Salamander and Other Stories by Masuji Ibuse, translated by John Bester (Kodansha International)

Salamander and Other Stories is a collection of short stories written by the author of the acclaimed novel Black Rain which was about the survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima (Asia by the Book, March 2020). Salamander and Other Stories was first published as 山椒魚 (Sanshouuo) in the Japanese language in 1948 by Shinchosha. The first English publication became available in 1971 and was released with the title Lieutenant Lookeast and Other Stories, also published by Kodansha International in hardcover. The paperback edition was published in 1981 with a change in the title. Both versions were translated by John Bester. 

This book includes nine stories that were written between the years of 1923-1955. Ibuse uses a wide range of themes. Some are semi-autobiographical while others can be considered satire. The setting usually takes place in rural Japan where Ibuse writes about ordinary, everyday life which is often filled with subtle humor. 

Plum Blossom by Night is about a man who decides to go out drinking one night. It is February 20 around two in the morning. The man is looking for an oden restaurant or some other cheap eating joint when he is accosted by a man who shouts, “Is there blood on my face?” After ascertaining that he is indeed hurt, the man helps the drunkard concoct a story to tell his boss the following day. The drunk is so grateful that he presses a five-yen note into the other man’s cloak. The five-yen note begins to bother the recipient. He decides he will return the note to the drunkard the following day, but days, then months, then years pass before he calls the drunk man’s home only to find that the man had disappeared ages ago. 

Lieutenant Lookeast is a satire on Japan’s militarism era. The story takes place after the end of World War 2. Lieutenant Yuichi Okazaki (Lieutenant Lookeast) suffers from the delusion that the war is still going on and will often shout out military orders to people who pass by his house. We later find out from a local how Lietenant Okazaki got his name and why he behaves the way he does. It was when Lieutenant Lookeast was in Malaysia and overheard one of his soldiers saying something about war. The soldier said, “the enemy was dropping bombs as though they’dgot them to spare. So I said war was an extravagant business”. The lieutenant slapped the soldier but at the same time, the truck hit a bump, the tailgate flipped open and both Lieutenant Lookeast and the soldier fell out and rolled down into the river. The soldier fell on his head and rolled off in the river. The lieutenant hit his head and hasn’t been the same since. 

The title story, Salamander, is about a small amphibian that lives in a cave. But as its body grows, so does its head and whenever it tries to leave, the salamander’s head gets stuck, giving it only enough room to move its feet to and fro and from side to side. 

Old Ushitora focuses on a man’s grandchild who doesn’t approve of his grandfather’s job. Carp is about a man who is given a gift of a carp but has a hard time taking care of it. Savan on the Roof is about a man who finds a wounded goose on the roof, nurses it back to health, but then finds that he doesn’t want to set it free. There are three other stories that are just as enjoyable as the ones already mentioned—Pilgrim’s Inn, Life at Mr. Tange’s, and Yosaku the Settler.

Ibuse’s stories are fun to read and give light as to what life might have been like in a small town in old Japan. It is a great introduction to one of the lesser-known Japanese writers and the stories give you a feeling of nostalgia when you read them. ~Ernie Hoyt