五重塔―幸田露伴〈1〉

by Rohan Kōda

Tankobon Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Kōda Shigeyuki who used the pen name Kōda Rohan was a Japanese author in the Meiji period. His daughter, Aya Kōda, was also a noted author who often wrote about him.

Reviews

[Durrah13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book, for the sole reason that there aren't really any bad guys in it (well, unless you consider the harmful foolishness of a certain character sinister).

As much as I like Jubei the underdog, I must say I admire Genta. He strikes me as a Japanese Darcy of sorts. He's not evil, he is powerful but maintains high morals. He is not used to people opposing him, especially when they rank below him in society. He makes a genuine effort to compromise, and for that I respect him.

Jūbei is ambitious and honorable at any cost, works hard and lets his work speak for itself, scarcely shares his thoughts and feelings with women and with the reader for that matter. He concerns himself with the bigger picture, not bothering with trivial sharing of emotions. Though he acknowledges his ambition as a fault, he refuses to abandon it, because he has faith in his skill. His “very obstinacy makes [him] what [he is]: Nossori the Dimwit" who will prove himself worthy or die trying (65).

He embodies the katagi (Confucius character archetype) of the skilled builder who takes psychological ownership of the project. He is not simply building a padoga, he is leaving an evidence of his unappreciated skill to be honored by generations to come, which is a vision Genta shares with him (74). For that reason he likens men who take credit for the work of others to parasites, even if they work as a team, because in his eyes glory is built by one’s sweat and blood, a belief which takes a physical form on page 84.

The female characters play supporting roles in the family, where the breadwinner is the husband whose word is absolute. Throughout the story Jubei’s helpless wife plays a passive role, while the wife of the more affluent Genta resorts to sly methods to solve her problems without her husbands knowledge, because she simply cannot risk angering him. Jubei’s son admires his father and his work, and even makes his own little pagoda, as if to say that he wants to become like him when he grows up. This vertical structure with the father on top mimics the way society functioned during that time, with the emperor at the top and everyone else looking up to him. Those with lower standing who want to practice their power have to be careful not to overstep their boundaries, much like a pagoda, everything must stay where it is lest the construction collapse.