Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan

The way this author writes and presents his storytelling is on another level, his descriptions into the most simple concept as dying is vividly explained and gave me many different feelings. He explains the seasons changing with such colorful words that I can actually see, smell and hear, the winds of the seasons. The authors story telling and writing is superb! The story of Taiko itself is a long well thought out book based on real history of Japan, non fiction but fiction in the story, the characters in the story are brought alive with their personalities. About two years ago I read 'Musashi,' and was amazed how such a masterpiece could be created, I found out about this book and immediately bought it and started reading it. The story starts a bit slow and I actually felt myself losing interest in the beginning, but the plot and the premise of the book were just being created, I kept pushing through and was hooked. The main Characters, Hideyoshi, Nobunaga like previously stated are brought to life. I had feelings of anxiety during some parts of the book because of no prior knowledge of Feudal Japan. This book really gave me a history lesson in Japan, and after finishing the book I Found myself researching the aftermath for hours and hours on end. This book is for you if you like a fun story filled with real events and excerpts of wisdom you can get from each character/ author. Excellent read!

I grew up watching "Shogun" the miniseries based on the novel by the same name by James Clavel. When I got older I read the book and it has remained one of my favorites. Granted its a fictional account of the time period but the names are all there, Oda, Taiko, Tokugawa and those names pop up in a lot of fictional novels as well as samurai movies and the like. It was nice to read a novel that, while fictional, put a human personality on characters that other novels and movies have turned into supermen or super villains. This novel shows them as human and as such make mistakes. Why battles took place and not just focus on a battle for purposes of making a movie. While the focus is on the Taiko the other characters are there as are many others and it was nice seeing them depicted here in contrast to other works where they are villains or super-powered or military dictators bent on world domination.

...but most of the time, people just seem to talk out of their...well, you know. Anyway, I was fortunate to find online this gem of Eiji Yoshikawa, "Taiko", while looking up data on the Warring States period of Japan. In the middle of the sixteenth century, Japan had fallen on hard times, as regional warlords has plunged the land into the chaos of civil war. Out of these dark times rose three men who would shape the nation and, ultimately, bring peace to the country... Oh, but I wax maudlin. The fact is, "Taiko" is an outstanding book, not so much for its portrayal of the battles and intrigues of this period (though there are many), but more for its personal portrayal of its three main protagonists. Hideyoshi, the Monkey, who rises out of poverty to serve and then rule his country, is written vibrantly and, more important, as a human. We see his successes and failures in both love and war, and watch as he ultimately rises (after many struggles), to become "Taiko", the supreme ruler of Japan under the Emperor. There is also Ieyasu Tokugawa, the emotionless ruler of a threadbare province, forced to bide his time until he too can take over the reins of his nation (and indeed, the Tokugawa shogunate ruled Japan for 250 years, until the Meiji restoration). But my favorite character by far is the brutal, rash, and charismatic Nobunaga Oda. It is he that sets the wheels in motion to end the chaos by destroying Yoshimoto Imagawa, the powerful yet inept ruler of a border province. A pure but hard man, his iron way would ultimately lead to his downfall, but here he is shown less as the "Demon King" which many think him to be, and more of a human created and driven by the circumstances to which he must face up. I find this book fascinating. While this book isn't "Three Kingdoms", it's not trying to be. The influence of that great work is clearly there, but Yoshikawa wants to tell more of the life of his heroes, and not merely of their famed actions. Thus, this book has much wider appeal. Incidentally, I don't think that the names are anything alike, except in the fact that our lack of familiarity may make them run on each other. Don't let such a criticism frighten you away; the author kindly lists the important players of each book before the reader reads it. So, give this book a try; I don't think you'll be disappointed.

If you are fascinated by Japanese history this huge 926 page hard cover book (Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa) is one you will want to read. This novel is about some of the most famous war lords who ruled Japan in its early history. This is a detailed story of the Empire of Japan in the sixteenth century, and the many conflicts wars and issues involving the country. The various Samurai clans are explored in this historical novel. This gigantic volume is organized into ten books and because of the small font it is not always an easy read; however, if you are fascinated by the wars and conflicts of feudal Japan this is a book you may want to read. Since I have seriously been involved in numerous Japanese martial (Judo, Jujitsu, Kenjutsu, Kobudo) and cultural (Taiko drumming, Haiku and Senryu) arts for more than 55 years I found this book to be a fantastic read. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Hanbo-Jutsu: How to use the Hanbo, Cane, Walking Stick and Baton for self-defense).

Another Yoshiwaka banger. Whereas Musashi had its moments of boringness, dull moments, Taiko is a non stop journey

James Clavell's Shogun is my all-time favorite novel so I checked this out hoping for more of the same. It's quite a bit different despite the fact that both are historical fiction of the Sengoku era. Shogun specifically takes a lot of liberties in simplifying the story and adding in characters. "Toranaga" in Shogun is generally considered to be a combination of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu. It's a historical dramatization and while the setting is legitimate the content is fabricated. Taiko is more like a history book where the dialog and characterizations have been written in but the historical facts remain the same. This means that if a battle happened on some day in some place with a specific outcome it will happen that way in Taiko. The conversations and decisions surrounding these events are the fiction here. The result is that it feels much more like the world's best history book than a work of fiction. The plot arcs that would describe a normal fiction don't exist as they're interrupted by events that "need" to occur. The cast is large and has a high mortality rate that you wouldn't see in other fiction. It's well-written and enjoyable but far more historically inclined and observational than it is character-driven or dramatic.

Nobunaga says, "Kill It!", Hideyoshi says, "Make Him Want to Sing", and Ieyasu says, "Wait". If you travel across Japan nearly everyone you speak with will know this. This is arguably my favorite historical fiction novel I have ever read. I first read the hard cover edition when it came out, and last year I enjoyed it even more the second time. This book is sure to impress both readers new to Japanese history as well as any aficionado. If you are new to Japanese history, this is an excellent introduction to the end of the Feudal period, with the tale finishing at the high point of Hideyoshi's life as The Taiko, or supreme regent, just before the death of Hideyoshi and the epic battle of Sekigahara. The story follows the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi from his youth to his fortunate close service under the rising military force of Oda Nobunaga. Throughout the tale the larger than life character of Hideyoshi develops over the course of loyal and masterful service until he assumes command after the treacherous death of Nobunaga at the hands of his infamous retainer Akechi Mitsuhide. This was an age filled with colorful figures, such as Takeda Shingen, who commanded great armies that clashed for supremacy of Japan. Eiji Yoshikawa captures the spirit of this age like no other. The Feudal period is important because it lead to the rise of Ieyasu who eventually unified the country after defeating the forces led by Hideyoshi's son Nobutada, starting at the route at Sekigahara and culminating in the siege of Osaka castle. These events began a golden age that led to the 300-year Tokugawa shogunate, which came to an abrupt and tragic end during the Meiji Restoration. This is an excellent example of high quality historical fiction, because the reader is left with a solid foundation of the period in order to study the actual history in greater depth. Japanese people have many opinions of this period, and it is full of controversy and conspiratorial intrigue, and some may take issue with this version of events. For example, some theorize that Mitsuhide was acting on behalf of Ieyasu when the former attacked Nobunaga. This is certainly plausible. Another is that Hideyoshi embarked on the Korean campaigns in order to send Japan's warriors overseas while he solidified his control. Regardless of anyone's opinion on the nature of the events, Yoshikawa delivers a lively tale that transports the reader back to this age. I find this book vastly superior to his Musashi tale, where Yoshikawa's martial shortcomings were clearly apparent via his interpretation of the main character. This is also a vastly superior tale to Clavell's Shogun, which is historically weak with all the names changed for some odd reason. Just about anything from William Scott Wilson is great, and I can't recommend this book enough. Enjoy.

This is one of the most interesting, "informative" (in the general way of historical novels are - in the larger details) that I have ever read. Yoshikawa Eiji (Eiji Yoshikawa in the Western order) is one of the top tier of Japanese "Jidaigeki" (Historical / Samurai) writers of the 20th century. This is a very good translation of the Japanese "Taiko-ki" (The Chronicles of the Taiko) by William Scott Wilson. It is only a portion of the original. Many famous scenes are missing. Since the original novel was published in 8 volumes, you would probably require three volumes in English of the size of this book to tell the story of Hedeyoshi's rise to power from a peasant to Nobunaga's amusing servant, "Monkey (Saru)," who runs alongside his master on horseback, willing to do whatever it takes to please him. He rises from being a kind of pet, stage by stage, to be one of Nobunaga's most trusted generals. He always does whatever it takes to please his master, things that others cannot accomplish, and to take any risk. He finds a way to accomplish his task. Nobunaga finds in Hideyoshi an absolutely loyal, selfless servant, and masterful general. And when Nobunaga is assassinated, Hideyoshi immediately moves to take power and execute the traitor Mitsuhide. He takes power for himself, subdues the nation, and become the Taiko, the most powerful man in Japan, the shadow leader behind the figurehead Emperor and the figurehead Shogun. This novel covers Hideyoshi's rise to power, to the point where the crafty Tokugawa Ieyasu bows to the the realities and decides to bide his time and pledges loyalty to Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi's story has three parts. This story, the story of Hideyoshi as a leader and increasingly as tyrant, and his insane attempts to conquer China by going through Korea---two massive failures, but undoubtedly a factor in the Japanese moves into China in the 20th century. The third story is his last years, and pathetic attempt to get his generals to promise to support his child son. It is at this point that Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats the southern supporters of Hideyoshi at Sekigahara, and becomes the true Shougun. This book does not tell the later two stories. Five stars. I couldn't put it down.