Yamaoka Sohachi (Souhachi), a very famous Japanese novel writer　(Jan 11, 1907 – Sep.30, 1978). He was born in Niigata as Yamauchi Shozo (Shouzou).

After World War II, in March 1950, Yamaoka started to write “a novel of Tokugawa Ieyasu”, and completed it in Spring of 1967, which was 18 years work. He had required 2 years preparation before beginning the work of “Tokugawa Ieyasu”, then, he says, since his age 40 to 60 counting these 2 years preparation for the novel, he devoted to this work, hoping strongly Peace in everywhere and to become a peaceful world.

The novel “Tokugawa Ieyasu” needed 17,400 sheets of 400 Japanese characters each. That would be 26 volume in book form.

What Yamaoka did when he finished the novel Tokugawa Ieyasu, was to offer the books at home alter in the corner of his garden where he had a “Aerial Buddhist deity of mercy” (Kuu chuu Kannon) This deity represents spirits of young Kamikaze suicide corps whom Yamaoka had met in Kanoya military airport, Kagoshima. At the time of taking off for Kamikaze attack, the young pilots left the words “we count on you in seeing that all is well after we are gone!”.

Yamaoka, as a literary person, could not do but this way of offering. He says to the spirits, wondering they would forgive him with laugh ?

The novel Tokugawa Ieyasu by Yamaoka Sohachi has been serialized in Japanese daily newspapers since 1951 – 1967. It is the longest Japanese novel but also one of the longest ever written.

As longest novel, the longest important novel ever published is Les hommes de bonne volonte by Louis-Henri Jean Farigoule (1885-1972), alias Jules Romains, of France, in 27 volume in 1932-45. The English version, Men of Good Will, was published in 14 volumes in 1933-1946 as a ‘novel-cycle.’ The 4,959 page edition published by Peter Davis Ltd has an estimated 2,070,000 words, excluding 100 page index. These are recorded in Guinness World Records.

I can not find his Tokugawa Ieyasu in English edition. I don’t know if such edition does exist or not. For people who are interested in Tokugawa Ieyasu and Japanese history around Ieyasu’s life, Yamaoka’s novels : Tokugawa Ieyasu is one of best novels. Although it’s a novel, but comparing with historical facts and situation, Yamaoka’s time-machined like observation and imagination is amazing.

Personally, I felt Yamaoka traveled time back to Ieyasu’s time and watched, heard and I thought in some scenes, that he talked with Ieyasu!

Whether his story is how much non-fiction or not, his ability of transmitting his desire to express how much he wanted a real world peace, without war in the world is more than strong. The novel was divulgated as a business tactics text, with Ieyasu as master of such strategies and spiritual patience-holder to achieve in establishing more than 250 years lasted Shogun administration.

We wouldn’t be able to verify Ieyasu’s real intention of wanting a solid government for such long time, for his family or for peace in all Japan ? However, the fact of having left a stable Edo government for more than 250 years, his initial purposes were accomplished in whole sense, I believe.

For whom had interest in Japanese history, probably this novel is a good material. Or, as a text book or a reference for strategies in business movement in some area, would be useful, extracting essence of such tactics situation. In either way, if the novel were used by more readers, Yamaoka would be happy to have more chance to communicate his wishes in different and variable way.

References

Guiness World Records

Wikipedia List of longest novels

South China Morning Post

Books / Tokugawa Ieyasu

Korean Edition Tokugawa Ieyasu

Books related to Tokugawa Ieyasu