This site exists for me to blog about the progress of my PhD project, in which I am working towards a translation with commentary of Torikae baya, a manga series by Saito Chiho. This manga is one of several adaptations of the late Heian period tale Torikaebaya monogatari.

Torikaebaya monogatari is a story by an unknown author about two half-siblings, each of whom exhibits the qualities associated with the opposite gender. When it is time for them to come of age, they trade places and take up jobs at the imperial court in their assumed roles. They perform admirably until various complications come to a head and lead them to switch places again. Rosette F Willig translated Torikaebaya monogatari into English for her doctoral dissertation in 1978 and later published it under the title The Changelings. This remains the only published English translation of any version of Torikaebaya monogatari.

Saito Chiho has been active as a manga writer and artist since the 1980s, particularly in shōjo manga. For readers of manga in English, her best-known work is probably Revolutionary Girl Utena (Shōjo kakumei Utena). Torikae baya was published in Monthly Flowers (Gekkan Flowers) magazine between 2012 and 2017.