They found our religion, if we had one, apathetic. I remember when I was still in school there was a question which was occasionally being asked in our exams. If you're looking for compelling plots, rich characters or great literature in general you can pass it up. If you're interested in Japan, in how cultures clash or in cultural studies more broadly I'd recommend the book. I'm inclined to believe that Clavell got his cultural studies right. Wikipedia also tells me that the novel is frequently used in university courses as source material. Wikipedia tells me it was based on the true story of William Adams, the first Englishman to land in Japan whose story shares the same arc as the protagonist of Shogun. I doubt he would commit suicide but I'm willing to believe that he'd undergo extreme hardship simply because he felt he was committed to it. These suicides were predictably tinged with sadness but they were also infused with honor.ĭid Nasubi inherit some sense of this duty? I'm going to assume so. None of this was seen as particularly bloodthirsty or cruel, it was accepted as a necessary ingredient for a successful community. It was expected that peasants would be killed in bulk if they failed to meet a quota. It was expected that a lord would ask his vassal samurai to commit suicide if that vassal failed in a task.
However, a thorough and compelling exploration of Japanese politics and culture courses through it all and elevates it to a story worth reading.įor example, Shogun showed me how important duty was to these Japanese of that time. They're acceptable but not extraordinary summer reading. On their own, these plot lines and character are enjoyable but thin.
The surface focus of the book is on grand, predictable story arcs: a great leader uses cunning and political intrigue to gather power a great adventurer overcomes all obstacles, a great romantic sacrifices herself for her ideals. It's best approached as a fictionalized anthropological text with the adventure and intrigue turned up to 11. Shogun, a novel about a British pilot marooned in Japan around 1600, corroborates Nasubi's stated motivation. How could a verbal commitment be so compelling? Nasubi said it was simply part of the Japanese character. Today, he isn't significantly better off than when he started. The show made him wildly famous but the fame faded quickly. The psychological impact was so severe that he lost the ability to maintain prolonged discussions and wearing clothes made him sweaty and uncomfortable.
He could have walked out, called his friends, gone home, got dressed and eaten meat but he stayed with it simply because he had verbally committed to do so. On a recent episode of This American Life, Stephanie Foo tells the story of a Japanese man, Nasubi, who endured 15 months of starvation, deprivation and isolation for a reality TV show. Shogun is a great read that provides insight into Japanese culture and politics but it isn't great literature.
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