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54-604: Teito Monogatari ( 帝都物語 , lit., The Tale of the Imperial Capital ) is the debut novel of Japanese author Hiroshi Aramata . It began circulation in the literary magazine Monthly King Novel owned by Kadokawa Shoten in 1983, and was published in 10 volumes over the course of 1985–1987. The novel is a romanticized retelling of the 20th-century history of Tokyo from an occultist perspective, and can be regarded as an epic work of historical fiction , dark fantasy and science fiction . Widely regarded as

108-690: A best-selling franchise which heavily influenced mainstream interest in onmyoji mysticism across Japan and the international scene. Other similarly themed franchises which emerged in the wake of the novel's success include Clamp's Tokyo Babylon manga series, and Natsuhiko Kyogoku's Kyōgokudō (京極堂) series. Mikako Iwatake cites Teito Monogatari as a work that reminded a generation of general Japanese readers about Tokyo's former status as an imperial capital. Dr. Noriko T. Reider, associate professor of Japanese Studies at Miami University , credits Teito Monogatari with raising "the oni 's status and popularity greatly in modern times". In 2009 Higashi Masao,

162-471: A grandson or great-grandson of Kanmu who was appointed the vice-governor of Kazusa Province (modern central Chiba Prefecture ) in 889 ( Kanpyō 1). Takamochi's sons who joined him there occupied a variety of provincial offices in the eastern part of the country such as that of chinjufu shōgun , the commander-in-chief of the defense garrison ( chinjufu ) in Mutsu Province tasked with subjugating

216-439: A large number of warriors from Kazusa and Shimōsa such that officials from the two provinces initially attempted to prevent their dispatch (Such protests were later withdrawn after the issue was deemed to be a private matter beyond the sphere of state affairs). On the 26th day of the 6th month of 936 (Jōhei 6), Yoshikane led his massive army to Hitachi, where he joined forces with Yoshimasa and Kunika's son Sadamori (who had been in

270-723: A minor rebellion which is also known as Tengyō no Ran . The armed struggle began when Masakado led an attack on an outpost of the central government in Hitachi Province , capturing the governor. In December of that year, he conquered Shimotsuke and Kōzuke Provinces ; and he claimed the title of Shinnō (New Emperor ). The central government in Kyoto responded by putting a bounty on his head, and fifty-nine days later his cousin Taira no Sadamori , whose father Masakado had attacked and killed, and Fujiwara no Hidesato , killed him at

324-418: A minor side project for Hiroshi Aramata who, at the time, was focused on gathering materials for an upcoming natural history book he planned to publish. He was asked by the editor in chief of Kadokawa Shoten, Hiroshi Morinaga, to produce a fantasy themed work for their periodical Monthly King Novel . At that time, Aramata had never written a fictional novel before. The initial idea for the story came from

378-501: A notable authority in the field of Japanese weird fiction , wrote an article entitled "The Impact of Teito Monogatari " where he discussed the novel's influence on contemporary Japanese supernatural fiction. Akira Okawada, a specialist in Japanese science fiction literature, wrote a similar article in 2010 discussing the work's influence on that respective genre. In her essay "Oni and Japanese Identity", Dr. Noriko T. Reider argues that

432-469: A reputation than from first-time writers. For this reason, literary communities have created awards that help acknowledge exceptional debut novels. In contemporary British and American publishing markets, most authors receive only a small monetary advance before publication of their debut novel; in the rare exceptions when a large print run and high volume of sales are anticipated, the advance can be larger. For an example of an unusually high advance: in 2013,

486-400: A summons from the imperial court because of a complaint lodged against him by Minamoto no Mamoru over the battle at Nomoto. Masakado then hurried to the capital to give an account of himself; his lord, Fujiwara no Tadahira, probably intervened in the case and helped lighten his punishment. He was eventually pardoned early the following year (937 / Jōhei 7) when a general amnesty was declared at

540-549: A woman. The identity of this woman is uncertain, though one theory suggests that it may have been a daughter of Yoshikane who married her cousin and apparently went to live with him against her father's wishes. (Aristocratic marriages during the Heian period were usually matrilocal ; the wife continued to reside with her parents while the husband either moved in with his wife's family or simply visited her.) Besides this affront to his honor, Masakado not obtaining any post or rank in

594-570: Is deity of include Kanda Shrine ( 神田明神 , Kanda-myōjin ) (located in Kanda ), and Tsukudo Jinja (which has multiple locations.) In Gifu Prefecture , there is a Mikubi shrine ( ja ) dedicated to Taira no Masakado. According to a legend left at the Shinto shrine , a priest at a shrine in Mino Province prayed to a kami (Shinto deity) to prevent the head of Taira no Masakado, who

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648-440: Is a re-imagining of the 20th century of Tokyo as influenced by the occult. Most of the subject matter builds upon references to classic Japanese and Chinese folklore, although the centerpiece of the mythology is the legend of Taira no Masakado , a 10th-century warlord and ferocious onryo who was placated into a guardian kami through centuries of worship. The plot features many characters, both historical and fictional. Most of

702-466: Is intended as a homage to classic heroes from Japanese folklore such as Minamoto no Raiko (an imperial soldier related to oni) and Abe no Seimei . Whereas those heroes were ardent defenders and valuable servants of the Empire though, Kato is presented as its worst possible enemy. This inversion is also reflected in the character of Taira no Masakado , whom at the beginning is demonized by the narrator and

756-528: Is often called one of the “ Three Great Onryō of Japan  [ ja ] .”. Masakado was one of the sons of Taira no Yoshimasa (平良将), also known as Taira no Yoshimochi (平良持), of the Kanmu Taira clan ( Kanmu Heishi ), descendants of Emperor Kanmu (reigned 781–806) who were demoted from princely to commoner status and granted the Taira surname. Yoshimochi was one of the sons of Prince Takamochi ,

810-531: Is sometimes identified as the daughter of a certain Agata (no) Inukai no Harue (県犬養春枝), perhaps a local magnate from Sōma District. Masakado's year of birth is also unclear. Accounts of his exploits in the mid-930s suggest that his children were young enough to be still in the care of their mother, which may imply that he was born sometime around 900. Later legend portrays Masakado as the reincarnation of scholar and politician Sugawara no Michizane (later deified as

864-627: The Oxford English Dictionary , the earliest attested usage of "first novel" is from 1876. However, the term is much older, with instances going back to at least 1800. The Oxford English Dictionary does not have an entry for "debut novel". The earliest usage of "debut novel" in the Google Books database is 1930 (as of 2011 ). The term appears in newspapers as early as 1922, in a review of Marjorie L.C. Pickthall 's novel The Bridge . The Google Books Ngram Viewer shows

918-624: The Emishi peoples of the north. Not much is known of Masakado's birth and early life due to lack of written evidence. The genealogical record Sonpi Bunmyaku (compiled 1377-1395) identifies Masakado as the third of Yoshimochi's eight sons, while the genealogy of the Sōma clan (an offshoot of the Chiba clan , who were descended from Masakado's uncle Yoshifumi ), the Sōma Keizu (相馬系図), identifies him as

972-536: The Battle of Kojima ( Shimōsa Province ) in 940 and took his head to the capital. The head found its way to Shibasaki, a small fishing village on the edge of the Pacific ocean and the future site of Edo , which later became Tokyo . It was buried. The kubizuka , or grave, which is located in the present day Ōtemachi section of Tokyo, was on a hill rising out of Tokyo Bay at the time. Through land reclamation over

1026-508: The Japanese government as a national rebel and a threat. However, the story unfolds with him in the role of Tokyo's benevolent guardian deity worshiped by the various protectors of the city. The negative association becomes a positive one. Another example is found in the novel's fictional version of Emperor Hirohito . In pre-war Japanese culture, the Emperor was regarded as a divine figure incapable of human failing. In Teito Monogatari however,

1080-547: The Philosopher's Stone , only receive small initial print runs. Debut novels that do well will be reprinted as sales increase due to word of mouth popularity of the novels—publishers do not often run large marketing campaigns for debut novelists. There are numerous literary prizes for debut novels often associated with genre or nationality. These prizes are in recognition of the difficulties faced by debut novelists and bring attention to deserving works and authors. Some of

1134-711: The Pickwick Club (1837), all of which lack the complexity or stylistic characteristics which audiences praise in the authors' later work. There are however some debut novels that are regarded as the author's masterpiece , for example Gustave Flaubert 's Madame Bovary , Joseph Heller 's Catch 22 , Günter Grass ' The Tin Drum and Chinua Achebe 's Things Fall Apart . Sometimes, instead of writing novels to begin their career, some authors will start with short stories , which can be easier to publish and allow authors to get started in writing fiction. According to

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1188-501: The Showa Emperor is presented as a frail figure who prolongs his life by unwittingly ingesting a nostrum made from human organs. This practice of cannibalism effectively puts him on the level of oni, a major paradox since the Emperor's divine status and the status of oni are incompatible with each other. If even the Emperor of Japan has the potential to become an oni, then when is an oni not an oni? A humorous stage adaptation of

1242-592: The author gains a literary reputation. There are exceptions, however; YouTuber Zoella published her debut novel Girl Online in November 2014, and the book sold 78,109 copies in Britain in its first week. The novel saw huge sales because she already had an established audience, and publishers were willing to run a large print run. By comparison, bestselling Fifty Shades of Grey sold 14,814 copies in its first week, or later popular novels, like Harry Potter and

1296-471: The author's typical literary characteristics . Huffington Post ' s Dave Astor attributes these to two forces: first that authors are still learning their own unique style and audiences are more willing to read works from unknown authors if they resemble more conventional styles of literature. As examples, Astor points to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (1937), Margaret Atwood's The Edible Woman (1969) and Charles Dickens' The Posthumous Papers of

1350-580: The capital might have been another factor in Yoshikane's opposition to the marriage. Another theory based on folk tradition meanwhile suggests that Masakado and Yoshikane quarreled over a daughter of Minamoto no Mamoru (源護), former senior secretary (大掾, daijō ) of Hitachi Province who had married off his daughters to Masakado's uncles, Yoshikane among them. On the other hand, the Konjaku Monogatarishū (c. 1120) gives another reason for

1404-413: The capital needed to market books by an unknown author to the public. Most publishers purchase rights to novels, especially debut novels, through literary agents , who screen client work before sending it to publishers. These hurdles to publishing reflect both publishers' limits in resources for reviewing and publishing unknown works, and that readers typically buy more books from established authors with

1458-558: The capital when his father was killed and initially took a neutral stance), whom he had prevailed upon to take part in the attack against Masakado. They made contact at the border between Hitachi and Shimotsuke (modern Tochigi Prefecture ) with Masakado, who went there to verify reports about a plan to launch a joint attack on him from the north. Despite only having about a hundred poorly-equipped soldiers with him, Masakado inflicted heavy casualties upon his enemies' several thousand strong army. Scattered and thrown into confusion, Yoshikane and

1512-542: The centuries, the bay has receded some three kilometers to the south. When Masakado was preparing for his revolt, a vast swarm of butterflies appeared in Kyoto, a portent of the upcoming battle. Over the centuries, Masakado became a demigod to the locals who were impressed by his stand against the central government, while at the same time feeling the need to appease his onryō ( vengeful spirit ) . The fortunes of Edo and Tokyo seemed to wax and wane correspondingly with

1566-438: The conflict, namely that Masakado's uncles had appropriated the lands the young man was supposed to inherit from his late father. Masakado's uncle Taira no Kunika (平国香), who as Takamochi's eldest son was the head of the clan, might have tried to take over his younger brother Yoshimochi's property and place it under his control. Kunika, like Yoshikane, was related by marriage ties to Mamoru, who would eventually become involved in

1620-414: The conflict. In the 2nd month of 935 (Jōhei 5), Masakado and his men were ambushed by Mamoru's three sons, Tasuku , Takashi, and Shigeru, at a place called Nomoto (野本) in the district of Makabe ( 真壁郡 ), near the border between Hitachi and Shimōsa (modern Chikusei , Ibaraki), but managed to repel their attack; the three brothers all died in the battle. In retaliation, Masakado then burned and ransacked

1674-416: The deaths of Kunika and Mamoru's sons, faced Masakado in battle in the village of Kawawa (川曲村) in western Hitachi (identified with the town of Yachiyo , Ibaraki) but Masakado once again proved the victor; more than sixty of Yoshikane's men were killed while the rest dispersed. After his humiliating defeat, Yoshimasa called to Yoshikane – now the vice-governor of Kazusa Province – for aid, who then gathered

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1728-644: The end of the Meiji period and ranges through the rest of the century. It reinvents major events such as the Great Kantō earthquake , the founding of Japan's first subway , the February 26 Incident , the firebombing raids, the signing of the 1960 US Security Pact , and the ritual suicide of Yukio Mishima . The narrative finally reaches its climax in 1998, the 73rd year of a fictional Shōwa period . The historical characters who play primary or supporting roles in

1782-518: The exact cause of Masakado's rebellion. While some sources portray the uprising as revenge for his failure to secure a government post, the Shōmonki (将門記, also read as Masakadoki ), an anonymous monograph on Masakado's life believed to have been completed as early as the 940s, suggests that the conflict originally began in 931 ( Jōhei 1) as a dispute between Masakado, freshly returned from Heian-kyō, and his paternal uncle Taira no Yoshikane (平良兼) over

1836-522: The excitement of finding authors and writers without established legacies. In the same piece for the Times , Ayana Mathis describes the debut novel as "a piece of the writer's soul in a way that subsequent books can't ever be", because the novel is necessarily a work of passion and a product of all of their life before that moment. Often an author's first novel will not be as complex stylistically or thematically as subsequent works and often will not feature

1890-463: The first mainstream novel to popularize the mystical concepts of onmyōdō and fūsui mythology in modern Japanese fiction, the work was a major success in its native country. It won the 1987 Nihon SF Taisho Award , sold over 5 million copies in Japan alone, inspired several adaptations as well as a long running literary franchise. Likewise its influence can still be felt in many later works. The work

1944-512: The god Tenjin ), who died in 903 ( Engi 3). At some point in his late teens, Masakado went to the capital city of Heian-kyō ( Kyōto ) and served in the household of the imperial regent Fujiwara no Tadahira . He is said to have aspired for a position within the imperial police force, the Kebiishi , but failed to obtain court rank or any significant office in spite of his credentials and his patron's high status. Disagreement exists about

1998-403: The highly anticipated City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg captured the attention of ten publishers who started a bidding war that ended with Knopf buying the rights to the book for 2 million dollars. The book's film production rights were purchased soon after by producer Scott Rudin . For similar reasons that advances are frequently not very large—novels frequently do not sell well until

2052-428: The houses of Tasuku's supporters across southwestern Hitachi. Kunika also died during this conflict, under circumstances not entirely clear: he may have either been killed during the skirmish at Nomoto or when Masakado set fire to his residence. On the 21st day of the 10th month of the same year, Taira no Yoshimasa (平良正), Masakado's paternal uncle or cousin who was also related by marriage to Mamoru, seeking to avenge

2106-578: The legend of Taira no Masakado . Aramata was fascinated by the legacy of his spirit and its superstitious impact on modern Japan. In addition, while participating in the creation of Heibonsha World Encyclopedia , Hiroshi Aramata was inspired by discussions with anthropologist Komatsu Kazuhiko about sources of the strange and the mysterious in Japanese folklore . Around the same time, Aramata also read Murayama Shinichi's non fiction history of onmyodo Nihon Onmyodoshi Sosetsu . Teito Monogatari ,

2160-810: The morale of Masakado and his men, who "withdrew, carrying their shields." ( Shōmonki ) Afterwards, Yoshikane burned a critical stable and some houses at Masakado's base in Toyoda District ( 豊田郡 ) in Shimōsa to weaken his ability to make war. Masakado launched a counterattack some days later, but was again defeated due to being struck by a severe pain in his legs (thought to be due to beriberi ). During his retreat, Masakado had his wife (Yoshikane's daughter) and children flee by boat for their safety, but Yoshikane discovered them and carried them off to Kazusa. The woman's brothers eventually allowed them to escape back to Masakado. In 939 ( Tengyō 2, 12th month ), Masakado led

2214-866: The more prestigious awards around the world include the American Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award , the French Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman , the British Guardian First Book Award , the German Aspekte-Literaturpreis and the Japanese Noma Literary Prize . The New York Times commentator Leslie Jamison described the big, and often very public, "to do" about debut novels and novelists created by these book awards, as associated with

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2268-591: The narrative revolves around the cryptohistorical actions of Yasunori Katō , a mysterious former lieutenant of the Imperial Japanese Army who is himself a vengeful oni ; a descendant of the people who rebelled against the Japanese Empire in ancient times. With an incredible knowledge of the supernatural and allies in China, Korea and Taiwan ; Katō dedicates his life to crippling Tokyo,

2322-444: The novel and its various adaptations, is widely credited with pioneering a number of folklore tropes in popular Japanese fantasy media such as onmyodo , Feng shui , shikigami , kodoku , shijie , gohō dōji and Kimon Tonkou . Likewise it helped spark a surge of real life subcultural interest in these topics across the nation. The success of Teito Monogatari inspired Baku Yumemakura to begin writing his Onmyoji novel series;

2376-539: The novel was performed by the Tokyo Grand Guignol Theater in the mid-1980s. It is most notable for introducing the talents of its star Kyūsaku Shimada , the actor who would become most associated with the image of the protagonist Yasunori Kato in future film adaptations. In 1988, a cinematic adaptation of the same name , adapting the first four volumes of the novel, was released by Toho Studios . The film received positive critical reception and

2430-488: The occasion of Emperor Suzaku 's coming of age ( genpuku ). Anxious to avenge his defeat, Yoshikane almost immediately recommenced hostilities upon Masakado's return. He first launched an attack on Masakado at the Kogai River near the border between Shimōsa and Hitachi while displaying portraits of Yoshimochi and Takamochi (Masakado's father and grandfather) in front of his vanguard. This ploy succeeded in weakening

2484-503: The remnants of his forces fled to the provincial headquarters of Shimotsuke, Masakado pursuing them. Although he managed to surround his uncle in the governmental offices, Masakado, seemingly concerned about subsequent censure should he kill Yoshikane then and there, allowed him to escape through a gap in his western line. He then filed a formal grievance with the provincial authorities in neighboring provinces before returning to his territory. Not long after his victory, Masakado received

2538-551: The respect paid to the shrine built to him at the kubizuka ( ja ); neglect would be followed by natural disasters and other misfortunes. Hence, to this day, the shrine is well maintained, occupying some of the most expensive land in the world in Tokyo’s financial district facing the Imperial Palace. His tomb (which contains only a monument to his head) is near exit C5 of Tokyo's Ōtemachi subway station. Other shrines which he

2592-464: The seat of power of the modern Japanese Empire. His ruinous ambitions bring him into conflict with some of 20th century Japan's greatest minds including industrialist Eiichi Shibusawa , onmyoji Abe no Seimei 's descendant Yasumasa Hirai , authors Koda Rohan and Izumi Kyoka ; physicist Torahiko Terada , and author Yukio Mishima . The resulting conflict, involving science, magic and politics; spans 90 years of Japan's history. The story begins near

2646-464: The second of seven sons. The latter text also claims that he was nicknamed Sōma no Kojirō (相馬小次郎, Kojirō meaning "little second son") during his childhood, suggesting that he was raised in the district of Sōma ( 相馬郡 ) in Shimōsa Province (part of modern southwest Ibaraki Prefecture and northwest Chiba Prefecture), though the factuality of this information has been disputed. Masakado's mother

2700-472: The story include: The tenth volume of the novel, published in 1987, was originally intended to be the final volume. However, when the novel was republished in 1987–1989, additional eleventh and twelfth volumes were also written to supplement more of the story around 1945, the end of World War II . When the novel was republished in 1995, volumes 11 and 12 were inserted in the chronologically appropriate spot between volumes 5 and 6. The novel originally served as

2754-453: The term becoming more widely used after about 1980, gaining in popularity since. Taira no Masakado Taira no Masakado ( 平将門 , died March 25, 940) was a Heian period provincial magnate ( gōzoku ) and samurai based in eastern Japan , notable for leading the first recorded uprising against the central government in Kyōto . Along with Sugawara no Michizane and Emperor Sutoku , he

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2808-436: The work is a heterotopic inversion of classical oni mythology heavily influenced by the supernatural configuration brought about by World War II. She describes the novel as a "...heterotopic site where...contemporary representations of oni reflect past representations, where oni of the past are not simply superimposed upon the present but both act as extensions of each other in an odd continuum". The character of Yasunori Kato

2862-463: Was a commercial success, becoming one of the top ten highest grossing domestic movies of that year. The movie was eventually distributed to Western markets under the title Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis The success of this adaptation prompted the production of a sequel, Tokyo: The Last War (1989), loosely based on the 11th book, Great War in the Capital . In 1991, the first cinematic adaptation

2916-560: Was remade into a four-part OVA anime of the same name produced by Madhouse . The anime was adapted to the US by Streamline Pictures under the title Doomed Megalopolis in 1995. Although the plot of the anime loosely parallels the original story, the production is renowned for being darker and more provocative than its source material or any other adaptation preceding it. Debut novel Sometimes new novelists will self-publish their debut novels, because publishing houses will not risk

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