The Heike Story [Paperback]

Eiji Yoshikawa (Author), Kenkichi Sugimoto (Illustrator), Fuki Wooyenaka Uramatsu (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1980

The Heike Story tells of the wars, feuds, intrigues, scandals, and love affairs of the decadent Imperial Court in Kyoto in the twelfth century. It was a time of corruption, of the disintegration of the effete aristocracy, of brawling samurai. Those who have seen that extroardinary film "Gate of Hell" will instantly recognize the scene and some of the characters. Kyoto was then at its finest, a city of palaces, temples, pagodas, and shrines surrounded by thickly wooded hills. But crime, disorder, and lust were rampant in this beautiful city. The people were abused by the nobility. These times, bloody and terrible as they were, were also a time of great art and literature. This story will enthrall Western readers; it will also also offer them a delightful and diverting introduction to the source of Japanese culture.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Charles E. Tuttle Company (1980)
• ASIN: B000X6EFDE
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,226,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing history to life, March 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Heike Story [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

Like the previous two reviewers I too have lived in Japan and speak some Japanese (in fact I work as a Japanese/English translator), and I have to say that personally I quite enjoyed this book. Yoshikawa's novel is based on the Heike Monogatari (Tale of the Heike), which is a classic of Japanese literature and one of the best historical sources of the late Heian Period in Japan. "Heike Story" remains true to the history but fleshes it out in a way that brings the historical characters to life. The translation seemed fine to me, and I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in Japanese history and culture, and especially the late Heian and early Kamakura Periods.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Heike tale shortchanged, June 30, 2008

By 

Wabi Savvy "akikonomu" (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heike Story: A Modern Translation of the Classic Tale of Love and War (Tuttle Classics) (Paperback)

I am a Japanophile and history buff, so I loved this author's "Musashi" and "Taiko" novels. I finally got around to this and am quite disappointed. I agree with those who have found this translation weak---the dialogue sections are stilted and the feelings of the characters seem awkwardly expressed in English. The worst damage to the novel is the abridgement of entire sections, deletion of characters and incidents and the condensation of some chapters. As noted at the end of the "Historical background" section, this is an "English version" of the novel!

Eiji Yoshikawa is definitely ill served by this version and the publisher should seriously consider having a new translation made. As it stands, this version does not even cover the fall of the Heike---which is the main point of the whole chronicle.

Still, Yoshikawa weaves a good tale---he gives a human face to historical events. What delights have English readers been deprived of by this badly mangled version?

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, August 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Heike Story [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

I first read this book over 30 years ago and have read it several times again. It is a beautiful story and the translation gives it all the justice it deserves. I don't understand the problem the previous reader had with it. It is highly accessible (unlike the translation of Tale of Genji that I read years ago) and requires no special knowledge of Japanese geography, history, etc. I recommend it highly. (FYI, I too have lived in Japan and traveled extensively throughout the country. My Japanese isn't good enough to read it in the original.)