The 2nd Selected Works
TITLE
A Record of Travel to the Land of Amanon
(Amanon koku oukan ki)
(Amanon koku oukan ki)
AUTHOR
Translator
GERMAN / Monica Wernitz-Sugimoto 
Originally Published by:
Shinchosha (1986)
KEY POINTS
- A large-scale adventure story portraying a sexual and religious revolution in a near-future society dominated by women
SYNOPSIS
The epic adventure of P, a priest who strives to revive traditional male-female relations in an extremely feminized society
P, a priest of the Monokami monotheistic religion that dominates his world, is sent to Amanon, a country ruled by women, as one of a delegation of missionaries. A distant and isolated phantom country, Amanon has maintained a high level of civilization while remaining closed off to the rest of the world for a millennium. The Monokami priests board single-passenger long-distance ships that—with their round noses and tail-like long wakes—set off for Amanon as if they were sperm seeking to penetrate an egg. However, the only ship to reach Amanon is that of P, which was at the head of the flotilla. After his ship is beached, P looks up to find women with naked lower bodies blocking his path and peering down at him. P has studied the ancient Amanon language and uses his linguistic skills to explain his mission. He is invited to leave the coastal countryside and travel to the sophisticated capital, Tokio, where he is treated by the government as a guest of the state. Prime Minister Yumikosu asks for his cooperation in promoting Amanon's internationalization.
Amanon is a realist country that does not accept concepts or ideas, considering only practical benefits to be significant. It has eliminated most men and employs artificial insemination and sperm from a sperm bank to fertilize eggs that develop in artificial wombs. Children created by means of actual sexual relations are called "children of illicit unions" and despised. Most of the few men that live there are eunuchs referred to as raotan. P seeks to undertake a "male revolution" in order to revive the standard form of male-female relationships based on sex leading to pregnancy. In this connection, he initiates televised demonstrations of sex acts, but…
Genre: Literary fiction
Awards: 15th Izumi Kyoka Prize for Literature
(Given for outstanding works of literature as a means of honoring the achievements of Kanazawa City native Izumi Kyoka, promoting the continuation and development of that city's cultural heritage and heightening its cultural level)
