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MAGIC WARRIOR

On the day he turns fourteen, Akira discovers his destiny: He’s a shiki tsukai, a warrior with the magical power to control the seasons. He also meets the beautiful Koyomi, another warrior, who is sworn to protect him. For there are evil forces intent on destroying Akira–and the entire universe!

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[Rating logo:] T Ages 13+ ... Read more

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Here are graceful and timeless poems by one of Japan´s greatest modern writers, rendered by a master translator. Masaoka Shiki (1867­1902) is credited with modernizing Japan´s two traditional verse forms, haiku and tanka. Born at a time of social and cultural change in Japan, Shiki welcomed the new influences from the West and responded to them by reinvigorating the native haiku and tanka forms. He freed them from outdated conventions, made them viable for artistic expression in modern Japan, and paved the way for the haiku to become one of his nation´s most influential cultural exports.Burton Watson´s excellent introduction explores the course of Shiki´s life: his poverty-stricken childhood, his early love for literature, his education, and his work as a haiku editor for the newspaperand as a correspondent during the Sino-Japanese war. Watson details Shiki´s long struggle with tuberculosis and its poignant expression in his poetry. Confined to bed for months before his death, Shiki continued to devote his energies to literary pursuits: writing poems and critical essays, and joining with friends and followers who gathered in his sickroom to discuss literature. He died a few weeks before his thirty-fifth birthday. These poems -more than a hundred haiku, several tanka, and three kanshi -are arranged chronologically within each genre, revealing the development of Shiki´s art and the seamless way in which he wove his life and illness into his poetry. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Worth the price
This is my favorite collection/translation of the haiku of Shiki. Treat yourself, its worth it. ... Read more

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DESTINY CALLS

The Shiki Tsukai are “keepers of the seasons,” magical warriors pledged to defend the planet’s natural order against those who would destroy it. And Akira is destined to become the greatest Shiki Tsukai of all–that is, if he can survive the vicious attacks of his enemies! Good thing he has friends with equally fantastic powers–including Moe, a twelve-year-old girl with the power to control ice and snow. . . . ... Read more

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Now available to today’s readers in an enhanced new edition with photographs, this acclaimed work offers a complete portrait of the life and the far-reaching influence of the man many Japanese critics refer to as "the father of modern haiku." Beichman puts Shiki’s brief, energetic life, his personality, and his fertile work--including haiku, tanka, and diaries--into fascinating context. As the earliest to write haiku that were modern in both theme and subject, Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) is a prominent figure in modern Japanese literature. Born one year before the Meiji Restoration, he was in many ways a transitional figure, with his writings standing midway between the pre-modern and modern periods and his character and life shaped by both. Janine Beichman takes care in this elucidating work not to overemphasize Shiki’s popular image as a haiku poet, and informs readers about other important yet little-known aspects of Shiki’s work. Includes translations acclaimed for their sensitivity, as well as understandable literary analysis. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good purchase
My order came neatly packaged. The book itself was in perfect condition. Shipping was fast.

Life is Short, Art is Long
This excellent book achieves a fine balance between literary biography and literary analysis, and between critical scholarship and literary sensibility. Actually, it's not so much a balance as an incredible fusion. Masaoka Shiki certainly deserves such treatment; he is a major figure in Japanese literature, and (as Beichman explains) a good deal of the credit for the fact that haiku and tanka are regarded as "poetry" and this poetry a type of "literature" at all goes to him and his efforts.

Each of the five chapters has a distinct focus. The first is a general biography contextualizing the chapters that follow. Masaoka is known as the father of modern haiku and as the haiku's reviver, and so chapter two focuses on this important facet of his literary career. However, Beichman convincingly argues that Masaoka saw his work on haiku only as part as a larger endeavor, and so the next chapters discuss his tanka poems, his prose essays, and his diaries (with an interesting comparison and contrast between his private diary and the diaries he crafted for publication).

The analysis is nuanced and critically astute. I was really interested in her discussion of how haiku and tanka were conceptualized before Masaoka. I had come across a number of his critical remarks in other books, and they always seemed commonplace or obvious. After reading this book I gained a much clearer idea of what he saw himself as working against, and these remarks then came to make sense as original critical interventions. Her translations of his poems and prose pieces make their literary qualities come alive in a fresh way, and she has a knack for unpacking their significance and layers of meanings and associations in ways that are intriguing rather than overbearing. I don't always agree with her conclusions; his final three death haiku strike me more as expressions of stoic resignation in the face of the inevitable than of the transcendence characteristic of Buddhist enlightenment (and I'm usually the first to go rooting around for Buddhist themes in literature), but she always argues her case well. And throughout the book her fascination and affection for this short-lived man of letters and his art shines through, informing and enriching her literary analysis.

In short, this is first-rate work. Anyone interested in modern poetry, in haiku and tanka, or in Japanese literature in general should give this fine book a look. ... Read more

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THE HEAT OF SUMMER
 
Akira is a Shiki Tsukai—a warrior who controls the seasons. He and his friends battle the Shiki Tsukai of Summer, who wish to destroy humanity. But Akira is new to his Shinra powers. Can he protect his team and the president from a sneak attack and save the world?
 
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A small book of Japanese Haiku ... Read more

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A SEASONED WARRIOR

Akira is a shiki tsukai–a warrior who magically manipulates seasons. With his newfound shinra powers, he battles fierce rivals bent on destroying humanity! Akira and his team travel to a tropical island to collect sigils–powerful magical objects that will aid them in their quest. But will trespassing destroy the fragile peace Akira wants between humans and kijyuu?

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Pleased
I ordered this for my son for Christmas.I ordered early to make sure I got it in time .I had the book and other things I ordered in a week or less.Never had trouble with ordereing from here. ... Read more

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CLASH OF THE KINGS

As a Shiki Tsukai–a warrior with the power to change the seasons–Akira battles evil forces who seek the destruction of all humanity. While searching a tropical paradise for new sources of magical power, Akira and his team encounter fiercely violent creatures known as Kijyuu. Can Akira achieve peace with the angry Kijyuu king or will it be all-out war?

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Customer Reviews (5)

A way in...
An Introduction to Haiku is a solid way into the practically untranslatable world of Haiku.It is terse while still being thorough.By including both a transliteration and a literal translation of the Japanese, the reader is able to appreciate not only the feel of the language but also the problems that arise in its translation into English.

Haiku considered. . . .
Haiku, well done, is an enchanting poetic form.This book, put together by Harold Henderson, provides a nice introduction for those who want a deeper understanding of this art form. Best of all is the array of poems presented here--from Basho, Buson, Issa, Shiki, and others.

Haiku itself is deceptively simple--3 lines: 5 syllables in the first, seven in the second, five in the third, for seventeen in total. But it is much more than that. And that is what makes the first part of this book so useful. The Preface and Introduction provide a literate consideration to the nature--and difficulty of drafting--haiku. Even more challenging is translating Japanese haiku into English, according to Anderson (who does the actual translation in this volume). He notes, for instance, an Italian adage, "traduttore, traditore," which--he claims--means that a translator is probably a traitor.To change 17 syllables of Japanese haiku to a meaningful and still poetic English format is devilish difficult. He says (Page vii): "My intention has been to write English verse which will be faithful to the spirit of the originals, and will at the same time approximate literal translation. . . ." Chapters I and II provide a brief but helpful sense of the nature of haiku itself, from its origins to its nature to its evolution.

And then the book moves into the poets themselves, selecting four masters of haiku, plus selected other practitioners of the art. In the process the poets are discussed, their individual attributes summarized, and--best of all from my view--selections of their work presented.Since Basho has been my favorite over time, I'll simply present some of the haiku that seem special to me.

"On the Road to Nara"
Oh, these spring days!
A nameless little mountain,
Wrapped in morning hazel.


"Leaving the House of a Friend"

Out comes the bee
From deep among the peony pistils--
Oh, so reluctantly!

"Twilight"

"Hawk-eyes too will fail,
Now that the darkness comes"--
So chirp the quail.

So, a delightful work providing background to haiku and some wonderful examples of the masters and their craft.

Beautifully done
As Henderson points out in his introduction, most translators are traitors.Though this is so in many cases, the pieces that he selected work well and push the envelope of what good translation of poetry of all kinds should be, regardless of the original language.

This is an excellent pocket anthology for any lover of Haiku and other short form poetry to carry with them always.

Masterful Introduction to Haiku
I have rarely encountered better translations of Haiku.Henderson brought the extended meanings of the words across.Double and triple entendres, startling juxtapositions, contextual clues, everything.These are not mere literal translations--they work on multiple levels to extend the meaning of the poetry, to reflect the possible readings by literate Japanese readers.

Poetic translation is an art that requires deep understanding of two languages, poetic heritages, and metaphorical/imagistic libraries.Henderson's translations are unique in their quality.

Essential introduction for those interested in haiku
Although Henderson's book is out-of-print (originally published in 1958), and his translations are stylistically out-of-date (i.e., rhymed English haiku), this is an essential, pocket-sized anthology.Hendersonintersperses his chronological presentation of haiku, in bothtransliterized Japanese (romaji) with English translation, by majorhistorical masters with analysis throughout.I am on my second paperback-- the first fell apart from constant use! ... Read more

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classic Japanese, tr Corman ... Read more

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classic Japanese, tr Corman ... Read more