Osamu Dazai's The Setting Sun : The Manga Edition by Osamu Dazai, translated by Makiko Itoh (Tuttle)

Osamu Dazai whose real name is Shuji Tsushima is a Japanese writer who was born in Kanagi in Aomori Prefecture. His most well known work is 人間失格 (Ningen Shikaku) which was later translated into English with the title No Longer Human. 

His novel, The Setting Sun, was first serialized in a literary magazine titled Shincho between July and October of 1947. The original title was 斜陽 (Shayo) and was published in book form in later that year. 

Now in 2024 Tuttle has published Osamu Dazai’s The Setting Sun : The Manga Edition and is retold and illustrated by Cocco Kashiwaya. A manga artist who debuted in 1990 in Booquet Comics, a sister comic to the Shojo Manga (Girls Comic) Margaret. It was translated into English by Makiko Itoh. 

The story begins at the end of World War 2. An aristocratic family now find themselves impoverished and are forced to sell their home in order to survive.  Kazuko, a young and divorced woman who lives with her mother is told by her uncle that since Japan has surrendered, their life of luxury is no longer possible. 

Kazuko’s father died ten years prior and it was her Uncle Wada who has been supporting them since the war ended. He tells the two that they have no choice but to sell the house and that the two should move to the countryside. Her younger brother who was an aspiring writer was sent off to war and has not been heard from since. 

The night before the two were going to move to Izu, Kazuko’s mother was trying to sleep but kept murmuring, “Because Kazuko is here. I’m going to Izu. Because of Kazuko… Because Kazuko…Because Kazuko is here with me”. 

But then she heard her mother say, “And what if…Kazuko wasn’t here. I’d prefer to die!”. Her mother was having a complete mental meltdown shouting, “I WISH I COULD DIE!”. Kazuko’s mother has always been a pillar of strength so Kazuko was shocked to see her mother in this state of hysteria. 

Even after the death of Kazuko’s father, after Kazukogot married then divorced, when Kazuko came home with a baby in her belly, when the baby was stillborn, when Kazuko was taken ill, and when her younger brother did bad things, during the ten years after Father died, Kazuko’s mother was the same as she always been - easy-going and gentle. 

It was at night when Kazuko thought that as children, she and her brother were spoiled. She had not realized what a great life she had. She thought, “Oh, to have no money! What a horrible, irredeemable hell this is”. 

The next day, her mother acted if nothing happened and they moved to Izu without incident. However, due to Kazuko’s carelessness, she almost burned down the house. After that, she was determined to become a rugged country woman.

Then one day, her younger brother appeared. He goes back to his old ways, drinking and hanging out with his mentor, a writer he admires named Uehara who also has love for the bottle and women. Kazuko had met him while she was still married.

After the death of Kazuko’s mother, she finds herself thinking more and more about Uehara and how much she loves him and how she wants to have his baby even though she knows he’s an alcoholic. She is determined to live her life for love even if it means breaking with traditional conventions. She thinks of herself as a revolutionary - a revolutionary for love. But…will she find true happiness?

Most of Osamu Dazai’s novels are semi-autobiographical and they can be very bleak and depressing. In this story, Kazuko’s character was based on a woman named after the writer and poet Shizuka Ota who Dazai had an affair with while he was still married. Kazuko’s actions may seem mild by today’s standard but if you keep in mind the timeframe of when the story took place. Kazuko may be considered a true revolutionary. ~Ernie Hoyt