Molokidan has taken up translating a book for his senior project this year and we thought it'd be something neat to give props to.
The book is called "
Moe Yo Ken" -- the samurai epic chronicling the life of Hijikata Toshizou, the Vice-Captain of the Shinsengumi in the last days of the Tokugawa Period.
This book is full of romance, awesome duels, and lots of history concerning the Bakumatsu, so if any of that interests you, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Also, this book does not pull its punches, so be prepared for a darker, grittier Japan than you might be used to.
It'll be posted on his
blog, so read it there. Here's his
thread talking about it, as well as a sample of the first chapter below. If you found it interesting, let him know. I'm sure he's interested in what you have to say. With that said, enjoy~!
Sample of the first chapter:Quote:
As he made his way out of the main town, an acquaintance called out to him from the fields.
"Hey, Toshi, where are you going?"
He didn't answer, though.
It's not like he could say that he was going to rape a woman.
Tonight was the Rokusha Myoujin Ceremony. In more colloquial terms, it was known as the Darkness Festival.
Toshizou's mission tonight was to take advantage of the darkness during the festival and sneak in. There, he would strip off the kimono of one of the girls visiting the shrine, push her down, and violate her. Then, he would take off his own yukata and lay it across the grass, moist with evening dew, to keep the woman from getting wet as she slept. The reason he was wearing a judo gi was for preparation in case a fight broke out between any male companions.
Toshizou wasn't the only criminal.
That was the nature of the festival.
