Secret History of the Lord of Musashi and Arrowroot And Arrowroot Book

Two great fiction stories in one book!

Junichiro Tanizaki's two classic novels "The Secret History of the Lord of Musashi" and "Arrowroot" are presented together respectively and are both joys to read. Although dealing with entirely different plotlines, the two tales feature wonderfully powerful story themes that only a few masters like Tanizaki can create for Japanese literature readers.

The first novel, "The Secret History of the Lord of Musashi", is a fictional retelling of a samurai from 1500's Japan who, during a siege on his people's castle by an enemy tribe, develops an odd fixation as an older child after he witnesses women preparing the heads of fallen enemy soldiers for use as trophies. Enchanted by what he saw during his childhood, as an adult he vows to recreate his bizarre fantasy and gets himself entangled with a woman from another family who seems to seek a very similar desire. A mixture of hilarity and violence ensues, with themes of love and grotesque imagery intertwined in this surprisingly shocking yet funny story.

"Arrowroot", the second story, is a shorter piece that is set in the early twentieth century Japan and takes readers on a curious journey with two writers. At first attempting to find ideas for writing a novel by visiting an old Japanese countryside, the narrator and his friend Tsumura are shown some ancient trinkets that somehow link to bits and pieces of Tsumura's mother who disappeared from his life at a very early age. The narrator then accompanies his friend Tsumura on his quest to find out more about what happened to his mother, uncovering fascinating cultural connections along the way.

Both these stories are superbly written and are definitely some of Mr. Tanizaki's best works. He demonstrates his excellent storytelling talents by managing to tackle broad plots and condensing them into easily readable tales that can be easily understood by readers even outside of Japan. Although both stories are strikingly different in plot, timeline, and mood, they share in common very rich themes that are often prominently presented in Japanese fiction. They are also very entertaining tales to read, albeit in different ways (one is action-packed and humorous, while the other is more tranquil and mysterious).

All in all, "The Secret History of the Lord of Musashi" and "Arrowroot" are nice fiction stories that are a pleasure to read even back to back, and all the more satisfyingly packaged into one book. Highly recommended reading and a very good travel companion book as well!