Abstract

Cover illustration: Yasuhiko Yoshikazu

During the chaotic period following the war, a women's revolution was taking place in the "bad places" of the north. In the winter of 1952, a rebellion broke out among the women of the red-light district in the northern city of Obihiro. Illegal debts bound them, and women sold themselves to pay for them. Against this absurdity, they waved the flag of freedom. In the midst of the Korean War, the women's rebellion became entangled in the conspiracies of men from all walks of life. "Obihiro is declared a revolutionary city." In order to stop the invading North Korean special forces, local men who had been demobilized once again took up arms in the snowy plains. What did the women find when they arrived at the end of the rebellion? The author, who is originally from Obihiro, has finally brought to life the secret history of the postwar Showa era that "could have once happened."

*This story is fictional.

Author’s Information

Born in Obihiro, Hokkaido in 1949. Graduated from Obihiro Sanjo High School in 1967. Dropped out of Toyo University's Faculty of Letters II. In 1978, he was involved in the planning and publication of the first English translation of "Barefoot Gen" (written by Nakazawa Keiji). In 2020, he won the Grand Prize in the planning contest of the "Toei 100th Anniversary Animation Project" (https://toeianim-100p.jp/). His publications include "Retirement Backpacker Reader" (Shueisha). At the age of 50, he founded the novel fanzine "DRUG," and has been writing ever since for 25 years, with this work marking his debut as a novelist.