Isolated Connected Kyushu Island
KIRKUS REVIEW
Spanning nearly 60 years, this work of historical fiction chronicles the
multitude of cultural changes in Japan after World War II from the perspective
of a conflicted family of three.
Labeled a “half-fiction” by its author, Yumiko’s debut takes place in postwar
Japan, depicting a once-militaristic country rushing toward Western modernization.
Hisaharu and his wife, Misao, (based on the author’s own parents) face
great hardship in this new, ever shifting culture, both having grown up
in small villages before the fall of Japan’s militarism in which their
own ancestors’ histories had only begun to transform into legends. They
have one child, a reserved girl named Jericho, and the family finds itself
regularly uprooted by Hisaharu’s poorly paying position in Japan’s new,
stigmatized Defense Force. Paralleling the family, Japan itself remains
unsettled, with communism spreading rapidly among its neighbors while Western
ideas conflicting with the shriveling tenants of traditional lifestyle
begin to alter views on religion, agriculture, and the roles of women in
this new society. The novel deftly limns its protagonist; though Hisaharu’s
life is used as the story’s framing device, it still portrays him realistically—a
thoughtful but not unimpeachable devourer of books with a work ethic cultivated
from traditional thinking. Misao is also tied to the past. Her upbringing
during wartime grants her spirit and inner strength while at the same time
limiting her ability to adjust to new times. And when her parents’ stubbornness
gets somewhat tiresome, Jericho subtly changes tack. Even characters who
appear fleetingly—an ill-prepared American missionary, a sexually broken
classmate, a disheveled teacher, and so many more—both accentuate and stand
separate from Japanese history. Those unfamiliar with postwar Japan will
find the story approachable and informative with its engaging core centered
on the difficulties of raising a child in a changing world.
An impressive use of one family to intimately portray the history of social and cultural changes over three generations.
Reviewed by Julie Hodgson for Readers' Favorite
This part fiction novel starts in 1944 with the story of a young boy, whose
life is changed forever by the war. The passion and heartfelt sorrow one
feels when a war takes away sons to fight a war no one understands or even
in fact wants to fight for... Do they come back? Or is it straight to the
heavens for them? We continue the journey of this family living on Kyushu
Island (the third largest island of Japan and most south-westerly of its
four main islands), from the 1940s to 2004. This story is interconnected
with many people and their journeys through the difficult times on this
island, with always other forces wanting to take over, manipulate their
islands and the ones surrounding them. Such is the greed for power. Hisaharu's
life takes a different turn when he goes to high school, starts meeting
different people and, best of all, gets access to books.
Hana da Yumiko's Isolated Connected Kyushu Island is delightfully peppered
with history, from samurai warriors to WW2 and onward to the 21st century,
following her ancestors. The story reads like a fiction novel, though it
is a well documented and footnoted partly true story. Anticipation catches
you unawares as you follow Hisaharu and his family, thus making it a page-turner
that keeps you immersed in the history, cultural differences, and historical/life
events that run through the entire book. Isolated Connected Kyushu Island
tells a story of the transition from the ending of the age of the samurai
to the rise of the military might and finally to a thriving democracy after
so many years of invasions and religious control which continually affected
the lives of Hisaharu and his family. This story educates as well as inspires
you. Books like these are precious, giving us an insight into family life,
but also showing us the struggle to gain a foothold and hang on to our
democracy without losing too much along the way. A very enjoyable read;
indeed one that you should have on your shelf to read again and again.
This three-generational story, based on the author’s family, traces the
experiences of a Japanese family and a country emerging from the effects
of WWII. Although it begins in 1945 just prior to the war’s end, the story
encompasses early history, culture and mythologies of the then remote islands
surrounding Japan’s mainland.
In 1945, Hisaharu is a boy hiding in a cave with his parents as the American
bombers fly overhead. After one plane crashes, Hisaharu sees the dead pilot,
causing him to wonder how his brother Ichiro, also a pilot, had looked
when he died. A flashback briefly focuses on Ichiro: his fears about sacrificing
all for his country, and his father’s fury at the politicians and media
advocating war. The father’s anti-war beliefs become a vehicle for Ichiro
to explain Japan’s many invaders over the centuries.
Family grief turns into a nation’s grief after the atomic bomb destroys
entire cities and faith in the traditional gods. Hisaharu then experiences
many changes during the American occupation, including the blackout of
all references to war and patriotism in textbooks.
With no future on his father’s small farm, Hisaharu attempts to continue
his education. He also enters into an arranged marriage, but his early
war experiences and career in the Defense Force make him a stern, disciplined
man in contrast to his young wife, a talkative, emotional woman. This creates
persistent tension in the home where their only daughter, Jericho, grows
up rebellious, not understanding her parents’ history and seemingly outdated
views.
Although momentum lags near the end, this poignant story is an authentic
tale of human resilience amidst the toppling of centuries’-old beliefs.
The occasional flashes of stilted English language only lend realism to
the work. Readers identify with the bewilderment at the rapid pace of change
from the American occupation.
Overall, this is an intriguing book that will prove illuminating for anyone
interested in the war’s impact on the Japanese people.
Inazumi Limestone Cave in roth Kyushu
Kurenai the Crimson 1865
A Christian, an outcast ninja, and a courtesan—outsiders in late samurai-era
Nagasaki—seek new life in this historical novella.
By 1865, Christianity has spread to Japan in small pockets, and Rutu keeps
the faith in secret as she searches for her sister Suzu, who has become
an oiran, a kind of courtesan-entertainer. Meanwhile, Suzu’s hymns inspire
her compatriot Kurenai and remind her of Naomi, an early mentor; but the
songs and prayers aren’t quite enough to distract Kurenai from her woeful
life in the brothel. Finally, the teenage boy Jin, an escaped ninja from
a nearby region, ends up in Rutu’s care after washing up on Nagasaki’s
shore. It’s Jin who later saves Kurenai from the bandits who attack her
“litter” and murder Kanayama, the man who bought her for company. Once
the three unite—Suzu’s plot takes her to another island and a happy ending—they
begin a journey down dangerous roads in search of Jin’s mother. Yumiko’s
(Isolated Connected Kyu-shu Island, 2013) handling of this three-pronged
plot is sometimes effective and swift, jumping from scene to scene at just
the right moments. However, many of the novella’s scenes are too brief,
and the lengthy gaps of time between scenes often make for confusing storytelling.
Yumiko shows off solid research, which enables her to effectively narrate
a unique historical moment. Yet the result is a flat read due to repeated
failures to allow readers to come to their own conclusions: “Rutu and Jin
sensed that they were different, yet they were both minorities.” Still,
Yumiko’s strong grasp of setting and plot suggests plenty of potential
for future works.
Needs more flesh on its bones, though extensive research and complex plots
are signs of good things to come.
