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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
This is a 14th century account of the political and military events that took place between 1330-1333, when the Emperor Go-Daigo and his allies challenged the authority of the Kamakura bakufu. While it's not an entirely faithful telling, it is a source many historians look back to, just hopefully not for precise details as they're rather absurd. The translation is easy to read, and while the middle chunk is incredibly redundant with what seemed like nearly every battle ending the same way - and entirely unbelievable at that - it's a fun way into the world of 14th century Japanese politics.
It's long winded, with lots of digressions and an overabundance of names showing up only once, but the introduction and footnotes help situate the reader and explain most of the references no one but a literature scholar could possibly understand. Digressions are also neatly demarcated and described so you have an idea of what to expect, such as "In the following anecdote, a Chinese parallel for Lady Sammi's behavior is recalled." These also aid in selective reading, for example if you want to skip the several-pages description of the garden (which I don't advise skipping all of as it had a neat story at the end.)
It definitely requires selective reading to get through, as most of the names and places really don't mean much for the story... unless you're reading it for events and people, but I think there are better sources out there for the battles. There are a few others who come and go within a few sections, but there's no real point to trying to keep track of all of the people and places. The main characters to pay attention to are the emperor (former emperor, Go-Daigo but never called that in the text), the Prince of the Great Pagoda (Morinaga), Kusunoki Mashashige, and towards the end Niita Yoshisada, and Ashikaga Takauji. Places to know are the capital (Kyoto), Kamakura, Kyushu, Oki Island, Kanto (Eastern Japan), and the Home Provinces (Kinai, around Kyoto/Osaka). I think the book would have benefited from including a map of the old provinces, since McCullough doesn't include modern references with the old province and road names. Here's one that I think would be helpful. http://meiboku.info/guide/map/index.htm
I would recommend this book for anyone who likes medieval war tales. It's a lot longer than European tales I've read, but it has a similar character.
It's long winded, with lots of digressions and an overabundance of names showing up only once, but the introduction and footnotes help situate the reader and explain most of the references no one but a literature scholar could possibly understand. Digressions are also neatly demarcated and described so you have an idea of what to expect, such as "In the following anecdote, a Chinese parallel for Lady Sammi's behavior is recalled." These also aid in selective reading, for example if you want to skip the several-pages description of the garden (which I don't advise skipping all of as it had a neat story at the end.)
It definitely requires selective reading to get through, as most of the names and places really don't mean much for the story... unless you're reading it for events and people, but I think there are better sources out there for the battles. There are a few others who come and go within a few sections, but there's no real point to trying to keep track of all of the people and places. The main characters to pay attention to are the emperor (former emperor, Go-Daigo but never called that in the text), the Prince of the Great Pagoda (Morinaga), Kusunoki Mashashige, and towards the end Niita Yoshisada, and Ashikaga Takauji. Places to know are the capital (Kyoto), Kamakura, Kyushu, Oki Island, Kanto (Eastern Japan), and the Home Provinces (Kinai, around Kyoto/Osaka). I think the book would have benefited from including a map of the old provinces, since McCullough doesn't include modern references with the old province and road names. Here's one that I think would be helpful. http://meiboku.info/guide/map/index.htm
I would recommend this book for anyone who likes medieval war tales. It's a lot longer than European tales I've read, but it has a similar character.