Intriguing, mini-sagas of samurai derring-do and nimble wit, with a
distinctly Buddhist flavor. Garbed in fabulous gear-"black-laced
armor over a dark blue battle robe"-the 15th-century Japanese
warrior monk Jomyo Meishu of Tutsui, in the blink of an eye, nails
20 men with his bow and arrow. A cunning chancellor ferrets out
court conspiracies by infiltrating 300 teenagers, "the Rokuhara
lord's short-haired boys," into the populace to spy on subversives.
The wondrous champion dancer Gio, realizing that "we are mere
sojourners in this life" turns her back on glamour and, retreating
to a mountain sanctuary, spends the rest of her days reciting the
name of the Buddha. Such are the facets of this jewel of a
collection, compiling warrior tales, told by blind lute minstrels,
that form the basis of No and Kabuki drama. Intended to laud and
lament the courageous fallen, the adventure yarns are permeated
often with an elegiac, wistful air, a resigned sense that "what
flourishes must fade." Fans of classic Asian literature, especially
of the world's first novel, Lady Murasaki's The Tale of Genji, will
recognize the fastidious attention to detail here-the cut of the
clothes, the nuanced etiquette, the lyrical language-that contrasts
these stories with their Western counterparts, either Homeric or
Arthurian. What also distinguishes these tales is the poignant
tension between the hero's inspiring quest for glory and his
ultimate realization-perhaps even more inspiring-that any
transitory glory is only another form of attachment: the chief
adversary of Buddhist enlightenment. An excellent introduction,
tracing the genre's historical context, and a complete glossary of
characters make this edition invaluable not only for aficionados of
Japanese writing but for all students of myth. Terrifically
exciting and spiritually rich. (Kirkus Reviews)
"The Tales of the Heike" is one of the most influential works in
Japanese literature and culture, remaining even today a crucial
source for fiction, drama, and popular media. Originally written in
the mid-thirteenth century, it features a cast of vivid characters
and chronicles the epic Genpei war, a civil conflict that marked
the end of the power of the Heike and changed the course of
Japanese history. "The Tales of the Heike" focuses on the lives of
both the samurai warriors who fought for two powerful
twelfth-century Japanese clans-the Heike (Taira) and the Genji
(Minamoto)-and the women with whom they were intimately
connected.
"The Tales of the Heike" provides a dramatic window onto the
emerging world of the medieval samurai and recounts in absorbing
detail the chaos of the battlefield, the intrigue of the imperial
court, and the gradual loss of a courtly tradition. The book is
also highly religious and Buddhist in its orientation, taking up
such issues as impermanence, karmic retribution, attachment, and
renunciation, which dominated the Japanese imagination in the
medieval period.
In this new, abridged translation, Burton Watson offers a
gripping rendering of the work's most memorable episodes.
Particular to this translation are the introduction by Haruo
Shirane, the woodblock illustrations, a glossary of characters, and
an extended bibliography.
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