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The Cape and Other Stories From the Japanese Ghetto
by Kenji Nakagami
Reviewed by Todd Shimoda
The richest stories of the human condition often come from those living in the poorest neighborhoods. On the edge of slipping into oblivion, only the physically and psychologically strong survive. In these settings and about these people, Kenji Nakagami creates his rich, lusty, often brutal stories.
Those readers with only a passing knowledge of Japan, may be surprised to learn of a quiet caste system in that country. Hundreds of years ago, customs and edicts established the burakumin, "outcasts" who worked leather and other specified occupations. The edicts established where they could live and other inexplicable rules such as where windows could be placed on their homes.
The caste system, officially or not, lasted well into the twentieth century. Nakagami was born into a burakumin family in 1946 at the western end of Honshu. They suffered the discrimination which allowed them only lower-paying jobs and alleyway residences. Yet he was able to attend school and eventually found his way to Tokyo where he spent his adult life until his last year when he moved back home to die of cancer at the young age of 46.
"The Cape", a novella for which Nakagami was awarded the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, follows Akiyuki, a young construction laborer scrounging for work and dealing with the vagaries of his family, co-workers, and others living in the alleyway ghetto. He barely knew his father, long since out of his life, and this causes him a source of torment to the point of madness. In the end, he exacts an unusual sort of tragic revenge against the unseen father.
The despair in the ghetto is palpable, almost serving as a character in the stories, propelling the action into violence, murder. And so when we see the light of courage or love arise in the characters, it seems all the more brighter and rare. Humanity is seen at its rawest, at its most instinctual. We realize at some level that we are the people in these stories. Or could be.
Nakagami's writing style -- spare and understated -- adds to the mood. His language is elegantly concise and precise, yet also strong and powerful. For example: "With Mie in bed, the crew couldn't drink sake in the house after work. So they installed a lamp in the shed and spread out a map. The place reeked of iron and coal. They grilled fish on a portable stove and drank a bottle of cold sake. The sake was sweet on the tongue."
Besides "The Cape", the other two stories in the book are extended portrayals of violence and sex. In "House on Fire," rage explodes in a simmering stew of anger and betrayal between generations. In "Red Hair," two strangers are trapped in a crush of carnality and eroticism. So unflinching are both, I sometimes found myself looking away, perhaps reminding myself of my own quiet, peaceful reality.
The book includes a translator's preface and afterword. Both provide background into the author's life and the environment in which he grew up. The afterword also gives us an in-depth literary analysis of Nakagami's literature. Subtle allusions, such as the meaning of the "cape", add depth to the stories.
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Todd Shimoda is the author of The Fourth Treasure and 365 Views of Mt. Fuji.
by Kenji Nakagami
Reviewed by Todd Shimoda
The richest stories of the human condition often come from those living in the poorest neighborhoods. On the edge of slipping into oblivion, only the physically and psychologically strong survive. In these settings and about these people, Kenji Nakagami creates his rich, lusty, often brutal stories.
Those readers with only a passing knowledge of Japan, may be surprised to learn of a quiet caste system in that country. Hundreds of years ago, customs and edicts established the burakumin, "outcasts" who worked leather and other specified occupations. The edicts established where they could live and other inexplicable rules such as where windows could be placed on their homes.
The caste system, officially or not, lasted well into the twentieth century. Nakagami was born into a burakumin family in 1946 at the western end of Honshu. They suffered the discrimination which allowed them only lower-paying jobs and alleyway residences. Yet he was able to attend school and eventually found his way to Tokyo where he spent his adult life until his last year when he moved back home to die of cancer at the young age of 46.
"The Cape", a novella for which Nakagami was awarded the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, follows Akiyuki, a young construction laborer scrounging for work and dealing with the vagaries of his family, co-workers, and others living in the alleyway ghetto. He barely knew his father, long since out of his life, and this causes him a source of torment to the point of madness. In the end, he exacts an unusual sort of tragic revenge against the unseen father.
The despair in the ghetto is palpable, almost serving as a character in the stories, propelling the action into violence, murder. And so when we see the light of courage or love arise in the characters, it seems all the more brighter and rare. Humanity is seen at its rawest, at its most instinctual. We realize at some level that we are the people in these stories. Or could be.
Nakagami's writing style -- spare and understated -- adds to the mood. His language is elegantly concise and precise, yet also strong and powerful. For example: "With Mie in bed, the crew couldn't drink sake in the house after work. So they installed a lamp in the shed and spread out a map. The place reeked of iron and coal. They grilled fish on a portable stove and drank a bottle of cold sake. The sake was sweet on the tongue."
Besides "The Cape", the other two stories in the book are extended portrayals of violence and sex. In "House on Fire," rage explodes in a simmering stew of anger and betrayal between generations. In "Red Hair," two strangers are trapped in a crush of carnality and eroticism. So unflinching are both, I sometimes found myself looking away, perhaps reminding myself of my own quiet, peaceful reality.
The book includes a translator's preface and afterword. Both provide background into the author's life and the environment in which he grew up. The afterword also gives us an in-depth literary analysis of Nakagami's literature. Subtle allusions, such as the meaning of the "cape", add depth to the stories.
--
Todd Shimoda is the author of The Fourth Treasure and 365 Views of Mt. Fuji.
Available in Asia from Paddyfield.com
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