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A review by tasmanian_bibliophile
Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan by Eiji Yoshikawa
5.0
‘A great man is not made simply by innate ability.’
Towards the middle of the 16th century the Ashikaga shogunate crumbled. As a consequence Japan came to resemble a huge battlefield as rival warlords vied for dominance. Three very different men emerged seeking to control and unify Japan. Those men were Oda Nobunaga; Toyotomi Hideyoshi; and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Their divergent leadership styles are expressed in the answers to this question:
‘What if the bird will not sing?’
Oda Nobunaga answers ‘Kill it if it does not want to sing’
Toyotomi Hideyoshi answers ‘Make it want to sing’
Tokugawa Ieyasu answers ‘Wait until it sings’
Essentially, this is Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s story: how one man rose from obscurity to be the supreme regent of Japan. The novel follows Hideyoshi’s life, his development from a servant of Oda Nobunaga and his assumption of leadership after Oda Nobunaga is killed by Akechi Mitsuhide.
This is an epic novel set in a tumultuous period of Japanese history. I enjoyed the novel and became immersed in the events depicted once I became accustomed to the setting. The politics between factions and the battles between rivals, aspects of the feudal history and culture are all part of this story. I know little about this period of Japanese history and while this novel tempts me to learn more, it is the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi I found particularly engrossing.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Towards the middle of the 16th century the Ashikaga shogunate crumbled. As a consequence Japan came to resemble a huge battlefield as rival warlords vied for dominance. Three very different men emerged seeking to control and unify Japan. Those men were Oda Nobunaga; Toyotomi Hideyoshi; and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Their divergent leadership styles are expressed in the answers to this question:
‘What if the bird will not sing?’
Oda Nobunaga answers ‘Kill it if it does not want to sing’
Toyotomi Hideyoshi answers ‘Make it want to sing’
Tokugawa Ieyasu answers ‘Wait until it sings’
Essentially, this is Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s story: how one man rose from obscurity to be the supreme regent of Japan. The novel follows Hideyoshi’s life, his development from a servant of Oda Nobunaga and his assumption of leadership after Oda Nobunaga is killed by Akechi Mitsuhide.
This is an epic novel set in a tumultuous period of Japanese history. I enjoyed the novel and became immersed in the events depicted once I became accustomed to the setting. The politics between factions and the battles between rivals, aspects of the feudal history and culture are all part of this story. I know little about this period of Japanese history and while this novel tempts me to learn more, it is the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi I found particularly engrossing.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith