Teito Monogatari: The Tale of the Imperial Capital - Volume 1 - Preface

 

 

 Teito Monogatari: 

The Tale of the Imperial Capital 

Author: Hiroshi Aramata 

VOLUME 1

Preface

The Great Hanshin Earthquake occurred on January 17, 1995. It was a repeat of the nightmare of the Great Kanto Earthquake for the Japanese people. We have an inner sensor for that kind of thing. No matter what I'm doing, in the back of my mind I'm always trying to detect warning signs of the next huge destructive earthquake—because one is always coming. 

That unfortunate truism was made clear in Kobe in January of 1995. 1995 is the year of the boar in the Chinese zodiac. The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 also occurred in the year of the boar.

 The Tale of the Imperial Capital was published in 1984, more than ten years ago. It was conceived as an occult urban disaster novel, with the "year of the catastrophe" as a key theme. It even features the prediction of a major earthquake in its plot. 

Of course, I didn't predict the Great Hanshin Earthquake. But I was born in the year of the boar, and I began writing my first novel in the year of the boar, 1984. In the first part of this book, there is a scene where a spirit medium, Yasumasa Hirai, risks his life when he predicts that the imperial capital will suffer a major disaster in the year of the boar.
It is nothing short of an incredible coincidence that this series has come full circle and been revived with a newly produced film in 1995 (which is the year of the pig).

 The Tale of the Imperial Capital is one of the first popular novel series in Japan to fully introduce the fundamentals of Chinese feng shui as an ancient magical method for predicting changes in the strata and topography of the earth, such as earthquakes and floods. Feng shui is well-known around the world today—there are even popular fads that feature it—but in 1980s Japan, feng shui was not part of the Japanese cultural imagination, never mind a more global one. 

The film version of The Tale of the Imperial Capital is directed by Akio Jissoji, the director of Ultraman. In the film, Sanshi Katsura plays the role of a feng shui master. I remember getting a question from a media reporter about what a feng shui master was and what they could do! (For the answer, read on—or watch the movie.) 

The Tale of the Imperial Capital argues that the magnitude of the earthquake was in part due to the modern urban policies that haphazardly damaged and trampled on the land for the sake of progress and urbanization. The trigger for the earthquake is the vengeful spirit of the mysterious Katō Yasunori. 

In contrast, cities of the past were built with sustainability in mind. The names of ancient capitals tell us something about their inhabitants' aesthetic and environmental values. For example, Heian-kyo was a spiritual capital built with the aim of being a peaceful and healthy city. Heian-kyō  literally means "peaceful capital," and was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over a thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180.

The basis of ancient urban planning in the east was feng shui. While writing this series, I wanted to explore what kind of city people would design in ancient times according to feng shui principles. The Tale of the Imperial Capital was written as a fantasy novel that puts forward feng shui as a modern strategy for urban redevelopment. 

Now, all the blighted citizens of Kobe can do is rebuild, and I wish them the very best of luck in that endeavor. I believe this humble novel's republication during this difficult time is topical. 

Whether you love cities or hate them, this novel is for every reader.  

Hiroshi Aramata

March 13, 1995