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A man called shuku

A Man Called Shuku illustrates the tenuous relationship between a Japanese vice governor and his Chinese translator during the former’s tenure in Japan-occupied Manchuria. Originally serialized in 1940—at the height of the Manchukuo regime—Ushijima Haruko’s narrative unveils the tensions and obscurities of the colonial encounter, casting doubt on the empire’s official proclamations of ethnic harmony in the region. This newly translated edition, accompanied with a foreword by Tani Barlow, invites a global audience to explore the textures of a bygone era whose political realities will nonetheless feel familiar to contemporary readers.