Changes

As well as the history of the time, the novel focuses on the lives of the Akiyama brothers, Yoshifuru and Saneyuki, and their friend Masaoaka Shiki. The three men's lives cover differing paths, with Yoshifuru joining the Army at a young age and progressing within the cavalry, whilst Shiki, afflicted with poor health and a creative bent, becomes a writer and poet. Saneyuki straddles both worlds, having early desires to become a writer, but is forced to abandon them due to financial constraints and becomes a senior figure in the swiftly expanding Japanese Navy.

What also helps give this impression is the writing style. The Japanese use of language tends to be a little more formal than Western readers may be used to, which can take a little adjustment, but here it works perfectly. The slightly smore formal style helps the novel fall somewhere between a history text and a standard war thriller and the compromise between the two makes it feel a little like a biography more than anything else. In a way, this is what it is, given that we're following the major characters through historical events, albeit with a little embellishment on the author's part – something which can sometimes also be said of autobiographies.