Ryoma

So, continuing on with Kenshin week, here on Wild Moon Swings, I have come to talk about the book I'm reading right now. It may surprise some of you, or it may not surprise any of you, but I don't read very often. Don't get the wrong idea though, I am fairly well read and have read many classics, many romance novels, many comic books, many bylaws, and lots of things on any major reading list. I'm just tired of listening to other people express their views and am dying to express mine. So, when I do read - it has got to be something pretty special. With all that said, I prefer to write than read.

Anyway, the book I'm reading right now is called 'Ryoma, Life of a Renaissance Samurai'. Himera Kenshin is a fictional character but Sakamoto Ryoma was a real person ... and actually way more interesting than Kenshin because his exploits are real. But, they were both hanging out in Japan during the fall of the Shogun. Kenshin is supposed to be the master assassin for Choshu. Well, when I was watching the Kenshin OVA, I had no idea what that meant ... historically. But now I know that the Choshu boys were like the ULTIMATE BADASSES at that time and saying that Kenshin was the choice warrior of General Takasugi is such an intense compliment/reference that it suddenly made Kenshin 100x more THE MAN to me. If he was the best Takasugi had then that really makes Kenshin probably the best swordsman in Japan.

Now Ryoma was a lower samurai from Tosa, who went ronin before Kyoto was razed. He didn't care about Tosa and was concerned with only with the future of Japan - which was revolutionary thinking at the time. He didn't believe that his soul was in his sword and was just as happy to get a gun when they came along ... actually Ryoma's first pistol was a gift from General Takasugi.

Just as a side note: When I was reading Ryoma I found that Katsura Kogoro was in it a lot and I was wondering it that was the same person Kenshin was working for in the OVA - it is! I wondered if Katsura really did his hair with that much of a pompedor as he does in the anime, and you know what - I'm looking at an actual photograph of the man right now, and yeah *giggle* he did.

Anyway, talking about Ryoma again Japan was at serious risk of being invaded by European powers at that time. Japan had not opened it's boarders to foreigners in a couple hundred years and their technology was really behind the rest of the world. Ryoma was on a mission to save Japan, and was an extremely interesting person. He was the head of a dojo in Edo by the time he was 19, and was the founder of Japans first modern corporation. The book is crammed with all this facinating political intregue, which, in case you didn't know is one of my all time favourite thing.

I also admit that I have a thing for biographys about people who were not actors. For some reason, reading or watching the biography of an actor makes me want to die. Really really die, and in an extremely painful way. It's disgusting to me to hero worship someone who honestly has accomplished so little. I'd much rather talk about real people who really did things. Yeah, I know, I'm always referring to my distain for pop culture.

Anyway, 'Ryoma' is by Romulus Hillsborough, and I would say that it's a MUST READ for anyone who liked Kenshin. This guy will blow your mind apart, although he was not a traditional samurai. He had thrown off a lot of those ideas, but nevertheless was an absolute hero. I laugh, I cry - it moves me.