Yes
When I read the first 2 pages (first novel is called The Bamboo Sword) I was in the tram and I had close the book because it was so sad I would start crying.
There are (except one or two I think) stories about samurai describing situation when their time was almost over. After centuries of wars the Tokugawa family brought Japan to "peace" and lot of the samurai were not needed anymore - not as warriors. They simply lacked the positions for them. So the samurai became ronin ("unemployed" samurai) and they had to start settling into mundane jobs - llike merchants etc. It had to be hard for someone being born and brought up in war to suddenly lack the fight and "become peaceful". I mean, it's not anything rare - look at the veterans from WWI and WWII - after they came back from war, nobody employed them. The same happens to people for example in U.S. Army - the soldiers come back from Iraq or Afghanistan and when they are out of service - nobody employes them.
So each story describes a life of such people. Samurai looking desperately for a position to feed his family... and such. It's very sad reading if You ask me. The author describes it very well and there isn't lack of the samurai culture & ethiquette description - I want to say that I do not of course believe that all samurai would be noble honorable men, always there are better and worse, good and bad - but by the original ethiquette they were supposed to be the righteous, honorable, noble ones. And with exception of those few stories about some other caste people than samurai - the story describes such a life of lower or higher rank samurai with their families - with all his/their mistakes. But You simply cannot start feeling sorry. Noble person holdin service for years and then - turning into a poor person not being able to feed own family not cause of being bad - but because of lack of jobs.
Each story is very touching. You can see how the huge dominion is filled with intrigues and such. Stories are quite short but it's enough. Usually they have no good or bad ending.
I like the fact how Fujisawa shows the samurai (also 2 his other books are like this - based on this two books two movies were made - awesome ones!) as people, like each other - with their everyday life, family problems, survival problems - not just as a killing machine which is so very favourite in our time...
"How are things with your wife?" Hankuro asked.
"Not so good," Jinnai replied with a scowl. "When I got home last night she knew right away that I was drunk and barred the door."
"What did you do?"
"I just lifted the whole thing off its runners. Women can be so childish sometimes."For example - this part made me laugh. Given away from the context it might seem rude but when You read the whole story it's bit funny cause You know that Jinnai is not a bad man who would be hurting his wife, they just lack money and have a lot of children so both are not satisfied - he goes sometimes for a drink with his friend and the wife does not like it of course but it is not any major problem.
I loved the book so much that I immediatelly spent the money I did not want to spend and bought it on Amazon. Hope it arrives home this week.
Every single story made me hold my breath until the end even thought it's not any action movie
AND the author is absolutely brilliant with describing intimate things. So... gently nothing explicit which would disgust You. Only few authors do that. Now it's so modern to be explicit and also describe sex and intimate stuff the most disgusting way it's possible cause - I do not know - is it cool or what? Fujisawa's literature lacks this horrible thing and does not insult women and their dignity and does not make intimate things profane.
I can surely say already now, that this is going to be one of few on the list of the best books of my lifetime.
