New Release: The Mysterious Stories of Ghost Moon Tower, Chapter 1

September 22, 2008 in Ima Ichiko, new release, news by PresenceDear | 14 comments

Well, well, this was supposed to be our Halloween release, but, instead, this release will mark the end of summer, which also happens to be the end of “ghost story season” in Japan. Like my inadequate translation of the title suggests (please read the notes) The Mysterious Stories of Ghost Moon Tower is a manga about ghosts. It’s also a BL comedy which I hope you’ll find enjoyable whether you celebrate “ghost season” in October or August.

For those of you in a hurry, the download of Chapter One can be found here. Please visit us again soon for the next installment in which Shouichirou has another disastrous marriage interview, Yosaburou gets that new jacket, and we will all learn more about kabuki theater. ^__^

A note about notes: In the beginning, I was hoping to find a way to translate this without pages and pages of endnotes. Obviously, that didn’t work out. (If you’ve read it, you can stop laughing now. ^__^) They can be found in a text file at the end. I hope you will take the time to read them. I’m sorry for any inaccuracies.

Due to the somewhat rushed nature of this release, a few notes didn’t get included in the file:

Geisha: I thought most people would know what this is already, but, after talking to people at work, I realized that there are a lot of misconceptions out there (in part, due to a certain book and movie, I suspect.) In short, geisha are female entertainers, specializing in traditional music and dance. They are considered artists, definitely not prostitutes. Here’s a link to the wikipedia article which has a lot of information and pictures, if you’re interested.

Ryoutei: Ghost Moon Tower is described as “ryoutei” which the dictionary calls a “traditional Japanese style restaurant.” Geisha work at “ochaya” (teahouses) or “ryoutei” (fancy restaurants.) These places are separate from “okiya” (geisha houses) where the geisha train and live. However, Ghost Moon Tower doesn’t seem to fit any of these definitions perfectly. It also appears to be a brothel, providing not only entertainment by geisha, but oiran (high class prostitutes) as well.

The character “Yosaburou” is sometimes called “Yosakou.” My best guess is, that’s a somewhat derogatory nickname.

A huge thank you to my editor, Txilar! You’re the best!

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14 comments

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September 22, 2008 at 3:47 am

Anonymous

Anonymous’s avatar

ooh~! new manga to read! thank you so much!! I really want to go trick or treating this year~ who wants to join me? ^_^ hahahaha…

September 22, 2008 at 3:59 am

suez

suez’s avatar

suez’s avatarInteresting information on Ryoutei… always thought it as a tea house but never farther than that… anyway many thanks for the release :)

September 22, 2008 at 4:57 am

me

me’s avatar

thank you for the new release (:

September 22, 2008 at 6:24 am

kriptonima

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kriptonima’s avatarThank you!

September 22, 2008 at 6:36 am

cam

cam’s avatar

cam’s avatarlooks delicious, thank you!

September 22, 2008 at 6:49 am

nikaesque

nikaesque’s avatar

Really hilarious!
Thank you.

September 22, 2008 at 11:43 am

ravine2000

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ravine2000’s avatarThank you. Looks really interesting.

September 22, 2008 at 12:33 pm

RhapsodyAngel

RhapsodyAngel’s avatar

RhapsodyAngel’s avatarThis is such an original story and super entertaining. I’m already looking forward to more. Thanks! ^_^

September 22, 2008 at 4:33 pm

presencedear

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presencedear’s avatarTo follow up on your comment, Suez, “ryoutei” (entertainment restaurants) and “ochaya” (tea house) are very similar. They are both traditional-style structures (tatami floor and low tables) where geisha come to entertain guests. From what I can tell, “ryoutei” provide food cooked in their own kitchen, while “ochaya” primarily serve tea. “Ochaya” may serve food, but it’s brought in from the outside.

September 23, 2008 at 6:55 am

viperduo

viperduo’s avatar

viperduo’s avatarthank you for your releases and notes

to add on to your notes:
Though the majority of geishas today are women, the original geikos were actually men. Today their numbers are dwindling fast and are prescribed the title otoko geisha to denote the gender difference. Otoko geisha were probably patrons of the pleasure quarters that could not pay their tab and were forced to remain untill they found another means of employment. However they came to be, they usually specialize in singing, playing musical instruments, story- telling and last but not least comedy. They usually function as entertainers at a closed door party and complement the oirans function.
Later women will take over this role but will be banned from ever assuming the oirans role.

September 23, 2008 at 8:53 am

harukichi

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harukichi’s avatarthank you!
Ima Ichiko is one of my fav!
Huge, huge thanks for releasing this!

September 23, 2008 at 1:52 pm

marmaladechic

marmaladechic’s avatar

marmaladechic’s avatarThat was very funny. I didn’t expect such an unwilling geisha or should I say oiran? Thank you for the release and the notes, they are interesting and helpful.

September 29, 2008 at 2:19 pm

Cat

Cat’s avatar

Cat’s avatarAh, geisha. The same confusion and misconceptions apply to ‘courtesans’ as well. A lot of people think courtesans were high-class prostitutes when most weren’t.

In many ways, geisha and courtesans are similar. Both groups were highly skilled in the arts and, in many cases, highly educated. I think the significant difference between them is how their professions (for the lack of a better word) were structured.

Anyway, thanks for the Ghost Moon release. =D

September 30, 2008 at 5:19 am

presencedear

presencedear’s avatar

presencedear’s avatarWell, Cat, I agree that they are similar, but, originally, there definitely seems to be a sexual dimension to the oiran’s role. Here’s the wikipedia article on oiran. The geisha article mentions the difference as well. While I admit the internet is not the most reliable of sources, every site I visited mentioned a sexual aspect, so I can’t just discount that information without contrary evidence.

“Modern oiran” (I’m not quite sure there is such a thing. I mean, those people who carry on some of the oiran’s traditions today) are not prostitutes. However, after the “era of the oiran,” but prior to the ban on prostitution (when this story takes place) the facts are not so clear.