Recommended.

[JacquiWine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read Bullfight in January, and a recent reread confirms that it’s very likely to make my end-of-year list. A superb little novella, Bullfight is the second work by Japanese journalist, literary editor and author Yasushi Inoue, first published in 1949 and now available as a new edition from Pushkin Press. It really is a thing of beauty, small and perfectly formed in many ways.

The novella is set in Osaka between the final months of 1946 and January 1947, a city in the early stages of economic recovery following the Second World War. As the story opens we meet our main character Tsugami, editor-in-chief of the Osaka New Evening Post, a novel breed of newspaper focused on culture and entertainment, and targeted towards ‘urban intellectuals and salarymen.’ On the surface, Tsugami appears rational and efficient. Under his stewardship, the paper has achieved a certain level of success, its fresh approach proving popular amongst readers looking for something different to the ‘oafish’ papers of the wartime era. Beneath this exterior, however, lurks a somewhat impulsive side to the editor’s character, an aspect visible only to his lover, Sakiko, the woman with whom he has been living on and off for three years:

“No one else knows you have this side to you,” she would say when she was feeling happy. “This sneak, sloppy unsavoury side…” (pg. 24, Pushkin Press)

Against this backdrop, Tsugami receives an intriguing business proposition; he is approached by Tashiro, who announces himself as ‘President of Umewaka Entertainment’ even though he is in truth ‘as sly a showman as any you were likely to find.’ Nevertheless, Tashiro’s proposal is a tempting one; he wishes to organise a three-day bull sumo tournament to bring the sport into the city spotlight, and he offers Tsugami an exclusive sponsorship deal: an equal share in the profits from ticket sales should his newspaper agree to co-fund and promote the event.

All at once, in the most natural manner, Tashiro had caused the scene to rise up before Tsugami like a frame from a movie: the vast modern bleachers at Hanshin Stadium or Köroen Stadium; the contest between two living creatures playing itself out within a bamboo enclosure at the center; the riveted spectators; the loudspeakers; the bundles of bills; the rocking, cheering waves of people…It was a slow-moving, cold but distinctly palpable picture, executed in lead. After that, Tsugami hardly paid any attention to what Tashiro was saying. Betting, he was thinking, yes, this could work. Everyone would put money on the bulls […] In these postwar days, perhaps this was just the sort of thing the Japanese needed if they were going to keep struggling through their lives. Set up some random event for people to bet on, and everything would take care of itself: they would come and place their bets. (pgs. 18-19)

It’s not long before Tsugami is seduced by the prospect of such a spectacle and the profits of course: the newspaper could stand to net one million yen if the tournament were to prove a sell-out. The paper’s president loves the idea of the project, so the deal goes ahead. Not that Tsugami has any semblance of a plan at this stage; there’ll be plenty of time for that later.

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[Gus Emmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel starts to meander a little bit and you feel a little disappointed. Then around page 100 Yasushi Inoue gets out a large shovel with “THIS BOOK IS A METAPHOR FOR WAR” written on it and absolutely brains you with it

[Novecento · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some lose ends here and there, like the 'fight' between Miura and Tsugami, but ten minutes after having read 'Bullfight' I am left with a sensation I like. And yet I am also disturbed by the ending which, I am afraid, was translated not ideally in the German edition (an awful, hard-to-read construction with too many commas, even though i figure that the change in tone and complexity of this final sentence is probably significant in the Japanese Text too). What is this sensation? It has to do with a certain clarity in expression and the text's construction, which appears to me very clear, it has something definite, something absolute about it. The build-up, the gamble, the fight, the end, these are the elements which are not chronologically played out but somehow conflated, all of them appearing throughout the text, shifting fields and protagonists. Thus I find it a reduced field, which is something I often like when the characters are also believable and unpredictable, when they tell me something about me that I did not know. To me, that is the case in Inoue's text. I also like how concrete the bullfight remains, how it escapes any obvious function as a sign for x, y, or z. Yes, this story also talks about Japan after the war but certainly not as a metaphor. I like how place and viewing positions are consciously employed, who sits where, in what row, and where exactly, although I am unable able to draw a significant lesson from them. My favourite one is a beautiful, complex sequence montaging two forms of darkness seen as Sakiko imagines Tsugami's face looking at the dark sky after the lights of the fireworks have gone out, with her seeing him surrounded by darkness. While darkness can be such a terribly clicheed image to convey moods, this one pleasingly escapes such forms of cheating. I generally felt uncheated and I found every emotion, part. between Sakiiko and Tsugami believable and breathtaking.

[Pascale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like other Japanese classics I've read recently (The Kobe Hotel, The Golden Pavilion), this story struck me more for how it portrays the bleak mood in post-war Japan than for its plot or characters. Of course the plot itself is somewhat unusual since it revolves around a bullfight, not something Westerners normally associates with Japan. In fact, bull sumo has existed on the Shikoku island for some centuries, although it only became something of a tradition in the second half of the nineteenth-century. In Inoue's story, Tashiro, a native of Shikoku, manages to get Tsugami, the editor-in-chief of the Osaka New Evening Post, to sponsor 3 days of bullfighting in January 1947. Tsugami, who put his family safe in Tottori during the war, has an unsatisfactory relationship with the widow Sakiko, who is desperate to get more commitment from him. However, for no obvious reason, Tsugami channels all his energy into making a success of the bullfights. Largely out of pride, he turns down offers from shady 2 shady businessmen, Okabe and Miura, to join in the venture and share some of its costs and potential profits. In the end, bad weather compromises the event and Tsugami's newspaper faces huge losses, but for a brief moment, the few thousand people who turned up for the show forgot about the grind of daily life in a vanquished country. A well-constructed story but with something missing.

[Jesse Casman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bullfight is an easy, short read and an interesting look at 1946 Japan. Just translated into English for the first time in 2013, it provides welcome access to a less internationally well-known Japanese author, Yasushi Inoue. He deserves a higher level of recognition in the US. Bullfight has a Hemingway feel to it: Simple, clear prose that effortlessly speaks to larger themes. Can Japan recover? Will big gambles pay off? As a story, it left me less than satisfied since it doesn't spoon feed you all the answers. This book would make great book club fodder. Incidentally, the same author wrote The Samurai Banner of Furin Kazan, a fantastic historical drama set in the warring states period. Completely different historical period but another fantastic access point to Japan.

[Ad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inoue found the subject for Bullfight in the chaotic postwar Japanese society. It depicts the frenzied activities of an enterprising newspaper executive, Tsugami, who is promoting a bullfight in Osaka, the success or failure of which will determine the fate of his firm. For months this great gamble consumes him, making him as wary and combative as if he was in a ring himself. And, as he becomes ever more distant, his lover Sakiko is unsure if she would like to see him succeed or be destroyed.

Established Inoue Yasushi as one of Japan's most acclaimed authors and earned the Akutagawa prize in 1949.

Note that this concerns a traditional, Japanese-style bullfight, i.e. between bull and bull and not with a matador. In Japanese bullfights, usually no blood flows.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small but very subtle and well-written book about the editor-in-chief of a local newspaper in post-war Osaka who decided to organise a bull-fight. The way the author describes the atmosphere in a Japanese town that has been largely destroyed by American bombers is magnificent. Without actually describing the damage he manages to portray the desolation and despair of the place. The main players are a sardonic editor, a desparate lover, sketched in the most impressionist way, shady black market businessmen and the first succesful entrepreneurs. But all the way you can almost taste the soot, the blackness, the desolation and the damage of this Japan in the very first years after the war.

[Renee Morth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just completed this little gem this morning...it's atmosphere seeped from the pages into my soul. The story focuses on the lead-up and the preparations of a bullfight rather than the actual event itself. As a theatre director I completely connected with and appreciated how the bullfight is all consuming for Tsugami. A beautiful tale about sacrifice, pride, greed, risk taking and loss....LOVED IT!

[!Tæmbuŝu]

KOBOBOOKS

Reviewed by The Complete Review, The Independent (3 Nov 2013)

[Rachella Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, like it's writing and the cautionary tale it holds is more about process than plot. I read the whole book with a sense of unwarranted foreboding.

Description of place and character A+
Setting and authenticity A+

Plot C- But perhaps that's just the Japanese style of writing and I'm just a prole Westerner who likes a good potboiler.