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theesotericcamel 's review for:
To be honest, I was not expecting this book to be as exciting as it was. My hat goes off to the translator who did an amazing job at making this old military story from Japan into an entertaining novel.It is my understanding that this story was originally performed by storytellers while playing the biwa, over a series of nights before a small audience. It is truly amazing that Hellen Craig McCullough brought out the readability of the written versions she had access to.
The story details the rise the Heike/Taira clan, and their eventual defeat at the hands of the Genji/Minamoto clan. Many larger than life characters enter and exit the story. The focus is the military escapades of these clans, but many sentimental anecdotes also make up the story. There are a few characters that are introduced, but are curiously not dealt with fully. This is because they are only tangential to the main story concerning the Heike. For example, Yoshitsune could be called the main hero of the story towards the end, and Japan's rulership is pretty much split between Yoshitsune and Yoritomo who battle each other. However, we are never told the outcome of this as it takes place long after the Heike have all but vanished.
This particular edition also comes with copious footnotes explaining puns and references throughout the story. As well as appendices to help flesh out the historical setting and characters involved in the epic. This is definitely the edition I would recommend to all who are interested in reading an English Translation of the "Tale of Heike."
The story details the rise the Heike/Taira clan, and their eventual defeat at the hands of the Genji/Minamoto clan. Many larger than life characters enter and exit the story. The focus is the military escapades of these clans, but many sentimental anecdotes also make up the story. There are a few characters that are introduced, but are curiously not dealt with fully. This is because they are only tangential to the main story concerning the Heike. For example, Yoshitsune could be called the main hero of the story towards the end, and Japan's rulership is pretty much split between Yoshitsune and Yoritomo who battle each other. However, we are never told the outcome of this as it takes place long after the Heike have all but vanished.
This particular edition also comes with copious footnotes explaining puns and references throughout the story. As well as appendices to help flesh out the historical setting and characters involved in the epic. This is definitely the edition I would recommend to all who are interested in reading an English Translation of the "Tale of Heike."