National Treasures (Two-volume Set)

A fated showdown between "genius" and "earth-bound talent"
Shuichi Yoshida's career masterpiece, marking his 20th anniversary
 
Adapted into a film starring Ryo Yoshizawa
Featuring a top-tier cast including Ryusei Yokohama and Ken Watanabe, grossing over 15 billion yen!
 
★★★ Represented Japan in the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film ★★★
★★★ Broke Japanese box office records, grossing over 10 billion yen in 8 days ★★★
★★★ Officially selected for the Cannes Directors' Fortnight ★★★
 
"So good it left me speechless, the best novel in ten years!"
"A vivid portrayal of an actor's life, as brilliant as 'Farewell My Concubine'."
A must-read for a lifetime, highly praised and tear-inducing by Japanese readers
 
"What pact did you make with that demon?"
"I begged him to make me stronger, to make me the best Kabuki actor in Japan. I told him, 'I want nothing else'."
 
　　★Double Crown Winner! Awarded the 14th Chuo Koron Literary Prize and the 69th Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award for Fine Arts
　　★Exclusive Traditional Chinese edition includes an essay by the author: "Was Kikuo's life happy? – Written at the end of the 'Kokuhou' serialization"
　　★Highly recommended by Peking Opera master Wu Hsing-kuo and theater producer Lin Hsiu-wei
 
　　New Year's Day, 1964,
　　In the first snow of a Nagasaki ryotei,
　　The future national treasure of this country was born—
　　"How splendid, such an excellent geisha in Nagasaki."
　　"No, that's not a geisha, that's the only son of the Tachibana gang leader, still in junior high."
 
　　The world of theater and the yakuza,
　　Two boys from vastly different backgrounds,
　　Led by fate onto the same path of artistic pursuit.
　　"Look, opening your knees to this angle makes your body appear largest... it's amazing, isn't it?"
　　"What a beautiful face... but, one day this face will be your undoing."
　
　　Through blood, conflict, scandal, betrayal, fame, separation...
　　In the end, who will ascend to the throne of a living national treasure?
　　"You must hate Kabuki, right? But, even if you hate it, you must dance... no matter how much we hate it, we actors still have to perform every day."
　　"It's fine, I've long been prepared, because I love Kabuki too much."
 
　　The entanglements of love and hate in the artistic world,
　　A lifelong obsession to avenge his father's murder,
　　Behind the applause and glare, lies the tumultuous life of an actor.