TEITO MONOGATARI: An Epic of History and Sorcery

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

I apologize beforehand, as this will be a bit of shameless self-promotion.

As a few who know me will probably attest to, I like all things Japanese. I can attribute that to growing up on anime in my impressionable years; one in particular, Rurouni Kenshin, hooked me on the history and culture of Japan, being set in the influential Meiji era, when the country opened up to the West and abandoned its feudal system to become a world power. I also have an abiding fascination with history and literature, so I'm keen on sampling many of Japan's literary works. The country has its own set of fantasy and science fiction titles, some that are being translated today and reaching our shores gradually. There's one in particular that I'm interested in checking out, being a cross-section of history, fantasy, and a generational epic.

TEITO MONOGATARI, closely translated as "The Tale of the Imperial Capital", written by natural historian Hiroshi Aramata, is a sprawling reinterpretation of Japan's modern history through an occult perspective, drawing on ancient Asian and local folklore, particularly surrounding the real life figure of Taira no Masakado, who led one of the largest rebellions of his time – the Heian era (794-1185) – against the leading authorities; he has since been revered as an ambivalent guardian spirit of Tokyo, both protector and destroyer. The main action of the story centers around Yasunori Katō, a lieutenant of the Imperial Army who is in actuality an oni spirit, who seeks to bring the capital to ruin through occult means; this brings him into conflict with various Japanese historical figures of the 20th century, including famous authors, scientists, industrialists, and politicians. The novel, published in 10 volumes originally, plus an additional 2 as supplemental material upon republication, sparked a craze in onmyōdō (Japanese occult/divination), introducing tropes and motifs now taken for granted; it remains a bestseller with an important legacy to this day.

There's just one hang-up with it - it hasn't been translated into English, and that's what I want to change. I'm friends with the editor of the Wikipedia page of the book, and together, we're co-administrators of a small group on Facebook seeking to raise awareness and interest in it. I think my friend has been told by a couple translators that the work is "too Japanese" for American audiences, but I personally find that rather silly. Being so steeped in another culture shouldn't mean that it can't be read by other cultures; that would be like saying, say, Les Misérables is "too French" for English-speaking readers. I sincerely believe that there is an audience for TEITO MONOGATARI on American soil, and I relish the chance to partake in it. We're not sure where to go next or what steps to take, but we're seeking out anyone who's interested in picking it up. If anyone knows any avenues that we can take, I would appreciate it very much.

Here is the Wikipedia page for more information of the book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teito_Monogatari

Here also is the link to our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Translate-TEITO-MONOGATARI-into-English-122760147810664/

It may be a long shot, but we're willing to take it. I hope that this small sampling will also entice you to check this impressive work out further.

[Raven]

Sincere question: why would you want to be involved in occult stuff? I don't have trouble with reading about fantasy, made-up worlds where magic exists, but this sounds different, especially with the use of the words occult and divination, which in a real world context (or any context really) is straight up demonic, and nothing that I as a follower of Jesus want to have anything to do with apart from seeing it destroyed. My discussion of this will be straight from my perspective as a Christian.
What's up with this stuff, Coir?

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Hmmmm......I'm only using the words that the Wikipedia page used. Whether "occult" means the same thing over there that it does to Christians in the West, I don't know. I'm sure there's an English literary equivalent for it, though I'm not sure of any definite examples right now.

Here's the Wikipedia page on onmyōdō. Judge for yourself what it means in relation to the occult as you know it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onmy%C5%8Dd%C5%8D

I tread lightly around Japanese stuff. This is pretty much dark fantasy, I admit, and I can't necessarily judge Japanese standards by Western standards, let alone Christian standards; if I did, I would probably go so far as to say there is nothing worthwhile whatsoever to be found in Japanese society, it's so alien. But I personally think that would be going too far. I can't bring myself to condemn an entire culture; circumstances just haven't played out for Christians over there. Heck, I might go so far as to say that all fantasy is, by its nature, occultic. Why, then, do we read it? Even if it's imaginary, isn't it all inherently dangerous by telling stories using very un-Christian means?

I'm not so entirely sure myself. My friend - the co-administrator I mentioned previously - is far more knowledgeable on the subject. Is there anything that you would like me to ask him? Any serious questions that you would like to put forward concerning the content? I would be more than happy to get it for you, if it would make you feel better.

[Raven]

I won't for a minute concede that fantasy is somehow un-Christian. God is the source of creativity, and He imagined and created our world. It is not un-Christian to imagine worlds and tell stories through them.
That said, having glanced at that Wikipedia page you just linked, that is an actual occult religion that exists as an occult spirituality -- dealing with demons and evil powers. That would be like having a book about Wicca or some other form of witchcraft (the occult is essentially witchcraft). I don't care if it's Japanese or African, or Nordic, or Wicca, or what have you, divination, occultism, etc is dealing with demons and that's not something I want to have anything to do with. It sounds like this book series is caught up in that form of spiritual stuff as it exists in Japan.

I'm not trying to say that Japanese "culture" is wholesale bad, anymore than I would say western culture is bad. I don't have trouble judging spirituality, though. If it isn't Christ, it's not good.
I've seen far too much to think that there is no such thing as demonic worship and occult stuff. Christ has defeated the enemy, and demons can have no power over the name of Jesus, but this is not stuff to dabble with.  Proverbs 6:27 asks, "Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?"
No. He can't.

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

I feel that this sort of goes back to the old Harry Potter argument, and I can't say that it's universally decided on that either. This book is still something that I'm interested in, but if you want, I'll delete this topic if it's too problematic for you. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the subject myself. It's gonna take some looking into.

Again, would you like me to approach my knowledgeable friend on the subject? He's extremely keen on it, and I believe he's identified as a Christian himself (don't hold me to that, I'm not entirely sure). I'm sure he would be happy to address any questions that you have that I am at present unable to account for, and I am more than happy to mediate.

In the meantime, I'm sorry I even brought it up. I think it would thus be best if I refrained from discussing my reading activities anymore, whether present or prospective, as I can give no account as to their moral grounds. I would also ask you to scrutinize the blog even more carefully or, at best, reject it outright, as I am sure I have and will continue to include very ungodly people and writings that would be unacceptable to any self-respecting Christian. I will also refrain from discussing anything Japanese in film or writing, as pretty much all of Japanese society and culture is symbiotically intertwined with the Shinto and Buddhist faiths, both of which are tied to the subject matter of this novel and therefore must be rejected and condemned.

This is why you've always been better than me in every way. You have a stronger faith and are unequivocally more righteous than I ever will be; anything to the contrary is just foolishness. I don't want to be a stumbling block, so I have to take into account some things and make changes. Until then, my best response is silence. I'm sorry.

[Raven]

Coir,

      First of all, leave the topic. It is a worthwhile stepping point in an important discussion about spirituality, faith, and what we read and how we read it.
     Second of all, I'm not righteous at all apart from the blood of Christ. If you believe in Jesus, you are equally as righteous. Righteousness is not something earned by us, it is something accepted through Christ. I'm not "better than you in every way." God made people unique.
     Thirdly, continue to discuss Japanese culture and whatever you wish. And we don't have to not discuss or read things we disagree with or have problems with -- I think we just have to be careful to know what, why, and if it's worthwhile. 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, "'I have the right to do anything,' you say—but not everything is beneficial. 'I have the right to do anything'—but not everything is constructive. 24No one should seek their own good, but the good of others." It's important to have these discussions, to determine what is of benefit and what is not.

I used to work at the Wade Center, a literary archive that contains a lot of personal belongings and works from the Inklings. Included was a man by the name of Charles Williams -- no doubt you know who I'm talking about. He was involved in occult things, as far as my understanding. I do not like occult related things; the occult is evil. Would I suggest he be removed from the archive? No. He was part of the group of people being studied and it is important to understand how he relates to the Inklings.

I jumped on this quickly, because, to be honest, I have had to deal with demonic. I don't like demons, and I don't like the occult or witchcraft (understatement). I would feel very hesitant if, for example, Harry Potter was based on a real occultic religion, rather than a highly fabricated, imaginative world that is quite clearly distinguished from the real one. Is this Japanese piece quite clearly distinguished? A lot of my concern came from hearing about the fact that is "sparked a craze" in that form of occultism. 

I'd be happy to hear from this person connected to the wikipedia page. Maybe link him to this discussion? If he is not a believer, he may find my concern over demons baffling or off putting. With the experiences I have had -- I am not going to retract or apologize for denouncing the occult. But maybe he will be willing to engage and at the least we will learn something.

Coir -- I was concerned, not angry. Don't turn on yourself, either, or become despairing.
If we talk about this and learn more, we may both grow in wisdom and knowledge and understand better not only how to be wiser readers, but how to engage the stories of a people-group like the Japanese in a much more insightful way, and thereby perhaps have a better opportunity to be witnesses to the gospel.

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

I've sent an email trying to explain the situation as best I could without making anyone sound like the enemy. If the email I have on record isn't out of date, I hope to hear from him soon. I offered to act as mediator if he didn't want to go through the trouble of signing up with the forum, meaning that I would copy and paste whatever response he has on the forum personally. I do so hope that he's willing to do so.