"Shiba Ryōtarō is Japan’s best-loved author, and Clouds above the Hill is his most popular and influential work. In it he celebrates the transformative spirit of Meiji Japan and examines Japan’s unexpected victory in the Russo-Japanese War, providing a thoughtful and thought-provoking perspective on those dramatic times and the people at their center. This distinguished translation of a modern classic is a landmark event." - Donald Keene, University Professor Emeritus, Columbia University, USA.

"Shiba Ryōtarō wrote that from the Meiji Restoration of 1868 through the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, Japan transformed its premodern "brown sugar" society into a modern "white sugar" one, eagerly scooping up crystals of the new substance in the drive to create society anew. During the Pacific War, by contrast, the nation’s leaders merely went through empty motions, and Japan collapsed. This book looks back on that earlier era through the lens of the later tragedy, depicting the struggles and growth to maturity of Japan’s young men." -

"When the Russo-Japanese War was over and Japan had won, the commanding generals from both sides came together face to face at Suishiying. They paid honor to each other’s bravery and expressed mutual condolences, and before parting they shook hands. I have visited that very place, which seems to me less the site of a Japanese victory than a monument to the souls of fallen soldiers on both sides. I have no doubt that Clouds above the Hills was also written to honor those souls." -

"Quite simply, this is an incredible read that succeeds on all levels. I'm not a huge fan of history, but Ryotaro's telling of it flows beautifully, such that sometimes I forgot I was reading anything other than a work of fiction. At the same time, the sheer level of detail matches anything Tom Clancy has written, but without getting bogged down in too much technical detail the way Clancy's work often can. It also never loses sight of the human aspect of events, either at home in Japan, or overseas fighting or preparing for war... I found myself at a loss returning to the real world. This may be a book published in several volumes, but I defy anyone to read just one." - Iain Wear, The Bookbag, January 2013.

Shiba Ryōtarō (1923-1996) is one of Japan's best-known writers, famous for his direct tone and unflinching depictions of war. He was drafted into the Japanese Army, served in the Second World War, and subsequently worked for the newspaper Sankei Shimbun. He is most famous for his numerous works of historical fiction.

Translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter

Edited by Phyllis Birnbaum