The Bamboo Sword: And Other Samurai Tales

by Shuhei Fujisawa, Gavin Frew (Translator)

The eight stories that comprise this collection were all written in the 1970s and 80s, yet vividly evoke early 17th-century Japan, when peace finally reigned after centuries of warfare. It was a period of upheaval and change as the rulers carved out their territories and clan politics were full of intrigue, rivalry and betrayals. The samurai were still valued for their swordsmanship, and were a cut above the peasants, artisans, and merchants in the social hierarchy. Without battles to fight, however, they struggled to retain their sense of pride and meaning in life as they devoted themselves to mundane jobs, marriage and family. The occasional flash of the sword and samurai discipline were tempered by the unexpected intrusion of human interaction. Sympathies, conspiracies, kindnesses, enmities-all kinds of odd relationships were formed and conflicts resolved in surprising ways. These tales are colorful, atmospheric, exciting, tender, violent and gently ironic.

The Bamboo Sword and Other Samurai Tales is published as part of the Japanese Literature Publishing Project (JLPP), which is run by the Japanese Literature Publishing and Promotion Center (J-Lit Center) on behalf of the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan.

Genres: Japan, Short Stories, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Historical, Asia

253 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 1981

About the author

Shuhei Fujisawa (藤沢 周平 Fujisawa Shūhei) was a Japanese author, whose real name was Tomeji Kosuge. (小菅留治). Over fifty of his books were published through the course of his lifetime, including both full-length novels and short story anthologies. The focus of his writing was historical fiction. Before he became an author, he had been a journalist.

Over 23 million of his paperbacks have been printed. His work has been adapted for both television and film. Five recent full-length films have been based on his work.

In 1973, Fujisawa received the 69th Naoki Prize (1973) for Ansatsu no Nenrin (Annals of Assassination). He would go on to win six further literary awards, among them the Asahi Prize in 1994.

Reviews

[Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you think samurai stories are about fighting and slashing, this book will change your mind. This is a collection of eight short stories based on the times of old Japan when the samurai were still in operation. Although there is some sword fighting, it is basically about people who have problems, dreams, are down on their luck, and are therefore sympathetic and realistic characters. Women characters in the stories are also shown with a great deal of respect and dimension which is refreshing.

The first story, "The Bamboo Sword," has a samurai with a predicament that most Americans today can identify with: he's broke. Given a chance to elevate his status, he discovers that he must kill a samurai whose situation is very much like his.

Readers are advised to do a bit of reading on the Tokugawa Shogunate to familiarize themselves with the customs of the period as these stories are historical fiction. Some of things to remember is that samurais were paid in bushels of rice and the more bushels, the more affluent they were.

The only complaint I have is that author Shuhei Fujisawa's literary executors are not allowing any more western translations of his works--this is the only one--and he's written so much more, over 50 books! It makes make angry that whoever holds the rights to translation (Fujisawa died in 1997)seems intent at withholding this rich literary treasure of novels and short story anthologies from the non-Japanese reader.

I would like to recommend three films based on Fujisawa's stories. These are excellent films and can be viewed for free on YouTube. The first is "The Twilight Samurai," the second is "The Hidden Blade," and the third is "Love and Honor." These films were all directed by Yoji Yamada and are a wonderful introduction to Japanese cinema.

[Farhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

জাপানের সাহিত্যসম্ভার বিপুল, এমনকি ইংরেজি পাঠকরা অনুবাদসূত্রে প্রচুর জাপানি লেখক এবং সাহিত্য চিনলেও সেটা সমগ্র সাহিত্যের ভগ্নাংশ মাত্র। বড় কারণ জাপানিদের বিদেশ বিমুখতা; আরেকটা কারণ জাপানি সংস্কৃতি আর ভাষা এতটাই আলাদা যে, একজন অনুবাদককে সেটার সাথে পরিচিত হতেই প্রচুর সময় ব্যয় করতে হয়। জাপানিরা সহজে তাদের পরিবার বা সমাজে কাউকে প্রবেশ করতে দেয় না, এটাও একটা কারণ। এজন্য আমার পর্যবেক্ষণ হলো, জাপানি কোন বই এমনকি ইংরেজি অনুবাদটাও যখন হাতে পাই, মূল বই হয়তো প্রকাশিত হয়েছে তার ১৫-২০-২৫ বছর আগে। এই 'দ্য বাম্বু সোর্ড' বইটার কথাই ধরি; জাপানে এটা প্রকাশিত হয়েছে ১৯৭৮ সালে; ২০০২ সালে এটার প্রথম গল্পটার উপর ভিত্তি করে 'দ্য টোয়াইলাইট সামুরাই' নামের একটা সুপারহিট এওয়ার্ড উইনিং সিনেমাও হয়ে গেছে, কিন্তু ইংরেজি অনুবাদ হয়েছে ২০০৫ সালে, আর আমি বইটা পড়লাম ২০২৩ সালে। যা হোক, বেটার লেইট দ্যান নেভার।
৮টা ছোটগল্পের সংকলন 'দ্য বাম্বু সোর্ড'। আমার পড়া জাপানি বইগুলোর চেয়ে একটু আলাদা বলবো, কারণ সাধারণত জাপানি বইগুলোতে দেখেছি খুব ডার্ক এবং ট্র‍্যাজিক একটা টোন থাকে, এই বইয়ের প্রথম গল্পটায় এবং মাঝে আরেকটা গল্পে সামান্য খানিকটা থাকলেও গল্পগুলোর টোন খুবই পজিটিভ এবং আশাবাদী। সেটা মনে হবার কারণ সম্ভবত এই যে, প্রায় সব গল্পই চারপাশে ঘটে যাওয়া ছোটখাটো ঘটনা নিয়ে, আর অন্তত আমার বিশ্বাস হলো, আমাদের মত সাধারণ মানুষের জীবনে প্রচুর ট্র‍্যাজেডি এলেও মোটের উপর আমাদের জীবন খুব একটা 'ডার্ক' বা ডিপ্রেসড না, আমরা সাধারণ মানুষেরা হাজারো কষ্টের মাঝেও ছোটখাটো আনন্দ আর আশা নিয়েই বেঁচে থাকি (মানে, জীবনটা ডিসি কমিক্স বা নেটফ্লিক্স না আরকি, যেখানে সবার জীবন খালি ডার্ক ইমোশন আর ইনার পেইন দিয়ে ফালাফালা হয়ে যাচ্ছে। যত্তসব!)। সবগুলো গল্পই, বইয়ের নাম থেকে যেমন বোঝা যায়, সামুরাইদের নিয়ে, কিন্তু এখানে যুদ্ধবিগ্রহ নেই। ঘটনাগুলো ১৬০০ সালের কিছু পরে, তখন প্রায় ১৫০ বছর ধরে চলা গৃহযুদ্ধের অবসান হয়েছে, শোগুন ইয়েইয়াসু তোকুগাওয়া ক্ষমতায় এসে যুদ্ধবাজ দাইমিওদের ঠেঙিয়ে শান্তি প্রতিষ্ঠা করেছেন। কিন্তু এই শান্তিকালে সামুরাই সম্প্রদায়, যারা যুদ্ধ দেখে এবং যুদ্ধ করেই বড় হয়েছে, তারা কিঞ্চিৎ বেকায়দায় আছে। এখন যুদ্ধ বাদ দিয়ে তাদের বউ-বাচ্চা-চাল-ডাল-তেল-নুনের হিসেব করতে হচ্ছে, জড়াতে হচ্ছে রাজনীতিতেও। সব মিলিয়ে মনে হবে, ৪০০ বছর আগের এবং ৫০০০ কিলোমিটার দূরের এক স্থানের প্রেক্ষাপট হলেও এ যেন আমাদেরই প্রতিদিনের জীবনের কথা। হাইলি রেকমেন্ডেড, এবং ৫ তারা।

[Zeynep Beyza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a collection of short stories kind of book and I've had so much fun. I love reading about Japan and reading about 1600s Japan was even more awesome.
It says this book was put together by Japanese Literature Publishing Project and I'm happy to hear that there is a project like that. I'd love to read more Japanese literature and I'm hoping my school's library has more books from JLPP.

[MARIANELA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesante libro de relatos de vida de samurais, no relata batallas de samurias sino que relata la vida cotidiana de los samurais en los tiempos que Tokugawa ya estaba en el poder.
He leído 5 de los 8 relatos.
La Espada de Bambu
Aguacero
Kozuru
Todo por un melón
Manos danzantes

[Gillena Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eight stories well told. Of honour, family, social standing, love, friendships and enmity. Loved each one. Hard to pick a favourite. The moods are hot and cool. The events at sword slashing and passionate. Selfish decadence and self rebuilding stamina. All of this and more. We travel in these stories Old Japan in the time of Samurai and wages in bushels of rice.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE REVIEW:
These were great short stories.
I wondered how anyone could really enjoy them without the accompanying visuals of 18th Century Japan
- the hair-dos, dress, architecture etc. Knowing enriched them for me.
I felt that the two Japanese films I had seen based on these stories were far superior to the stories themselves. The stories often lacked an emotional depth which made the films so moving and beautiful. There were humour and irony in some stories. A range of characters in both age and gender. Novel situations and solutions.

The adage of a picture being worth a thousand words hit home to me in this particular context.
Often I prefer the book to the film.
I asked myself how I would have treated the stories as a writer to achieve the quality of emotion of the films.
Longwindedness and verbosity ?

PRELUDE:
I saw a film titled "Twilight Samurai".
One of the most real, beautiful, moving and tense films I have ever seen.

A human tale of Seibei, a low ranking samurai and a poor widower caring for his old mother and two young daughters and the butt of office jokes behind his back. His reacquaintance with Tomoe, a childhood friend who also befriends his children, offers opportunity for a new life but he soon realises he is too poor to offer marriage to her. When he is ordered to execute a troublesome samurai barricaded in a house, he sees this as his one chance to win back some semblance of a life for himself and those he loves.

I had an opportunity last year to see this remarkable film again at a series of 8 Japanese films accompanying an exhibition of beautiful prints by the 17th Century artist Utamaro.I learned that the director, Yoji Yamada had made a trilogy of films based on the stories of a popular novelist Shuhei Fujisawa(1927 - 1997).

I picked up my ordered copy of eight of his stories in "The Bamboo Sword", on which some of the films are based, this morning at our local excellent bookshop.

And recently I stumbled across "The Hidden Blade", the second film in Yamada's trilogy, on late night TV. What a find!!!...and yet another wonderful tale possessing all the qualities of the first.

STAY TUNED!!!!

[J. Merwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a tremendous fan of the three movies based on this book I'm a little underwhelmed by the writing...pretty sure it's the translation and as this is the only version available I guess we're stuck with it. I have a feeling the language Shuhei uses would be characterized as spare realism in order to reveal the hardships of everyday life in late Edo...it's not enjoyable when the translation is poor, (as is also the case with Arthur Waley's 1920's translation of The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book of Sei Shonegon). Will struggle through.

[CAW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very accessible little Easterns. The writing style strikes me as nearer mid-19th than mid-20th century, with occasional digressions on history, but in all liklihood translation has done the stories' density no favours. Worth the reading, for sure.

[Sarbajit Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect portrayal of old Edo and it's lifestyle .... nicely executed

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suntem in prezenta unei antologii de proza scurta, mai exact 8 povestiri cu si despre samurai. Vom vedea insa ca nu toate sunt cu samurai, asa cum titlul sugereaza. Inainte sa vorbim despre cateva dintre ele pe larg trebuie sa lamurim niste termeni:
- samurai: luptator aflat in serviciul unui nobil - shogun sau daymio - ce se supune codului de onoare Bushido. Cel mai mare samurai este considerat Miyamoto Musashi.
- ronin: samuraiul ramas fara sensei sau stapan. El ajunge in aceasta ipostaza fie daca i-a murit conducatorul fie daca el insusi este decazut. Termenul se mai foloseste si in ziua de azi desemnand pe cineva care e concediat, vagabond, etc.
- sohei: calugar budist luptator de rang inalt.

Prima povestire, "Takemitsu Shimatsu" (Sabia de bambus) a aparut in 1881 si este cea care da si numele antologiei. Protagonist este roninul Tanjuro Oguro ce isi cauta o slujba la un castel. Acesta si familia lui impresioneaza prin demnitate, in ciuda saraciei cumplite in care se zbat.
Din text aflam foarte multe lucruri despre samurai - purtau haori (kimono) cu blazonul familiei si hakama (fusta pantalon) iar in picioare aveau sandale de paie.

"Hashiri ame" (Ploaie trecatoare) a aparut in 1880 si nu este despre un samurai ci despre un fierar care noaptea fura din casele unde ziua lucreaza. Ascuns sub streasina unui templu el statea la panda pana ce ploaia s-ar fi oprit pentru a patrunde intr-o casa. In timp ce astepta va auzi trei povesti ce ii vor schimba viata. Textul este plin de invataminte si merita citit.

"Ikka no uri" (Totul pentru un pepene) a aparut in 1976 si mi-a placut cel mai mult fiind o intamplare din viata unui samurai de rang inferior ce se trezeste alaturi de prietenul sau implicat intr-o conspiratie. Povestirea are de toate: lupte cu sabia, scrisori secrete si chiar si o femeie samurai. Finalul este de un umor nebun care o sa va faca sa radeti in hohote.

Ultima pe care o abordam este "Odoru te" (Dansul mainilor) si a aparut in 1988 fiind o scurta povestire despre un baietel ce prinde drag de o batranica abandonata de familia ei. Este duioasa si ne aduce aminte de copilarie si bunici.

Asadar avem de-a face cu niste povestiri reusite, pline de invataminte si talc, in care samuraii sunt prezentati ca niste oameni simpli, demni, luptatori, muncitori, cu familie si copii, buni manuitori ai sabiei si loiali stapanului lor. Departe de a avea acea aura de legenda hollywoodiana care li se atribuie in ziua de azi ci pastrand traditionalismul japonez.
P.S. Foarte curios, nimeni nu face seppuku in carte, desi cu totii au temperamentul vulcanic si sunt iuti la manie scotand katana practic la orice ocazie.

[Cristi Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection of samurai tales, that explores the clash between honor, duty and emotions.

The Bamboo Sword contains eight short stories, which unfold at the beginning of the Edo period, right after the battle of Sekigahara. Most of the stories take place during a period of peace, that comes after long unrest, so they center more on the domestic lives of samurais, rather than what they achieve on a battlefield.

Fujisawa’s characters are capable to show individuality. They don’t follow blindly their clans and leaders, and they are able to elevate their personal needs (and their families) above the needs of the clan. Torn between their sense of duty and their emotions, they always resort to virtue and morality. Although most of the stories are triggered when some low rank samurai is caught in the deadly games of the higher ranks, this almost constant way to lead to intrigue wasn’t necessarily something that felt repetitive. **** stars

[Trevor Kew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally got around to reading the titular short story (in Japanese, which was tough!...had to go beyond dictionaries at times and use image searches for certain archaic objects/references!...) after absolutely loving the film "たそがれ清兵衛” which is based on it and one other story (oddly enough, the film is not based on the Fujisawa story that it draws its title from...apart from the character's name).

It's an incredible little story (about 25 pages)...such an incredibly evocative image of this lonely broken-down man showing up at the gates of a daimyo lord, hoping for a job and some way of supporting his wife and two daughters, and ending up with a sort of "offer he can't refuse."

I'd like to read the translation of this story that came out (quite recently) along with a few more of Fujisawa's tales, as well as some more Fujisawa stories in Japanese (he wrote a lot!...the vast majority never translated into English).

[Trevor Kew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally got around to reading this short story (in Japanese, which was tough!...had to go beyond dictionaries at times and use image searches for certain archaic objects/references!...) after absolutely loving the film "たそがれ清兵衛” which is based on it and one other story (oddly enough, the film is not based on the Fujisawa story that it draws its title from...apart from the character's name).

It's an incredible little story (about 25 pages)...such an incredibly evocative image of this lonely broken-down man showing up at the gates of a daimyo lord, hoping for a job and some way of supporting his wife and two daughters, and ending up with a sort of "offer he can't refuse."

I'd like to read the translation of this story that came out (quite recently) along with a few more of Fujisawa's tales, as well as some more Fujisawa stories in Japanese (he wrote a lot!...the vast majority never translated into English).

[Kern · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two chapters into this short story collection, I felt underwhelmed but still hopeful that some later stories would be more substantial. After two more, it became clear there was not much distinguishing these stories from one another. The narratives are so thin, all ending with varying degrees of cheap irony, the characters are completely shallow—especially the female characters who are all borderline offensively written—and there's so much unnecessary exposition. I appreciate the author wanting to put the story into the context of its time period, but all of the paragraphs unloading historical information which have no bearing on the stories themselves would have been better spent developing the plot or characters more.

[ジェイミー · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eight short stories from the samurai days. At first, I thought they were old, classic, tales but they are not. Nevertheless, they are really light, positive and uplifting stories that give you a taste of the old days in Japan. You’ll likely get through them quickly as they are very easy and fun to read.

[Miss · Rating 2 out of 5]

El libro tiene menos de 230 páginas y se conforma de 8 relatos, los cuales no he disfrutado tanto, las historias me parecen algo planas y sin grandes tramas, no me han parecido interesantes, en algunos casos hasta aburridas.
Esperaba aventuras de samuráis más que la cotidianidad de sus vidas, tal vez por ello no logró atraparme.

[Pablo Osorio · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Qué bellos relatos! Muy recomendada su lectura. Tal vez sólo una advertencia: tengan pendiente que los japoneses valoran el cuidado de sus ancianos, la lealtad, el té, los juegos de azar, entre otros. Con esto en mente se comprende y disfruta mejor los relatos.

[Megan Koblegarde]

**DNF**
Read 1/2 of the book but wasn’t compelled by any of the stories unfortunately. Also couldn’t find a theme through line deeper than samurai. Became very clear to me that Fujisawa only writes women as either silent or aggressive and that’s just another reason why this feels so lifeless.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Read half - might go back to rest if I have time.

[Paduraru Victor · Rating 3 out of 5]

At their worst the stories have way too many characters and lore - information dump but at their best the stories develop in ways you don't expect and leave you with a feeling of satisfaction.

[Rita Costa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories, made me see samurai lifestyle in other kind of way.
But didn’t entertain me enough

[Veronika KaoruSaionji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful stories from past, mostly about poor samurai families/heroes. I cried by reading every of them, but I was always pleased. Tender stories about love (often about love in marriage - love of man for his wife - or between parents and their children, once about man who lost his wife and child and hated all world, but he finds his hapiness in care about abandoned young mother with her little girl, which become his new wife and adopted daughter, because he needs to care for someone which he can love - and he save them because it) and about hope, hope in hardships and poverty. Amazing! I adore it!

[Phillip Longman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short stories about life in Edo period Japan, when the classic samurai role of elite warrior had been made obsolete by peace at home and abroad. I checked it out after watching the Oscar-nominated Japanese file, "The Twilight Samurai," which is based on the titular story. I'm really glad I did, because this is a lovely, human work that really made a foreign place and time come to life. I read it straight through.

[Joy Ramlogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A peep into the world of the samurai, whether ronin or stiffly honour bound these stories are delightful in their humanity and vision of a long gone time. I found it in the local libaray and could not stop reading. Funny how books from another country and time can reach across culture and space and catch your imagination.

[Cal · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright. I remember it at least. It was perhaps a bit too realistic and therefore a little bit boring but someone who's really into samurai might enjoy it more. It teaches you about the class system at least.

[Gemma Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chick lit for samurais! Or is it samurai stories for chicks? Either way, a fun read and a nice counterpoint to the chambarra stereotypes.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of short stories - not as depressing as some Japanese lit.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent stories. Read it in Romanian. Very good translation.

[Vincent]

how to read it

[Juan Soto Muñoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro con relatos entretenidos y que lo sumergen a uno en el Japón medieval.