The Heike Story [ILLUSTRATED] [Paperback]

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

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1989

Kyoto in the twelfth century was a magnificent city, but crime, disorder, and lust were rampant. The people were abused by the nobility, while the armed Buddhist monks terrorized court and commoner alike. In despair, the Emperor called upon the Heike and Genji clans to quell civil disturbances. Although the clans succeeded, they quarreled over the spoils of war and plunged the country into a century of warfare.This novel describes the rise to power of Kiyomori of the Heike clan during this turbulent time. From a youth sunk in poverty, Kiyomori eventually rose to become the Emperor's Chief Councillor. Although he was a gentle, enlightened man, he left a trail of bloodshed and ruin in his wake. The strange twists of Kiyomori's fate are the core of this epic novel.The Heike Story is a modern translation of a Japanese classic. Its exotic atmosphere, narrative power, pageantry, and poetry will enthrall English readers and provide an entertaining introduction to an important source of Japanese culture.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Although Eiji Yoshikawa (1892-1962) received little more than a primary education, in his lifetime he authored some 80 novels and over 180 short stories. Among his best-selling novels are Mushashi and Way of the Samurai. Credited with greatly elevating popular fiction, Yoshikawa was the first writer of such work to be awarded the Order of Culture.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 634 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (December 15, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804813760
• ISBN-13: 978-0804813761
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,337,986 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 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?

8 of 9 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.)