Selected Prose

The book includes two of the best works by the famous Japanese writer Teru Takakura. The historical novel "The Waters of Hakone" narrates an epoch-making event of the 17th century — the construction by a peasant community of a grand... irrigation structure — a tunnel through Mount Hokiyama, which allowed water to flow to previously barren lands. Against the backdrop of this unprecedented event, the writer managed to provide a wonderfully complete picture of Japan during the Tokugawa era. The novel features peasants and townspeople, samurai and ruthless bandits, Buddhist monks, powerful feudal lords, and the state itself represented by its officials. In 1952, the novel "The Waters of Hakone" was adapted into a film titled "Storm in the Hakone Mountains."The novel "Wolf" tells about the tumultuous events of pre-war Japan, which was heading towards militarization. Political crisis, strikes, war in China, persecution of dissenters — and all this against the backdrop of a detective investigation led by a young scion of a rich and successful family.