Dai-Bosatsu Toge has been discussed on this list many times
visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SHQ/
hit "messages" and search with "Dai-Bosatsu" written by NAKAZATO
KAIZAN or "Sword of Doom" the film adaptation
to download the ENTIRE translation of the novel come to the list, hit
"files" and look for the folder (please make sure that you haven't
already downloaded the novel earlier this year---for some reason
geocities is giving people 2,500 MB so I will permanently host these
files)
I did make some inquiries...currently no one owns the copyright of the
English translation but I'm sure the original work in Japanese belongs
to someone. I would love to buy the copyright and have this work
reprinted....
so the crazy people at
http://www.hajimenokizu decided to open up the
BRS Bakumatsu Renka universe [BRS]...
I hope that after visiting the only shrine to the novel in existence
http://www.shinsengumihq.com/DBT.htm
that DBT's dark world may inspire someone out there...what a shame!
Saitou Hajime did not meet Tsukue Ryunosuke.......
I omitted TONS of stuff to focus on the Shinsengumi.
The Tsukue Ryunosuke as seen in SWORD OF DOOM is but an interpretation
of an extremely complex and very -sane- character however Okamoto
Kihachi's film adaptation does a great job...
[If anyone here needs to study a LITERARY CHARACTER then you gotta
study Ryunosuke---he's very INTERESTING]
---this novel is incredibly important in the world of modern Japanese
literature, it was like the GONE WITH THE WIND of its era, the
numerous commercial spin offs attest to its fame making it like HARRY
POTTER in terms of $$$...it's a classic
---it was the first time the Shinsengumi entered "formal" popular
literature, they already appeared in various media in the Meiji
era---none of which was taken seriously
---this translation marks the first move from East to West for the
Shinsengumi
---yes it predates by several decades Shiba Ryotaro's masterpiece
Moeyoken---and yeah Shiba Ryotaro [probably] read this work
---it hit the presses when Nagakura Shinpachi and SAitou Hajime were
both alive (it 'began' in 1909 the exact date of publication was not
mentioned)
---it features Kondo, Hijikata, Okita, Yamazaki and Inoue Genazaburo
---the novel is in fact very FAST with TONS of action---the fight
scene descriptions are lyrical (Nakazato Kaizan himself practiced the
then new art AIKIDO---I think this is all from my memory)
[a scene from the Fujita household]
Senior Citizen Fujita Goro takes the politics and government section
of the newspaper and reads...
Tokio grabs the entertainment section and calls to her daughter-in-law
"pssst Midori, look the dashing Hyoma goes to Kioto, oh dear he
associates himself with those rough Shinsengumi"
Midori, gasps, "oh no he gets dragged to the red-light district! He's
going to be corrupted!" ::giggles like a fangirl::
Fujita Goro ::mumbles:: "Tokio, are you reading that rubbish again?"
[In Ezo/Hokkaido]
Sugimura Yoshitaro reads..."Hmph! This Nakazato Kaizan fellow didn't
even care to mention the great NAGAKURA"
Sugimura proceeds to start his memoirs which will be published in 1913
in the Hotaru Shinbun
-------------------------
Lastly, something to ponder.
I would need to double check on this [so please do not take this as
fact yet]...but Nakazato Kaizan was part of an entire group of young
writers mentored by Natsume Soseki (there was a list of names).
Natsume's influence over his students, who often just stopped by his
house for advice and conversation, was great (they even used some of
his symbolism in their own work). Natsume did read many of his
student's work, he was after all once a professor of English Lit
(succeeded LAFCADIO HEARN) at Tokyo Univ.
Natsume was at least an acquaintance of Fujita Goro, AND some of the
Fujita family's Aizu friends.
Natsume DOES use Aizu folks as characters in his novels and one
unnamed friend of his (appears as a recurring character on more than
one work) and shares his physical illness of gastric ulcers does have
a physical description matching the 2nd photo of Fujita Goro (released
late 2004-5). I'm just being...silly now...
Natsume's father (birth father or adopted father not clear) was a
friend of Nagakura.
Hmmmm maybe...
Nakazato "Natsume-sensei I'm bored, I want to write about SAMURAI!"
Natsume "have you ever heard of the Shinsengumi?...."
Nakazato "I want to also put a hitokiri in the story too!"
Natsume "go ahead, I'm sure one day someone will also write about a
hitokiri too---but your story will the first to examine the psyche of
a manslayer"