DAI-BOSATSU TOGE (final word on the NOVEL)

Dai-Bosatsu Toge
Great Bodhisattva Pass
Translated by C.S. Bavier
By Kaizan Nakazato (1885-1944)

Page 237
gRyunosuke remained as silent as a forest in snow, and as cool as
coolness could be.h

I have posted about the movie SWORD OF DOOM directed by Kihachi
Okamoto starring Tatsuya Nakada and Toshiro Mifune *several* times
(^_^) SO GO OUT AND RENT IT ON VHS, OR BUY IT FROM AMAZON OR VIEW IT
ON CABLE but now having finished reading the novel (what was
translated so far) I realize that it is MORE significant than I first
thoughtc.the book is hard to find...printed in 1929 few libraries on
the translation (-_-)

Go to FILES Daibosatsu Excerpt.pdf from k_closson2001

I uploaded scans from the novel DAIBOSATSU TOGE: Great Bodhisattva
Pass in the Pictures file as please take a look herec.
Go to FILES Dai-bosatsu Toge from secretarytocapt3

Now back to the movie. The film is restricted by time restraints
while the novel itself is EXTREMELY long and filled with lots and
lots of action!!!!, martial lore, the origin of swords and lineages
of various schoolc.and a whole lot **more** Shinsengumi narrative.

*the entire novel has not been translated into Englishcfortunately
all the parts dealing with the NEW CHOSEN GROUP (the name used by the
translator) are in English (^_^) for us to read.

*the book calls ronin/roshi groverh or gdetachedh samuraicso the
translation is kind of literal at times which is pretty good
*the novel is historically accurate in describing the political
situation, the role of Matsudaira Katamori and the difficult
situation Aizu was in
HOWEVER what I donft understand is why the author felt that the war
of 1868 was peaceful, I also read in another book how Boshin was
pretty gpeacefulh as wellc.scarycI guess it was pretty peaceful
minus Ueno Hill (Edo), Aizu, Hakodate and all the little skirmishes
here and there which killed a couple thousand
*Tsukue Ryunosuke was a REAL person, so was Shichibei the thief (seen
in the movie) there are folk stories surrounding this thief tooc.
*the novelist has an odd stylecwhen describing all the chambers of
Shimabara in detail hefll add his opinion that the buildings should
be preserved for future generations which means he must have toured
these locations

MissB the reference to Kondo and Hijikatafs personality are all from
this bookc.Hijikata NEVER forgets or forgivescc.

M as you pointed out before Shimabara was the location of Shiro
Amakusafs revolt 1637c.according to this novel in 1641 the pleasure
quarters in Kyoto were moved and people were so excited they
nicknamed the place Shimabara, because the rebellion was still fresh
on their mindsc page 264 gOne is struck with the strangeness of
fate that the memory of the Christian Persecution is born by the name
of a license quarters!h

Examples (which will make perfect sense if you watch the film SWORD
OF DOOM)

Tsukue Ryunosuke first joins the New Chosen Group because he was from
the same region as Hijikata and Kondo (and youfll see Kondo and
Hijikata at the Mt. MItake duel)
Matsu (omatsu) the heroine in the movie is adopted by Miyukidayu
(Miyuki Tayu) Kondofs womanc.Matsu was the little girl whose
grandfather was killed by Tsuke right at the beginning of the movie
at the mountain top

Utsuki Bunnojo, older brother of Hyoma, knew Hijikata Toshizo

Utsuki Hyoma the hero whose older brother was killed by Tsukue
Ryunosuke (the main character) during a duel at Mt. Mitake, joins the
NEW CHOSEN GROUP, spends time meditating in Mibudera and even gets
dragged to Shimabara in the entire chapter devoted to gMibu &
Shimabarahcand even receives a warning from Kondo

There is an odd character names Yamazaki Yuzuru of Mito, who tried to
recruit Ryunosuke early in the novel, his favorite weapon was the
Katori Ryu quarter-staffc.what totally caught my attention was that
he kept changing outfitsc.just like Yamazaki Susumucthen finally the
writer finally says Yamazaki Yuzuru arrives at headquarters to
listen about how a thief, the kleptomaniac Shichibei, stole money
from the New Chosen Groupfs accounting officec. (page 286) gYamazaki
was very skilled at spying, going about in disguise, upon eroverf
and edetachedf samurai of different clans. But Yamazaki Susumu was
supposed to be from Osaka from what I understand NOT Mito. This may
be an example of historical inaccuracies in this book.

As in the movie you will meet Serizawa Kamo, Kondo Isami, Hijikata
Toshizo (the author pointed out that Toshi was eshortf and agile)
c.but the book mentions Okita as well but he isnft the ggirlyh man
we are used to seeing anime or mangac.(page 286) gSoji Okita of the
New Chosen had been boasting of his strength for some time, and he
now went to that extent that he wanted a wrestler to get down to the
garden for a bout. Okita gHey, letfs see who is the better man,h he
said and he stamped his feet bringing his seat well down as the
wrestlers do before a bout.h
So imagine PMK challenging a sumo wrestler (^_^)

There are so many passages dealing with the Shinsengumi I canft
possibly type them all up!!!! THERE ARE MAJOR DIFFERENCES in the
movie and the book especially the assassination of Serizawa Kamo
(which was not shown in the film).

Now before I rant about how totally AWESOME this novel is, how the
author should have been an action film director and why this would be
the all time greatest manga everc.Ifll just start my mini
photocopying project and make all 300 pages available to people who
email mec.
Secretarytocapt3

Page 320
gThe colour of the eyes of Ryunosuke was something like a pearl sunk
in the water. When the water was clear the eyes shone sharp. When
the water was not clear, the eyes were dull. They were alike coldly
and gloomily lustrous whether they shone sharp or looked dim. Now
his eyes lost that peculiar lustre.h

Every swordsman in this novel has gshinyh eyesc.Kondofs eyes shine
all the time
IT IS A REAL shame Ryunosuke and Saito did not meet because the
character of NHK Saito is VERY similar to Ryunosukec.they both speak
gcoollyh

In a message dated 2/1/2005 11:48:29 PM Eastern Standard Time,
secretarytocapt3@... writes:
There are so many passages dealing with the Shinsengumi I canft
possibly type them all up!!!! THERE ARE MAJOR DIFFERENCES in the
movie and the book especially the assassination of Serizawa Kamo
(which was not shown in the film).
Huh?! Then somehow we saw two VERY different "Sword of Doom" movies with
Toshiro Mifune...

In the movie, Serizawa and Ryunosuke are off in that room with all the bamboo
screens (?) and Serizawa is telling him he wants him to kill Kondo. "After
that, Hijikata will be easy to control..." (Yeah, that's what the Meiji
government thought too.) They catch some girl spying on them (for that Utsuki Hyoma
guy), Ryunosuke says he'll dispose of her, and Serizawa leaves. Ryu-chan very
kindly decides to let her live and tells her she just has to stay there a
short while.

Meanwhile, Hijikata, Kondo, and I -think- Yamanami (or was it Okita?) were
off in their own little corner and Hijikata is telling Kondo they should go
ahead and finish off Serizawa. At some point, in the middle of that weird little
scene where the girl thinks she sees the ghost of a murdered woman and
Ryunosuke starts going nuts, it flips over briefly to Hijikata and the others rushing
into the room Serizawa is sleeping in and killing him. Then it goes back to
Ryunosuke, who is slashing everything in sight (blinds, Shinsengumi, etc.) and
screaming "Serizawa! I'll do it! I'll kill Kondo for you! Serizawa!" Then it
just ends.

I'm told there is a sequel to this movie, which I have yet to see. I'm
wondering how anyone who was stabbed as many times as Ryunosuke was could possibly
have survived...

-MissB


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Yes MissB is right they did kill Serizawa in the Kihachi Okamoto
version of the film (I think it's time for me to watch the film
again for the 5th time)...it is different in the novel and as soon
as I get done scanning it then you guys can read it...

I used to see "screenshots" and essays on the silent version of the
film done in a very traditional stage style and I frequently get
them mixed up (^_^) but yeah the Tatsuya Nakadai version is my
absolute favorite

LOL Thank you for confirming I haven't entirely lost my mind. I did wonder
there for a moment...

-MissB


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Book 1 chapter 1-8 scanned
file size is 1.5 mb (black and white bitmap)
it is a pdf file...you can enlarge the page...and you have to rotate
some pages clockwise or counter clockwise....

so put on those those straw sandals, time to take a walk...

https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
20Toge/DBTbk1ch1-8.pdf

*there will be a brief blurb on geography...note the mention of
Tamagawa or Tama River

Another exciting installment of the love story between Ryunosuke and
Hama.....well sort of
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
20Toge/DBTbk1ch9-22.pdf.pdf

1.14 mb

This is the movie which covers the entire story
SATAN's SWORD
http://www.merlinssamuraidvd.com/Raizo%20&%20Kenji.htm
but it is considerably less well known compared to the one directed
by Kihachi Okamoto

Raizo Ichikawa if you all recall also starred in the
film "shinsengumi chronicles" also known as "I want to die a
samurai" as Yamazaki Susumu....but I think his best performance is
in the film ENJO (available on dvd everywhere) co-starring Tatsuya
Nakadai

I would also like to respond to a well intentioned email...yes I
know that what I am doing is unethical and illegal...I hang my head
in shame...so if you download it...read it love it and respect it
(^_^) and if I had the money I would actually demand that it be
reprinted for future generations (although some parts need to be re-
translated a bit)....and I have made sure that the copy from Cornell
University will go through a special preservation process too

WORLDCAT LIBRARY SYSTEM
Dai-bosatsu Toge :
Great Bodhisattva Pass /
Author: Nakazato, Kaizan, 1885-1944.
Publication: Tokyo : Shunjusha, 1929
Document: English (Show vernacular) : Book : Fiction
Libraries Worldwide: 11

that's right folks only 11 libraries *WORLDWIDE* willing to lend it
out (my copy is from 1929)...and its took over 1 week for my copy to
travel across the country to me so if you do download the novel
consider providing it to someone who studies modern literature...I
actually spoke to a graduate student who gave me a weird look when I
mentioned this book...he obviously NEVER heard of it and he
specializes in modern Japanese literature!

The numerous stage/film versions of this novel has GREATLY IMPACTED
how people view the Bakumatsu and Shinsengumi in general and as soon
as the characters enter Mibu you willl notice how certain
descriptions of Kondo and Hijikata have been continued into our own
time period in various media...it's overall value is obvious...and
you heard it from me first any manga artist/writer who can revive
this story is going to make serious $$$

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "secretary"
wrote:

>
> Book 1 chapter 1-8 scanned
> file size is 1.5 mb (black and white bitmap)

>
> https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
> 20Toge/DBTbk1ch1-8.pdf
>
> *there will be a brief blurb on geography...note the mention of
> Tamagawa or Tama River

Daibosatsu-Toge

Book 1 chapter 1-8
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
20Toge/DBTbk1ch1-8.pdf

Book 1 chapter 9-22
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
20Toge/DBTbk1ch9-22.pdf.pdf
----------------------------------

***NEW*** Book 1 chapter 23-32 COMPLETE
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
20Toge/DBTbk1ch23-32.pdf

less than 1 mb

***NEW*** Book (2) chapter 1-11
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
20Toge/DBTbk2ch1-11.pdf

less than 1 mb

chapter 12 onwards in Book 2 will be set in Kioto (I just love the
spellings in this book (^_^)

so even if you do not have time to read the novel now just download
it ASAP and save it for later...the last half of Book 1 and Book 2
will have stuff NOT seen in the movie...namely Ryunosuke's dream

Book 2 chapter 12-17
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
20Toge/DBTbk2ch12-17.pdf

Book 3 chapter 1-10 "MIBU & SHIMABARA" (but don't be tempted to skip
around because you WILL miss stuff which happens in Book...Mr.
Yamazaki)
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
20Toge/DBTbk3ch1-10.pdf

Book 3 chapter 11-*END*
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
20Toge/DBTbk3ch11-END.pdf

things I learned from reading Dai-bosatsu Toge
1) when engaging in a duel put up a "do not disturb sign"
2) check the hut for rats before falling asleep
3) killing a spouse will result in seeing the dead spouse in all the
new people who come into your life


--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "secretary"
wrote:

>
> Daibosatsu-Toge
>
> Book 1 chapter 1-8
> https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
> 20Toge/DBTbk1ch1-8.pdf
>
> Book 1 chapter 9-22
> https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
> 20Toge/DBTbk1ch9-22.pdf.pdf
> ----------------------------------
>
> ***NEW*** Book 1 chapter 23-32 COMPLETE
> https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
> 20Toge/DBTbk1ch23-32.pdf
>
> less than 1 mb
>
> ***NEW*** Book (2) chapter 1-11
> https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/tnamwong/web/Dai-bosatsu%
> 20Toge/DBTbk2ch1-11.pdf
>
> less than 1 mb
>
> chapter 12 onwards in Book 2 will be set in Kioto (I just love the
> spellings in this book (^_^)
>
> so even if you do not have time to read the novel now just

download

> it ASAP and save it for later...the last half of Book 1 and Book 2
> will have stuff NOT seen in the movie...namely Ryunosuke's dream

Saw this on ebay and on wound's database...

Does anyone know enough about these titles to confirm that they're standalone titles? In particular, I"m curious to know if Pichi Comics did any more anthologies for other Shinsengumi members.

thx
-s


Shinsengumi - The Requiem of Asagi Color by Junko Tamura
Published by Action Comics Shusuisha Girls in 2004. Approx 200 pages.


Shinsengumi Okita Soushi Kirameki no Zanzou Anthology

Published by Pichi Comics in 2004. Approx 200 pages.


Shinsengumi Hijikata Saizou Jinshou no Ginrou Anthology

Published by Pichi Comics in 2004. Approx 200 pages.

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