Drunk as a Lord

Drunk as a Lord (酔って候, Yotte Soro) is a collection of four novellas by Ryotaro Shiba, published in 1965. The English version was published by both the Japan Foundation and Kodansha International in June 2001.[1] Eileen Kato translated the stories, and it was the second of Shiba's works to be translated into English.[2]

Content

All of the stories involve daimyō reacting to developments during the Tokugawa shogunate.[1]

Drunk as a Lord

"Drunk as a Lord," the collection's namesake, is about a drinking and partying lord, Yamauchi Yodo, who tries to forge an alliance between the imperial court and the Tokugawa shogunate, but his efforts are in vain; he attempted this because he wanted to remain loyal to the Tokugawa even though he had taken an oath of loyalty to the Emperor and disagreed with open-door actions from the shogunate.[1]

Yodo, described as an alcoholic in the story's end section, on page 103,[2] also has an interest in literature,[1] poetry, and debate,[2] and proficiency in military affairs.[1] The story places emphasis on his intellectual pursuits. Additionally he commits acts of torture against inmates who had committed political crimes.[2] Shizuka Saeki of Look Japan describes Yodo as "a hard-drinking libertine who lives life on the wild side".[1] Margaret Stawowy of The Japan Times characterized Yodo as "a double-talking, pompous tyrant" stated that "I was calling him an alcoholic and a bad word that also begins with “a” by page 12, and things only got worse."[2] Stawowy argued that the narrative, by placing so much emphasis on the erudite characterization, does not prepare the Western reader for his more disagreeable traits, even though "having wisdom and a fine intellect does not exclude the potential for base conduct".[2]

The Fox-Horse

The main character, Lord of Satsuma Shimazu Hisamitsu, inadvertently causes political change for Japan by executing a Briton who drove his horse in front of him, a personal offense.[1] Hisamitsu had inherited his position after his brother, more skilled in politics than he, died of cholera. His advisors take control of him and orient him against the shogun;[1] Stawowy stated that Hisamitsu is "a wannabe scholar" and a "prototypical clueless master manipulated by retainers who are superior to him in every way except rank."[2]

Date's Black Ships

Repairman Kazo is down on his luck but particularly skillful with his hands. His talent leads him to be selected to reverse engineer and build a steamship for his Daimyō, Lord Date Munenari.

Reception

Stawowy argued that the translation did not sufficiently introduce context nor clear cultural differences for western readers.[2]

References
  1. Saeki, Shizuka (February 2002). "Four Samurai". Look Japan. Archived from the original on 2002-03-08. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  2. Stawowy, Margaret (2001-11-18). "A story that just doesn't translate". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
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