Nansō Satomi Hakkenden Explained

Title Orig:南総里見八犬傳
Author:Kyokutei Bakin
Country:Japan
Language:Japanese
Genre:Historical fiction, historical fantasy, gesaku
Pub Date:1814-42
Publisher:Sanseido (vol 1-5)
Publisher2:Yusendo (vol 6-7), Bunkeido (vol 8-9)
Orig Lang Code:ja
Set In:15th century Kantō region, Japan

Nansō Satomi Hakkenden (Japanese: 南総里見八犬伝|label=[[shinjitai]]; Japanese: 南總里見八犬傳|label=[[kyūjitai]]), commonly known as Satomi Hakkenden (Japanese: 里見八犬伝) or simply Hakkenden (Japanese: 八犬伝), is a Japanese epic novel (yomihon) by Kyokutei Bakin, originally published over the course of twenty-eight years (1814–42). Set in the Muromachi period, the story follows the adventures and mishaps of eight fictional warriors born across the Kantō region, who gradually discover their shared origin as "spirit-children" of a Satomi princess and unite in Nansō as loyal defenders of her clan.

The novel, consisting of 98 chapters printed in a total of 106 booklets, is considered the largest novel in the history of Japanese Literature.[1] Bakin, in his 70s by the time the work was completed, had gone blind before finishing the tale, and dictated the final parts to his daughter-in-law Michi Tokimura. Along with Ueda Akinari's Ugetsu Monogatari, it is considered a masterpiece of gesaku literature, and one of the classics of Japanese historical fiction.

The title Hakkenden has been translated as The Eight Dog Chronicles,[2] Tale of Eight Dogs,[3] or Biographies of Eight Dogs.[4]

Synopsis

Hakkenden is a long, dense work told from multiple perspectives - described by translator Glynne Walley as "huge and unwieldy, almost comically so". However, it can be divided into three main arcs - a prologue leading up to the Dog Warriors' birth, the stories of the individual Dogs as they encounter one another, and a final war between the Satomi and their assembled foes. The latter segment is often excluded from modern abridged editions of the novel.

An Ill-Considered Jest [Chapters 1-14]

A battle at Shimōsa Province claims the lives of most of the Satomi clan. The young heir Yoshizane escapes to the neighbouring province of Awa, where two districts have recently been conquered by the tyrannical Sadakane. Lords Maro and Anzai of the other districts have met to plan action against Sadakane, but spurn Yoshizane's aid. He then encounters the loyalist samurai Takayoshi, and together they launch a rebellion which ousts Sadakane and places Yoshizane in control of his territories.

As the criminals are rounded up for execution, Sadakane's wife Tamazusa lays a curse on her captors: for Takayoshi who wished for her death, he shall die by the blade and have his family line come to an end. And for the ever-noble Satomi, his descendants shall become as depraved as dogs. Shortly after, Yoshizane rewards Takayoshi with stewardship of a castle, but seized by the curse he commits seppuku rather than profit from his liege's death. In his last moments he discovers that he has a son named Daisuke, who shall inherit his lands in his stead.

Yoshizane marries and has two children - a daughter named Fuse and a son named Jirotaro. However, Fuse is born weak and cries often. In response to their prayers, the spirit of En no Gyōja gifts Fuse a set of 108 prayer beads marked with the Eight Confucian Virtues which soothe her symptoms.

Years later, Yoshizane learns of a magnificent dog in his territory that was nursed by a wild tanuki after its mother's death - he purchases the animal as a family pet, naming it Yatsufusa ("Eight Bunches") after its distinctive peony-like markings.

When Fuse is seventeen, Lord Anzai (having previously absorbed the Maro lands) turns on the Satomi, besieging their castle and apparently killing Daisuke. Yoshizane jokingly offers Yatsufusa his daughter's hand in marriage if he would only bring him the man's head, and the next day he finds that this has come true. Despite recognising the curse at work, the Satomi reluctantly honour their word. Fuse and Yatsufusa retreat to a cave atop Mount To, but Fuse remains chaste and spends all her days meditating upon the Lotus Sutra. In time Yatsufasa learns enough from her readings to develop a moral compass, rejecting Tamazusa's will. The curse still takes effect even without Yatsufusa's participation, impregnating Fuse with his children; however, due to the dog's change of heart and the lack of any physical vector, the children manifest as bodiless spirits who carry the potential for nobility.

Daisuke, revealed to have been in hiding, attempts to redeem himself by climbing Mount To and shooting Yatsufusa dead. However, Fuse also suffers a mortal wound. Yoshizane arrives soon after, and the pair witness Fuse slit her stomach to release eight spirits. These spirits then flow into the eight large beads of her necklace - Filial Piety, Justice, Loyalty, Faith, Brotherhood, Benevolence, Wisdom and Etiquette - which snap off and scatter to the winds. In penance for his deeds, Daisuke becomes a monk; changing his name to Chudai, he takes up the remains of Fuse's necklace and sets off to find the missing beads and reassemble it.

[Chapters 15-98]

Inception

Bakin performed his research for the novel by referencing war tales about the Satomi clan and the Hōjō clan such as Satomiki (里見記), Satomi Kyudaiki (里見九代記) and Hojo Godaiki .[5] [6] While the Shogenjikō Setsuyōshū attests the existence of a historical "Eight Dog Warriors" in service of the Satomi clan, their lives are not detailed, nor have they been found in any other known records of the time, making the truthfulness of their existence unclear.[7] In the preface Bakin humorously claims that the true story of the Dog Warriors was revealed to him in a dream, but that he had forgotten most of the details by the time he wrote it down.

The narrative was heavily inspired by Chinese vernacular fiction, especially Water Margin, which had been translated and published in Japan at the beginning of the 18th century.[8] The novel's inciting incident, where Satomi Yoshizane jokingly offers his daughter's hand in marriage to the family dog, is modelled after the tale of the dog Panhu from the Chinese In Search of the Supernatural, which is noted both by Bakin in the preface and by the characters in-story.

Themes

Hakkenden's main themes are loyalty, clan honor, Bushido, Confucianism, and Buddhist philosophy.[9]

Bakin most frequently referred to Nansō Satomi Hakkenden's genre as Haishi (commonly translated as petty history, or people's history), a Chinese genre of vernacular historical fiction.[10] Bakin often stated that the primary purpose of the novel was to encourage virtue and chastise vice, which was central to the novel's plots and character archetypes; likening himself to the authors of Haishi in that he used entertaining stories to entice less-educated readers, who would, in turn, be taught morals through allegory.[11] [12] As a work of gesaku, however, the novel also contains tacit social commentary, and often plays with traditional concepts relating to gender and morality.[13]

Hakkenden translator Glynne Walley has argued that, while the novel's effort to teach morals is clearly present (as examined in his own treatise Good Dogs), Bakin's presentation of it as a moralist work was partly a result of societal stigma against samurai producing and consuming "low-brow" fiction. In Walley's view, scholarship of the novel often focuses overmuch on this aspect while ignoring its context as a commercial serial similar to modern superhero fiction - one that uses the protagonists' commitment to easily-understood virtues to thrill its audience with the sight of larger-than-life heroes triumphing over dastardly villains.

Publication History

Installments of Hakkenden followed an idiosyncratic naming pattern, with many volumes, booklets and individual chapters being divided into multiple sections (using the common 上 / 中 / 下 notation for opening, middle and conclusion). The ninth and final volume of the story developed multiple levels of subdivisions over the course of its release, becoming comparable in length to the first eight parts combined.

The first volume bears the reduced title Satomi Hakkenden on its cover, and the expanded Nansō Satomi Hakkenshiden on its endpaper (specifying the Tale of Eight Dog Warriors rather than Eight Dogs); it is also labelled, as opposed to the that might be expected.

Volume prefaces and colophons include advertisements for upcoming titles, medicines from Bakin's family pharmacy,[14] and in later installments products from other manufacturers such as cosmetics.

Release TitleBooklet CountBookletsChaptersYear
1Opening Volume51~51~101814
2Volume 251~511~201816
3Volume 351~521~301819
4Volume 451~531~401820
5Volume 551~541~501823
6Volume 661~5下51~611827
7Volume 771~762~731830
8Volume 8 (上)51~4下74~821832
9Volume 8 (下)55~8下83~911833
10Volume 9 (上)61~692~1031835
11Volume 9 (中)77~12104~1151836
12Volume 9 (下) - 上513+14~18116~1251837
13Volume 9 (下) - 中519~23126~1351838
14Volume 9 (下) - 下 Part 1524~28136~1451839
15Volume 9 (下) - 下 Part 2 (上)529~32146~1531840
16Volume 9 (下) - 下 Part 2 (中)533~35154~1611840
17Volume 9 (下) - 下 Part 3 (上)536~40162~1661841
18Volume 9 (下) - 下 Part 3 (中)541~45167~1761841
19Volume 9 (下) - 下 Part 3 (下)1046~53177~180(Conclusion)1842

Legacy

See also: Hakkenden (disambiguation). Although only a limited number of copies of the books themselves were printed, the tale was retold through various mediums, including oration and live performance, leading to its popularity among many social classes at the time. Kabuki plays based on Hakkenden were often performed, and ukiyo-e depicting kabuki actors playing the roles of eight warriors were also popular.

Hakkenden, and Bakin's work at large, maintained much of its popularity amongst common people throughout the 19th century, but drew some academic criticism in the Meiji era for its didacticism and one-dimensional characters, as novelists and scholars sought to modernize Japan's literary style.[15] Notably, in literary reformer Tsubouchi Shōyō's influential book Essence of the Novel, published 1885–1886, Bakin is lauded for both his style and his role in popularizing novels, but imitation of Bakin's work is cited as a widespread problem among novelists of the time.[16]

In the 20th century Hakkenden became a strong influence on manga works, particularly those based on adventure quests. For example it influenced Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball (1984)[17] [18] and Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha (1996),[19] which both have plots about the collection of magical crystals or crystal balls, the latter also starring a human/dog hybrid similar in origin to the Dog Warriors.

Hakkenden would also shape common storytelling conventions of the JRPG genre; in addition to its emphasis on the dynamics of a growing party over the strength and agency of a lone hero (which has precedent in earlier tales like Momotarō), it popularised the idea of unaware heroes who learn of their destiny over the course of the story. An example of this influence can be found in (2004), where the characters unlock powers from their demonic heritage which both reflect their personalities and are accompanied by a distinguishing mark appearing on their bodies.[20]

Literature

Television

Film

Theatre

The novel has also been adapted into kabuki theatre several times.[26]

Comic Books

Video Games

Translations

A complete reprinting in ten volumes is available in the original Japanese, as well as various modern Japanese translations, most of them abridged. Only a few chapters have been translated into English, Chapter 25 by Donald Keene, and Chapters 12, 13, and 19 by Chris Drake.

In 2021 the first volume of an intended complete translation (Glynne Walley's Eight Dogs, or "Hakkenden" Part One – An Ill-Considered Jest) was published by Cornell University Press,[36] consisting of the first fourteen chapters of the story (spanning the original Volume 1 and part of Volume 2). A second volume, His Master's Blade, was published.

See also

References

Works cited

Further reading

. Donald Keene . 1999 . A History of Japanese Literature, Vol. 2: World Within Walls – Japanese Literature of the Pre-Modern Era, 1600–1867 . . New York, NY . paperback . 1993 . 978-0-231-11467-7 .

External links

Notes and References

  1. Japanese wiki page
  2. Book: Shirane, Haruo . Early Modern Japanese Literature: an Anthology, 1600–1900 . . 2002 . 0-231-10990-3 . 886 . limited.
  3. Book: Rimer, J. Thomas . The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature: From Restoration to Occupation, 1868–1945 . Coughlan Publishing . 2007 . 978-0-231-11861-3 . 196.
  4. Book: Keene, Donald . Donald Keene

    . Anthology of Japanese Literature, From the Earliest Era to the Mid-Nineteenth Century . . 1955 . 0-8021-5058-6 . 423 . registration . Donald Keene.

  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20201019153210/https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%8D%97%E7%B7%8F%E9%87%8C%E8%A6%8B%E5%85%AB%E7%8A%AC%E4%BC%9D-108857 Kotobank, Nansō Satomi Hakkenden.
  6. Web site: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/kinseibungei/42/0/42_48/_pdf/-char/ja. https://web.archive.org/web/20220509163711/https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/kinseibungei/42/0/42_48/_pdf/-char/ja. ja:里見八犬伝と里見軍記. ja. Keisuke Hamada. 9 May 2022.
  7. Book: Hamada . Keisuke . Shinchō Nihon koten shūsei bekkan: Nansō Satomi Hakkenden . "Kaisetsu".
  8. Shirane and Brandon, Early Modern Japanese Literature, p564.
  9. https://web.archive.org/web/20201019153210/https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%8D%97%E7%B7%8F%E9%87%8C%E8%A6%8B%E5%85%AB%E7%8A%AC%E4%BC%9D-108857 Kotobanlk, Nansō Satomi Hakkenden.
  10. Book: Takizawa, Bakin . Eight dogs, or "Hakkenden". Part I : an ill-considered jest, Chapters I through XIV of Nansō Satomi Hakkenden . 2021 . Glynne Walley . 978-1-5017-5519-4 . Ithaca [New York] . 1224043076.
  11. Yamamoto . Yoshitaka . 2019 . Good Dogs: Edification, Entertainment, and Kyokutei Bakin's "Nansō Satomi hakkenden." by Glynne Walley . Monumenta Nipponica . en . 74 . 1 . 101–106 . 10.1353/mni.2019.0022 . 204482414 . 1880-1390.
  12. Walley . Glynne . 2012 . Gender and Virtue in Nansō Satomi hakkenden . Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies . en . 72 . 2 . 337–371 . 10.1353/jas.2012.0020 . 142343820 . 1944-6454.
  13. Book: Early modern Japanese literature : an anthology, 1600–1900 . 2002 . Columbia University Press . Haruo Shirane, 治夫 白根 . 0-231-10990-3 . New York . 888 . 48084101.
  14. Walley . Glynne . Nicholas Gordon . Glynne Walley, "Eight Dogs, or 'Hakkenden': Part One―An Ill-Considered Jest" (Cornell UP, 2021) . Asian Review of Books . May 2022 .
  15. Dowdle . Brian C. . 2016 . Why Saikaku Was Memorable but Bakin Was Unforgettable . The Journal of Japanese Studies . 42 . 1 . 91–121 . 10.1353/jjs.2016.0009 . 147552576 . 1549-4721.
  16. Book: Tsubouchi, Shōyō . Shōsetsu Shinzui: The Essence of the Novel . 1885–1886 . Twine . Nanette.
  17. Book: Padula . Derek . Dragon Ball Culture Volume 2: Adventure . 2015 . Derek Padula . 978-0-9831205-4-4 . 53 . April 29, 2020 . September 3, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200903173249/https://books.google.com/books?id=uxcqBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT53 . live .
  18. Book: ドラゴンボール 冒険SPECIAL . Dragon Ball: Adventure Special . Akira Toriyama Q&A . November 18, 1987 . . ja.
  19. Book: Papp . Zília . Anime and Its Roots in Early Japanese Monster Art . 2010 . . 978-90-04-20287-0 . 38 .
  20. Blasingim . Kerry . Hero Myths in Japanese Role-Playing Games . The Hakkenden and the J-RPG Party . 2006 . Bowling Green State University.
  21. Fraser . Lucy . . Dogs, Gods, and Monsters: The Animal–Human Connection in Bakin's Hakkenden, Folktales and Legends, and Two Contemporary Retellings . Japanese Studies . 38 . 1 . 2018 . 107–108 . 10.1080/10371397.2018.1448972. 149988334 .
  22. Web site: Fusé Historical Fantasy Anime Film's Trailer Streamed . 2012-07-20 . 2012-07-23 . Anime News Network.
  23. Web site: Nana Mizuki Joins Fusé Anime Film Cast . 2012-08-13 . 2012-08-15 . Anime News Network.
  24. Web site: How Denjiman Created the Super Sentai Formula . The Tokusatsu Network . 18 July 2021 . 5 September 2023.
  25. http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/518151/blog/16259604/ 本文最後の方より
  26. Web site: Nansô Satomi Hakkenden. kabuki21.com. 3 March 2018.
  27. Web site: AUGUST 2006. kabuki21.com.
  28. Book: Clamp no Kiseki 8. 2005. Kodansha. 4-06-367078-3.
  29. Web site: Makai Hakkenden Shada . Ocean of Games.
  30. Web site: Satomi Hakkenden . Ocean of Games.
  31. Web site: Shin Satomi Hakkenden: Hikari to Yami no Tatakai . Ocean of Games.
  32. Web site: http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/988/988659/. ja:新作『SAGA2015(仮称)』発表記念。河津秋敏氏が振り返る『サガ』シリーズ25年の思い出. Dengeki Online. ja. 2015-01-22. 2018-09-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20180721203629/http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/988/988659/. 2018-07-21. live.
  33. Web site: 里見八犬伝 八珠之記. Web Archive - QuinRose - 里見八犬伝 八珠之記. QuinRose / ソニー・コンピュータエンタテインメント. 21 June 2024. ja.
  34. Web site: Liu . Stephanie . Novelist Kyokutei Bakin Appears as a Rider in Fate/Grand Order . Siliconera . 30 June 2022 . 27 August 2023.
  35. Web site: Nanmei Yumihari Hakkenden . Fate/Grand Order official website . 27 August 2023.
  36. Web site: Eight Dogs, or "Hakkenden" . 9 September 2021 . Cornell University Press . en-US.