Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimura, Mark Ealey (Translator)

Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimura, Mark Ealey (Translator)Introduced by David MitchellIn a coastal village in medieval Japan, a young boy called Isaku battles to keep his family alive against the odds. With his father gone, Isaku is forced to grow up well before his time. He must learn how to catch fish, how to distil salt, and about all the mysteries of the vast churning sea, not least the legend of O fune sama, of ships wrecked offshore providing the village with unexpected bounty. When a ship founders on

The expedition ended in tragedy when

and an eccentric dog

gallant amateurs and military cartographers are described with perceptive clarity

the country remains a largely unknown quantity

Rockefeller

‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’

These concepts include:Yugen: Our living experience of the world around us that is so profound as to be beyond expressionKomorebi: The interplay of leaves and sunlightWabi sabi: Rejoicing in imperfection and impermanence

and ourselves accountable in this crucial enterprise

He experiences life as a pious brahmin

But it was also a 'journey of the heart' - amongst the beauty and indifference of the mountains Matthiessen was searching for solace

and the quality of the hair and nails

Leni Riefenstahl