The Soil: Volume 8

Takashi's The Soil is an enrapturing gallery of tribulation, pathos, and the fortitude of the human spirit. It does not merely have value as an educational tool for the Japanese historian, but also as an inspirational primer on humanity and mortality. Takashi's vivid portrayal of Meiji Era Japanese culture ties seamlessly with his seemingly effortless chronicles of nature to create a world where mankind is religiously tied to the ground he stands on.I purchased this book for a Japanese history course, and it is the only one that I refused to sell back to the campus bookstore at the end of the semester.

Takashi's portrayal of the rigorous life lead by Meiji-era Japanese farmers is so vivid and realistic that this book was selected by the University of Maryland, Asian Division history department as a supplemental text in the Japanese history class. The professor promised it would be a excellent read. He was right! Emotional and visual, the book makes the reader a part of the Meiji world. Yet, as sublime as the work is at moments, there are other moments when it is suprisingly harsh in the presentation of life's hard realities. After I returned the text to the university, I had to buy a copy for my own library.