Forest of Sheep and Steel
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Description
Book Introduction
Step by step, walking towards the 'Forest of Sheep and Steel' The beautiful and elegant story of a piano tuner The novel "The Forest of Sheep and Steel," which tells the story of a young man fascinated by piano tuning who grows step by step to create the ideal sound, has been published by Yedam. This novel, which won first place in the 2016 Japan Booksellers' Award, was well-received by readers and critics for its flowing writing style, comfortable and sensual descriptions of music and nature, and warm and kind content. "The Forest of Sheep and Steel" compares every nook and cranny of the piano to nature. When you press the keys of a piano made of wood grown in the forest, hammers strike steel strings, and the material used for these hammers is sheep wool. The protagonist, Tomura, is drawn into the 'Forest of Sheep and Steel', or 'the world of the piano', by the sound. This novel elegantly describes the sound of a piano, which is difficult to express in words, and delicately shows the various emotions of a young man who walks steadily toward his goal. As author Natsu Miyashita said, “I wanted to write about someone who consistently works hard for something they love without relying on talent,” and “It felt like the protagonist was encouraging me,” 『The Forest of Sheep and Steel』 sends support and encouragement to all those who are quietly moving forward to achieve their dreams. This gentle story touched many readers and became a hot topic in the Japanese publishing world, reaching the number one spot on the novel bestseller list in the first half of 2016, number one on the Oricon charts novel category, and selling over 500,000 copies. |
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
Into the book
There are a total of eighty-eight keys on the keyboard, and each key has one to three strings connected to it.
Every time I saw the sight of the steel strings stretched straight out and the hammers striking them arranged neatly like magnolia buds, my back straightened.
A harmonious forest is beautiful.
--- p.25
A gentle mountain appeared.
This is the scenery I saw in my hometown where I was born and raised.
A mountain that I didn't really pay attention to because it was there even when I wasn't aware of it.
Still, there were times when I could see it strangely clearly on mornings when the storm had passed.
I suddenly realized that what I thought was a mountain actually contained countless things.
There is soil, there are trees, water flows, grass grows, animals exist, and the wind blows.
The focus was precisely on one point in the hazy landscape.
I even saw a tree growing on a mountain, its green leaves swaying gently.
It's still like that now.
At first it was just a sound, but when Mr. Itadori tuned and organized it, it instantly became rich.
It stretches out clearly.
Darang, Darang, the single sounds run and become tangled to create a timbre.
Does the piano make this sound?
From leaf to tree, from tree to forest, to mountain.
The sight of the sound becoming timbre and music unfolding before my eyes was just beginning.
--- p.94~95
The small standards that only exist within me, such as liking something or feeling good, will eventually change.
But then, I witnessed Mr. Itadori tuning the piano in the high school gym and knew right away that this was exactly what I wanted.
I'd like to know more, but it'd probably be difficult. This wasn't something I could comfortably discuss.
That was not something I could have hoped for.
I also found it funny to try to convince myself by making up reasons for things I didn't really understand.
“I won’t give up.”
He muttered without making a sound.
There is no reason to give up.
It was clear what was needed and what was not.
--- p.99
'A bright, quiet, clear, and yearning style, a style that seems a little whiny, yet contains a strict and profound meaning, a style that is as beautiful as a dream, yet as clear as reality.'
I thought of a sentence by Tamiki Hara that I had read and memorized countless times.
The sentence itself is beautiful, so saying it brightens my mood.
There are no words that better express the direction I aim for as I tune.
--- p.168
“Excuse me, what kind of person is someone like me?”
"hmm.
“What can I say, an honest person who seems to have grown up honestly.”
I heard something similar from Kitamura a while ago.
Of course, it wasn't a compliment.
I felt like I was considered a dull, boring person.
“But now I think, maybe someone like Tomura-kun is the one who, step by step, patiently continues to walk through the forest of sheep and steel.”
“That’s true.”
Mr. Itadori nodded seriously.
“Because Tomura grew up in the mountains and was raised by the forest.”
Every time I saw the sight of the steel strings stretched straight out and the hammers striking them arranged neatly like magnolia buds, my back straightened.
A harmonious forest is beautiful.
--- p.25
A gentle mountain appeared.
This is the scenery I saw in my hometown where I was born and raised.
A mountain that I didn't really pay attention to because it was there even when I wasn't aware of it.
Still, there were times when I could see it strangely clearly on mornings when the storm had passed.
I suddenly realized that what I thought was a mountain actually contained countless things.
There is soil, there are trees, water flows, grass grows, animals exist, and the wind blows.
The focus was precisely on one point in the hazy landscape.
I even saw a tree growing on a mountain, its green leaves swaying gently.
It's still like that now.
At first it was just a sound, but when Mr. Itadori tuned and organized it, it instantly became rich.
It stretches out clearly.
Darang, Darang, the single sounds run and become tangled to create a timbre.
Does the piano make this sound?
From leaf to tree, from tree to forest, to mountain.
The sight of the sound becoming timbre and music unfolding before my eyes was just beginning.
--- p.94~95
The small standards that only exist within me, such as liking something or feeling good, will eventually change.
But then, I witnessed Mr. Itadori tuning the piano in the high school gym and knew right away that this was exactly what I wanted.
I'd like to know more, but it'd probably be difficult. This wasn't something I could comfortably discuss.
That was not something I could have hoped for.
I also found it funny to try to convince myself by making up reasons for things I didn't really understand.
“I won’t give up.”
He muttered without making a sound.
There is no reason to give up.
It was clear what was needed and what was not.
--- p.99
'A bright, quiet, clear, and yearning style, a style that seems a little whiny, yet contains a strict and profound meaning, a style that is as beautiful as a dream, yet as clear as reality.'
I thought of a sentence by Tamiki Hara that I had read and memorized countless times.
The sentence itself is beautiful, so saying it brightens my mood.
There are no words that better express the direction I aim for as I tune.
--- p.168
“Excuse me, what kind of person is someone like me?”
"hmm.
“What can I say, an honest person who seems to have grown up honestly.”
I heard something similar from Kitamura a while ago.
Of course, it wasn't a compliment.
I felt like I was considered a dull, boring person.
“But now I think, maybe someone like Tomura-kun is the one who, step by step, patiently continues to walk through the forest of sheep and steel.”
“That’s true.”
Mr. Itadori nodded seriously.
“Because Tomura grew up in the mountains and was raised by the forest.”
--- p.270
Publisher's Review
It smelled like the forest.
Autumn, a forest close to night.
The wind shook the trees, making the leaves rustle.
The smell of the forest as night begins to fall.
There was a large, black piano in front of me.
The piano lid was open and a man was standing next to it.
As he struck a few keys on the piano,
I could smell the trees swaying in the open forest.
The night was passing and I was seventeen years old.
-From the text
Step by step, walking towards the 'Forest of Sheep and Steel'
The beautiful and elegant story of a piano tuner
The novel "The Forest of Sheep and Steel," which tells the story of a young man fascinated by piano tuning who grows step by step to create the ideal sound, has been published by Yedam.
This novel, which won first place in the 2016 Japan Booksellers' Award, was well-received by readers and critics for its flowing writing style, comfortable and sensual descriptions of music and nature, and warm and kind content.
"The Forest of Sheep and Steel" compares every nook and cranny of the piano to nature.
When you press the keys of a piano made of wood grown in the forest, hammers strike steel strings, and the material used for these hammers is sheep wool.
The protagonist, Tomura, is drawn into the 'Forest of Sheep and Steel', or 'the world of the piano', by the sound.
This novel elegantly describes the sound of a piano, which is difficult to express in words, and delicately shows the various emotions of a young man who walks steadily toward his goal.
As author Natsu Miyashita said, “I wanted to write about someone who consistently works hard for something they love without relying on talent,” and “It felt like the protagonist was encouraging me,” 『The Forest of Sheep and Steel』 sends support and encouragement to all those who are quietly moving forward to achieve their dreams.
This gentle story touched many readers and became a hot topic in the Japanese publishing world, reaching the number one spot on the novel bestseller list in the first half of 2016, number one on the Oricon charts novel category, and selling over 500,000 copies.
“Isn’t talent an emotion that you love so much?
“A tenacity, a fighting spirit, or something similar that will not let go of that object no matter what.”
Tomura, a seventeen-year-old from a mountain village, hears the piano tuner Itadori's piano sounds by chance and is reminded of a forest on an autumn night.
Tomura decides to become a tuner, drawn by the sound that seems to express something he longs for and Itadori's strange words.
“This felt is made using the finest wool from good sheep raised on good grass.
“They can’t make a hammer this good these days.”
“What does a hammer have to do with a piano?”
“There are hammers inside the piano.” (p.14)
Tomura studies hard for two years at a tuner's school and gets a job at the music store where Itadori works, but he lacks skills and talent, and is always disappointed and frustrated.
However, he wants to make a good sound, so with Itadori's encouragement, he practices endlessly and listens to piano pieces every day.
And while meeting senior tuners with strong personalities, such as Yanagi, who is kind and skilled but has overcome great setbacks in the past, and Akino, who seems indifferent but is more serious than anyone when it comes to piano, as well as customers with various stories and their pianos, he seriously thinks about what kind of tuner he wants to be and what his goals are.
That's the feeling I found in the piano.
Everything is fine, I am in harmony with the world.
How great that feeling is,
I wish I could express it through sound, because words can't convey everything.
Perhaps I wish to recreate that forest with the piano.
(p.119)
Although there are several failures, Tomura does not give up.
Tomura believes that the ideal is the sound that Itadori taught him: "bright, quiet, clear, and nostalgic, a bit whiny, yet strict and profound, beautiful as a dream, yet clear as reality." He works hard, step by step.
Then, he meets twin sisters who promise to live with the piano, and this gives him a bigger goal.
“I was captivated by the novel’s water-like, permeating sentences.” _Miyuki Miyabe
“A work that combines the dryness and moisture of Haruki Murakami, and the brightness and poignancy of Yoko Ogawa.”_Makoto Ichikawa
The Japan Bookstore Award is an award given by bookstore employees across the country who vote for the book they most want to sell among those published in the past year.
A bookstore employee who recommended “The Forest of Sheep and Steel” for the 2016 Bookstore Awards said, “There are many beautiful things in this world, but I think the beauty of words and stories is especially special.
“I think that novels hide a deeper beauty because they cannot be perceived visually, and this novel clearly and vividly shows that beauty,” he explained.
“The Forest of Sheep and Steel” was also nominated for the 2015 Naoki Prize, and novelist Miyuki Miyabe, who was a judge, said in her commentary, “I was captivated by the sentences in this novel that seemed to permeate like water.
He also praised it highly, saying, “It is a work that I really like.”
Additionally, Makoto Ichikawa, an associate professor at Waseda University's Graduate School of Letters, compared this work to the works of Haruki Murakami and Yoko Ogawa, author of "The Equation the Doctor Loved," in his recommendation.
Like these praises, 『The Forest of Sheep and Steel』 presents the vivid world surrounding piano tuning with a clear and gentle sensibility.
Readers who read this novel left comments such as, “I felt like I was receiving warm encouragement rather than reading a novel,” and “This is a book I want to give to all of us who quietly walk our own paths without the spotlight.” Now, it is our turn to experience that comfort and emotion.
★★★ Reviews from Japanese Amazon readers
- When you turn the page, you hear the peaceful music of the forest.
This is a novel where, when you close your eyes, the hustle and bustle disappears and the surrounding scenery changes into a quiet silence.
- I was moved that he could write such a profound work in such a gentle style.
- I was drawn to the author's captivating expressions that transformed sound into letters.
Step into the forest of sheep and steel.
- The transparent, quiet, pure and pleasant tension continues.
Novels like this are rare.
- After I started reading the book, I started crying everywhere.
This is a novel that relieves the stress, encourages, and gives strength to all those who work.
While I was reading, and even after I was reading, I was enveloped in a warm, comforting feeling.
- It delves deep into the human mind and leisurely shakes the heart.
It was a work that seemed to slowly advance through the forest.
Autumn, a forest close to night.
The wind shook the trees, making the leaves rustle.
The smell of the forest as night begins to fall.
There was a large, black piano in front of me.
The piano lid was open and a man was standing next to it.
As he struck a few keys on the piano,
I could smell the trees swaying in the open forest.
The night was passing and I was seventeen years old.
-From the text
Step by step, walking towards the 'Forest of Sheep and Steel'
The beautiful and elegant story of a piano tuner
The novel "The Forest of Sheep and Steel," which tells the story of a young man fascinated by piano tuning who grows step by step to create the ideal sound, has been published by Yedam.
This novel, which won first place in the 2016 Japan Booksellers' Award, was well-received by readers and critics for its flowing writing style, comfortable and sensual descriptions of music and nature, and warm and kind content.
"The Forest of Sheep and Steel" compares every nook and cranny of the piano to nature.
When you press the keys of a piano made of wood grown in the forest, hammers strike steel strings, and the material used for these hammers is sheep wool.
The protagonist, Tomura, is drawn into the 'Forest of Sheep and Steel', or 'the world of the piano', by the sound.
This novel elegantly describes the sound of a piano, which is difficult to express in words, and delicately shows the various emotions of a young man who walks steadily toward his goal.
As author Natsu Miyashita said, “I wanted to write about someone who consistently works hard for something they love without relying on talent,” and “It felt like the protagonist was encouraging me,” 『The Forest of Sheep and Steel』 sends support and encouragement to all those who are quietly moving forward to achieve their dreams.
This gentle story touched many readers and became a hot topic in the Japanese publishing world, reaching the number one spot on the novel bestseller list in the first half of 2016, number one on the Oricon charts novel category, and selling over 500,000 copies.
“Isn’t talent an emotion that you love so much?
“A tenacity, a fighting spirit, or something similar that will not let go of that object no matter what.”
Tomura, a seventeen-year-old from a mountain village, hears the piano tuner Itadori's piano sounds by chance and is reminded of a forest on an autumn night.
Tomura decides to become a tuner, drawn by the sound that seems to express something he longs for and Itadori's strange words.
“This felt is made using the finest wool from good sheep raised on good grass.
“They can’t make a hammer this good these days.”
“What does a hammer have to do with a piano?”
“There are hammers inside the piano.” (p.14)
Tomura studies hard for two years at a tuner's school and gets a job at the music store where Itadori works, but he lacks skills and talent, and is always disappointed and frustrated.
However, he wants to make a good sound, so with Itadori's encouragement, he practices endlessly and listens to piano pieces every day.
And while meeting senior tuners with strong personalities, such as Yanagi, who is kind and skilled but has overcome great setbacks in the past, and Akino, who seems indifferent but is more serious than anyone when it comes to piano, as well as customers with various stories and their pianos, he seriously thinks about what kind of tuner he wants to be and what his goals are.
That's the feeling I found in the piano.
Everything is fine, I am in harmony with the world.
How great that feeling is,
I wish I could express it through sound, because words can't convey everything.
Perhaps I wish to recreate that forest with the piano.
(p.119)
Although there are several failures, Tomura does not give up.
Tomura believes that the ideal is the sound that Itadori taught him: "bright, quiet, clear, and nostalgic, a bit whiny, yet strict and profound, beautiful as a dream, yet clear as reality." He works hard, step by step.
Then, he meets twin sisters who promise to live with the piano, and this gives him a bigger goal.
“I was captivated by the novel’s water-like, permeating sentences.” _Miyuki Miyabe
“A work that combines the dryness and moisture of Haruki Murakami, and the brightness and poignancy of Yoko Ogawa.”_Makoto Ichikawa
The Japan Bookstore Award is an award given by bookstore employees across the country who vote for the book they most want to sell among those published in the past year.
A bookstore employee who recommended “The Forest of Sheep and Steel” for the 2016 Bookstore Awards said, “There are many beautiful things in this world, but I think the beauty of words and stories is especially special.
“I think that novels hide a deeper beauty because they cannot be perceived visually, and this novel clearly and vividly shows that beauty,” he explained.
“The Forest of Sheep and Steel” was also nominated for the 2015 Naoki Prize, and novelist Miyuki Miyabe, who was a judge, said in her commentary, “I was captivated by the sentences in this novel that seemed to permeate like water.
He also praised it highly, saying, “It is a work that I really like.”
Additionally, Makoto Ichikawa, an associate professor at Waseda University's Graduate School of Letters, compared this work to the works of Haruki Murakami and Yoko Ogawa, author of "The Equation the Doctor Loved," in his recommendation.
Like these praises, 『The Forest of Sheep and Steel』 presents the vivid world surrounding piano tuning with a clear and gentle sensibility.
Readers who read this novel left comments such as, “I felt like I was receiving warm encouragement rather than reading a novel,” and “This is a book I want to give to all of us who quietly walk our own paths without the spotlight.” Now, it is our turn to experience that comfort and emotion.
★★★ Reviews from Japanese Amazon readers
- When you turn the page, you hear the peaceful music of the forest.
This is a novel where, when you close your eyes, the hustle and bustle disappears and the surrounding scenery changes into a quiet silence.
- I was moved that he could write such a profound work in such a gentle style.
- I was drawn to the author's captivating expressions that transformed sound into letters.
Step into the forest of sheep and steel.
- The transparent, quiet, pure and pleasant tension continues.
Novels like this are rare.
- After I started reading the book, I started crying everywhere.
This is a novel that relieves the stress, encourages, and gives strength to all those who work.
While I was reading, and even after I was reading, I was enveloped in a warm, comforting feeling.
- It delves deep into the human mind and leisurely shakes the heart.
It was a work that seemed to slowly advance through the forest.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: December 10, 2016
- Format: Hardcover book binding method guide
- Page count, weight, size: 280 pages | 372g | 128*188*20mm
- ISBN13: 9788959130818
- ISBN10: 8959130818
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