| Teito Monogatari | |
|---|---|
 1995 reissue cover of the first and second volumes |
|
| Author | Hiroshi Aramata |
| Language | Japanese |
| Genre | Historical Fiction Fantasy Horror |
| Publisher | Kadokawa Shoten |
| Published | 1985--Current |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
Teito Monogatari (帝都物語) (roughly translated as Tale of the Imperial Capital) is a massive Japanese literary fantasy/historical fiction epic written by Hiroshi Aramata.
Contents |
History
The first novel was released in 1985 by Kadokawa Shoten and became a bestseller, with over 3.5 million sales. Since then, the series has enjoyed a following in the realm of Japanese pop-literature. Subsequent additions were made to the main series until it was composed of 10 volumes. The tenth volume was intended to be the final volume, but due to the success of this main series, additional eleventh and twelfth volumes were written as sequels, bringing the main series up to a total of 12 volumes. An extra volume was also written, and was intended as a side story (taking place in a contemporary time period). In addition, there were several spin-off series written intended to elaborate on some of the main characters and the plot of the main series.
Overview
The story concerns the history of Edo as retold from an occultist perspective. The plot mainly revolves around several different figures from across several generations and their multiple struggles with the demon Yasunori Kato, who wants to bring Tokyo to complete and utter ruin. Aramata incorporates a variety of real historical characters to play major roles in the plot. Some of these figures include:
- Koda Rohan
- Ogai Mori
- Torahiko Terada
- Makoto Nishimura
- Gakutensoku
- Eiichi Shibusawa
- Kyōka Izumi
- Masatochi Okouchi
- Tokuji Hayakawa
- Yukio Mishima
The chronology of the first ten volumes spans from 1908 to 1999, while the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth volumes go back and rewrite the history of the story starting from 1945 (ignoring many of the events of the fifth and tenth novels).
List of Books in the main Teito Monogatari series
- Vol. 1: Great Spirit of Tokyo
- Vol. 2: City of the Demon
- Vol. 3: The Great Earthquake (in reference to the Great Kanto Earthquake)
- Vol. 4: Movement of the Dragon
- Vol. 5: Advent of the Devil
- Vol. 6: The Phoenix
- Vol. 7: Rampant Evil (The Demon's Journey of 100 Nights)
- Vol. 8: Shrine of the Future
- Vol. 9: Power of the Morning Spirit
- Vol. 10: Resurrection
- Vol. 11: Great War in the Capital
- Vol. 12: Greater East Asia
- unofficial volume 13: "Tale of the Capital: Side Story"
Spin-offs
- Teito Monogatari Iroku (帝都物語異録) (Tale of the Imperial Capital: Strange Record): The "secret origins" of Yasunori Kato. This collection features the writings of a multitude of Japanese authors.
- Teito Mabaroshi Dan (帝都幻談) (Stories and Visions of the Capital): A collection of short stories chronologically taking place before the main series. Cover art by Shigeru Mizuki.
- Sim-Feng Shui (シム・フースイ) series: Another multi-volume novel starring the feng shui expert Shigemaru Kuroda from the first four Teito Monogatari novels and his descendents and their struggles with various spiritual disturbances across Japan. The fourth volume of this series was made into a live-action film Tokyo Dragon (東京龍) in 1997.
- Yokai Daisenso (妖怪大戦争) (The Great Yokai War): Yasunori Kato leads an army of twisted yokai on an invasion of Tokyo. Was made in cooperation with Shigeru Mizuki, and has been loosely termed an updating or re-imagining of his works. Was also made into a 2005 film directed by Takashi Miike.
- Shin Teito Monogatari (新帝都物語) (True Tale of the Imperial Capital)
Film Adaptations
In 1987, a film version, covering the plot of the first four novels, was produced by Exe Studios and distributed by Toho Studios. Released in 1988, it became the 8th highest grossing film of the year. The success of this adaptation prompted the production of two live-action sequels: Tokyo: The Last War/Teito Taisen (1989) (loosely based on the eleventh book of the series) and Teito Monogatari Gaiden (1995) (based on Karakuri Doshi, the side story novel). There was also a four-part OVA anime produced in 1991 by Toei Animation. The anime was adapted to the US by Streamline Picture in 1999 under the title Doomed Megalopolis. In 2003, ADV Films distributed a subtitled copy of the 1988 live-action film version under the title Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis. As of today, no North American release plans have been made for either of the live-action sequels.
External links
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