A man, at the end of his long life, looks back at it and reflects on it. Popularly but erroniously seen as a romantic/tragic figure, he tells the truth of his life, and in so doing gives the reader an incomparable view of early medieval Japan (Kamakura period), the evolution of Japan from an aristocratic to martial society and makes one reflect on what we believe to be history.
This is the saga of an old tale, a warrior wrestles down an enemy commander only to discover his foe is as young as his own son. Shaken and unable to abide by his duty and slay the youth, he decides to become a monk. This famous encounter between Kumagai no Jiro Naozane and Taira no Atsumori during Japan’s Heike wars has been an important part of Japan’s historical and religious tradition ever since.
Well written, fascinating to read, impeccably researched and very accurate.
In Memoirs of the Warrior Kumagai, Donald Richie challenges and upends conventional versions of this incident, even as he vividly evokes the world of the twelfth century Japanese warrior with uncompromising precision and authority. The result is a historical novel in the grand tradition, a work at once fresh and timeless.
Not an 'action story', but the book has some excellent battle scenes.
This is the saga of an old tale, a warrior wrestles down an enemy commander only to discover his foe is as young as his own son. Shaken and unable to abide by his duty and slay the youth, he decides to become a monk. This famous encounter between Kumagai no Jiro Naozane and Taira no Atsumori during Japan’s Heike wars has been an important part of Japan’s historical and religious tradition ever since.
Well written, fascinating to read, impeccably researched and very accurate.
In Memoirs of the Warrior Kumagai, Donald Richie challenges and upends conventional versions of this incident, even as he vividly evokes the world of the twelfth century Japanese warrior with uncompromising precision and authority. The result is a historical novel in the grand tradition, a work at once fresh and timeless.
Not an 'action story', but the book has some excellent battle scenes.
No comments:
Post a Comment