The Heike Story: A Modern Translation of the Classic Tale of Love and War

Shin Heike Monogatari #1

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

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.

Genres: Japan, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Classics, Historical, Novels

640 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Pen-name of Yoshikawa Hidetsugu. Yoshikawa is well-known for his work as a Japanese historical fiction novelist, and a number of re-makes have been spawned off his work.

In 1960, he received the Order of Cultural Merit.
Eiji Yoshikawa (吉川 英治, August 11, 1892 – September 7, 1962) was a Japanese historical novelist. Among his best-known novels, most are revisions of older classics. He was mainly influenced by classics such as The Tale of the Heike, Tale of Genji, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, many of which he retold in his own style. As an example, the original manuscript of Taiko is 15 volumes; Yoshikawa took up to retell it in a more accessible tone, and reduced it to only two volumes. His other books also serve similar purposes and, although most of his novels are not original works, he created a huge amount of work and a renewed interest in the past. He was awarded the Cultural Order of Merit in 1960 (the highest award for a man of letters in Japan), the Order of the Sacred Treasure and the Mainichi Art Award just before his death from cancer in 1962. He is cited as one of the best historical novelists in Japan.

Reviews

[Tessa Nadir]

"Ce e soarta si de ce trebuie sa asteptam noi dupa ea?"
Romanul are la baza epopeea medievala de la inceputul sec. al XIII-lea "Heike Monogatari", un document cu mare importanta istorica pe care autorul il rescrie intr-o cheie moderna pe intelesul nostru. La inceput avem inserat arborele genealogic al familiilor aristocrate conducatoare din acea perioada: Heike, Genji si Fujiwara.
Figura centrala, eroul cartii este Heita Kiyomori a carui viata este prezentata de la 20 de ani pana la maturitate, saga continuandu-se atat cu faptele sale de vitejie cat si cu cele ale fiilor sai.
Ne aflam in 1135 iar Kiyomori are 20 de ani si este nascut din parinti alesi. Tatal sau Tadamori este luptator din clanul Heike si functionar al Palatului, iar mama sa vine din distinsa familie imperiala Fujiwara. Traiul lor este insa destul de modest, tatal fiind delasator si macinat de o suspiciune ce planeaza asupra frumoasei mame, lucru despre care va afla in curand si Kiyomori.
Secretul mamei sale, cum ca aceasta fusese de fapt amanta fostului imparat Shirakawa, iese la iveala iar paternitatea lui Kiyomori este pusa la indoiala. Relatia dintre el si mama lui se raceste, baiatul casatorindu-se apoi cu fiica unui nobil decazut, Tokiko, care ii ofera mai multi fii si o fiica ce va ajunge sotie de imparat. La 30 de ani este ridicat in rang si primeste titlul de Domn Aki, guvernator de provincie. Aflam apoi despre faptele sale de vitejie luptand pentru imparatul in functie unde iese victorios si primeste titlul de Domn Harima.
Romanul prezinta asadar saga a 3 generatii, tatal Tadamori, Kiyomori si fiul sau Shigemori, dar si infruntarea dintre cele doua clanuri de luptatori Heike si Genji pentru putere, dominare si distinctie. Pe langa aceste teme principale care il insotesc pe erou cartea este plina si de povesti secundare despre oameni remarcabili si pataniile lor, din care avem foarte multe de invatat. Acestea sunt practic ridicate la rang de pilde. Iata cateva dintre ele:
- istorisirea cu cele 3 vulpi crutate de catre Kiyomori la vanatoare;
- povestea lui Yoshikiyo care isi paraseste familia si se calugareste;
- patania nefericitului Morito care din greseala isi omoara iubita si este nevoit sa traiasca cu aceasta vina fiind izgonit;
- povestea frumoasei sotii care il pacaleste pe Morito si prefera sa fie ucisa decat sa-si insele sotul;
- fabula lui Asatori care pazeste Izvorul cu Salcie pentru ca imparatul sa aiba de unde sa bea apa.
Nu este o lectura usoara insa povestile sunt minunate, foarte agreabile, insa s-ar putea sa vi se para greoi de citit pentru ca initial traducerea s-a facut din japoneza in engleza si multe dintre amanuntele specific traditionale japoneze s-au pierdut pe drum. Mai mult, varianta romana este o traducere din engleza nu din japoneza si evident ca ar fi fost de preferat o traducere direct din textul original, chiar daca ar fi fost o munca anevoioasa.
Consider ca este un must-read pentru pasionatii de istorie a Japoniei, arta razboiului, perioada anterioara samurailor, traditiile japoneze, viata imperiala, obiceiurile de la Curte, precum si viata de zi cu zi a oamenilor din Japonia medievala.
In incheiere atasez cateva citate interesante pe care le-am selectat:
"Sunt vremuri tulburate, Heita. De ce sa iti lasi spiritul sa se cocoseze inca din primavara tineretii tale?"
"Si totusi, ceea ce ma framanta este ca avem atat de putina mila sau dragoste pentru acelea care ne poarta copiii."
"Atat invingatorul cat si infrantul cantau si dansau cot la cot. Victoria era inceputul infrangerii, infrangerea era punctul de pornire al victoriei. Aceasta era legea naturii, Roata mereu schimbatoare a Vietii din religia budista."
"... ce era virtutea unei femei decat o marfa eleganta, un zalog gratios, acordat frecvent si retras cu aceeasi usurinta, pentru placerea barbatilor?"
"Dar puterea este o otrava si mai ucigatoare. Fascinatia pe care puterea le-o arata oamenilor este intr-adevar o taina. Cel care o gusta o data nu va inceta sa nasca nenorociri sau sa se lase atras in ele."
"... si exista ceva numai al ei, ca un parfum staruitor, pe care Kiyomori il recunoscu de-acum: era farmecul fara gres care il facuse odinioara pe un monarh sa o curteze..."

[Faira]

Setelah Musashi dan Taiko, kini para penggemar novel Jepang, khususnya karya-karya Yoshikawa Eiji, dibuat gembira dengan terbitnya The Heike Story. Secara garis besar, buku ini mengisahkan perjalanan hidup Taira no Kiyomori, yang berperan besar menempatkan klan Taira sebagai klan yang paling disegani di era tersebut.

Ada beberapa hal yang ingin saya komentari tentang versi terjemahan Bahasa Indonesia ini. Untuk terjemahan, sudah cukup memadai, jadi tidak usah dibahas lebih lanjut. Sayang seribu sayang, ada satu hal yang bagi saya sangat mengganggu, yaitu sistem penamaan tokoh. Sepertinya penerjemah kebingungan kapan harus menggunakan nama Heike, Taira, Genji dan Minamoto? Contoh paling nyata, nama si karakter utama yang ditulis sebagai Heike Kiyomori. Dari dulu sampai sekarang, Kiyomori tidak pernah ditulis memakai nama Heike sebagai family name, melainkan Taira. Memang huruf Kanji Taira bisa dibaca sebagai Hei-yang bila ditambah dengan -ke yang berarti "keluarga", otomatis akan membentuk kata "Heike". Tapi "Heike" itu sendiri bukanlah nama keluarga, melainkan sebutan untuk para anggota keluarga Taira dan para pengikutnya.

Hal yang sama terjadi pada karakter Yoshitomo. Di versi ini berkali-kali ia dan para anggota keluarganya seperti Yoritomo ditulis sebagai Genji Yoshitomo, Genji Yoritomo dsb, dsb. Lagi-lagi kesalahan seperti pada kasus Kiyomori. Kata Genji di sini juga bukan family name [walau memang huruf Minamoto juga bisa dibaca "Gen":], melainkan sebutan untuk para anggota keluarga Minamoto dan pengikutnya. Akan lebih tepat bila untuk nama karakter seperti Kiyomori, Yoshitomo, Yoritomo dll tetap memakai nama keluarga mereka, mis: Taira Kiyomori, Minamoto Yoshitomo, Minamoto Yoritomo dst. Sedangkan untuk sebutan Heike dan Genji, sebaiknya dipakai saat menyebut kedua kubu secara keseluruhan. Memang hal ini sepertinya remeh dan mungkin ada yang berpendapat, "Cuma masalah nama. Gak usah dipusingkan". Tapi karena ini sudah menyangkut sejarah. takutnya pembaca awam nanti malah kebingungan saat browsing "Heike Kiyomori", tapi malah dapat "Taira Kiyomori" XDD

Oh ya. Akhirnya sekarang saya punya dugaan kuat mengapa di Taiga Drama Yoshitsune ada adegan Yoshitsune cilik [Ushiwaka:] bertemu dengan Shizuka Gozen cilik. Ternyata adegan itu ada di bab2 terakhir The Heike Story ini :)

Semoga kelak ada penerbit lain yang mau menerbitkan kisah-kisah sejarah Jepang seperti The Heike Story ini. Cuma satu pesan saya: Tolong diriset dulu latar belakang sejarahnya lebih mendalam supaya kasus Heike VS Taira ini tidak terulang lagi.

Tadinya saya mau kasih 3 bintang untuk versi terjemahan The Heike Story. Tapi karena masalah penamaan seperti yang saya tulis di atas, terpaksa diturunkan jadi 2 bintang saja.

[Readingfunclub]

Eiji Yoshikawa a reușit să țese pe pânza literară o epopee atemporală și vastă, suveica narativă urmărind o lume închipuită a unei Japonii agitate socio-politic din secolul al XII-lea. Recunosc că nu mi-a fost ușor să citesc acest roman masiv, ba adormeam după câteva pagini, ba pierdeam certitudinea cine este cine, recitind pasajele cu pricina pentru a redobândi claritate asupra intrigii și a personajelor.

Această capodoperă istorică urmărește familia Heiké, un clan puternic prins în mrejele puterii destinului, onoarei și al războiului, mândriei și trecerii inexorabile a timpului. Bogată cu detalii ale epocii din vremea respectivă, povestea îmbină legenda și istoria, oferind o explorare profundă și emoționantă a ambiției umane, a mândriei și a declinului inevitabil al puterii. Narațiunea este captivantă, plină de personaje complexe, cu destine atât eroice cât și tragice. Războinicii Heiké, mânați de onoare și loialitate, sunt juxtapuși împotriva valului necruțător al timpului, dezvăluindu-mi astfel cât de trecătoare poate fi gloria și puterea. Natura tranzitorie a gloriei reverberează în tot romanul, metamorfozând acest detaliu într-o meditație atentă asupra vieții și morții. Ceea ce mi-a plăcut la stilul scriitorului a fost capacitatea acestuia de a însufleți veridic toate personajele, de la nobil la comun, acestea fiind redate cu o complexitate emoțională autentică. Tind să cred că această abilitate a autorului a stimulat din plin creșterea unui strat de frumusețe literară peste intriga deja abundentă în descrieri vii și reflecții emoționante asupra simplei condiții umane.

[Philipp]

There are three 'big' books by Eiji Yoshikawa you can get in English: Musashi, Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan, and The Heike Story. All of these books are modernised (1950s) retellings of Japanese roughly medieval historical events over hundreds of pages. What is interesting that each of these books deals with a different 'layer' of Japanese medieval politics: Musashi is the story of one famous swordman's life. Taiko is the story of Hideyoshi, the man who would unite Japan, one of the most powerful Japanese in history. I absolutely love both Musashi and Taiko.

Heiko sits in the middle of these - it's the story of a clan, aligned with the emperor, and its constant battle with a second clan for power, told across three generations of clan-leaders. However, for some curious reason, reading Heike does not feel as 'epic' as reading Musashi or Taiko. I wonder why? The afterword mentions that English translators and editors cut many subplots and chapters to make the book work with a Western audience. I wonder whether they cut out the magic.

[Angela Serban]

Dacă sunteți fani Japonia medievală ăsta-i un must. Am incercat si Musashi, dar a fost prea greoaie și prea înceată pentru mine. Heike a fost waw. O recomand cu tot dragul iubitorilor de samurai. N-o să găsiți samurai în carte, dar le veți cunoaște predecesorii. Traducerea și adaptarea pe care am citit-o e ciopartita la montaj din cate am inteles, dar tot merita. Are tot ce-i trebuie. Este lupta dintre doua clanuri, ce se întinde pe mai multe generații. Este o saga complexa cu multe personaje, cu nume atât de asemanatoare de-ti solicita toată atenția și toti nervii, cu povești de dragoste, curaj, onoare, sacrificiu și multi morti. Am devorat-o. Este povestea lui Kiyomori si drumul lui spre succes. De la mizerie, saracie si batjocora la faima, renume si statut.

[Vera Maharani]

Awalnya saya pikir, apa yang mau saya ulas ya, saya pasti suka sama buku ini sih. Bagaimanapun ini kan

1. Karya Yoshikawa Eiji. I have been smitten by his work eversince I read an excerpt of Taiko in my junior high years. Seperti yang diterakan pada akhir buku ini, Eiji Yoshikawa tidak terpengaruh oleh literatur Barat, terutama penulis Rusia dan Perancis (beda sama, misalnya, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, yang setiap baca tulisannya, saya jadi merasa harus baca lebih banyak literatur lagi. Prosper Merimee who? Polikouchka what? Jenis asyik yang beda dengan baca karya Yoshikawa). Yoshikawa's work is authentically Japanese. Katanya, ya. Soalnya saya belum pernah baca dalam bahasa aslinya, terjemahan kan pasti ada rasa yang beda.

2. It is about the beginning of Japanese Shogunate. Well, kejadian-kejadian yang mendahuluinya sih. Kisah Minamoto no Yoritomo (pendiri Kamakura Shogunate) diceritakan lebih lengkap pada 'Minamoto no Yoritomo', juga oleh Yoshikawa Eiji.

Saya selalu tertarik pada bagian yang berkaitan dengan sejarah Jepang yang ini. Semangat serta filosofi Bushido menarik untuk dipelajari dan diterapkan pada kehidupan sehari-hari. Selain itu, anekdot dan kebiasaan mereka yang borderline paranoid juga menarik untuk diingat dan diceritakan kembali. Tahukah kamu bahwa Uesugi Kenshin (salah satu daimyo terkenal pada masa Sengoku) dikabarkan meninggal karena ada ninja yang bersembunyi di lubang toiletnya dan menusuknya saat dia duduk?. So he went to do his business and the sword stabbed his anus and he bleed to death. After reading this, you might want to double check before you sit on your toilet.

3. Tahun 2012 lalu, ada Taiga drama tentang Taira no Kiyomori (which I so wanted to see but dramacrazy.net was shut down before the English-subbed version came out completely and my fangirling soul was utterly devastated). Bahkan kalaupun nggak suka-suka amat sejarah, deretan aktor/aktris pendukungnya menjanjikan performa yang menarik sekali. Secara pribadi, saya pengen nonton penampilan kecengan aktor Jepang favorit saya, terutama Tamaki Hiroshi sebagai Minamoto no Yoshitomo dan Okada Masaki sebagai Minamoto no Yoritomo

Jadi... yah, saya membaca ini sambil membayangkan wajah mereka. Nggak heran bahwa saya teramat sangat biased. hahaha.

So, why the 3-stars?

Pertama-tama, soal nama. Heike Kiyomori, Genji Yoshitomo...serius nih? Setahu saya, 'Heike' dan 'Genji' itu digunakan untuk menyebut klan masing-masing secara keseluruhan. Untuk nama, bukannya nama keluarga mereka 'Taira' dan 'Minamoto'? Jadi seharusnya ditulis Taira no Kiyomori, Minamoto no Yoshitomo, dan sebagainya. Kalau saya baca ini dalam versi Word, saya pasti udah pencet Ctrl+F>Replace 'Heike' with 'Taira no'. Naluri editor membahana. Hahaha.

Kedua-dua, menurut penjelasan di belakang, buku ini telah disederhanakan agar dapat dinikmati oleh pembaca non-Jepang. Saya nggak tahu, mungkin buku ini juga diterjemahkan dari versi Inggrisnya. Hasilnya, buku ini memang bahasanya lebih mudah dicerna daripada karya Yoshikawa yang lain, misalnya Musashi. Namun sebagai pembaca yang justru lebih suka memeras otak namun dapat menikmati suasana autentik Jepang, kebijakan ini sangat saya sesalkan. Misalnya nih ya, pada hal 273:

Kepada Yoshitomo dianugerahkan, kata banyak orang, hadiah yang terbesar, yaitu jabatan sebagai Juru Kunci Istal Kekaisaran, sebuah jabatan yang belum pernah terdengar di kalangan Samurai. Bagaimanapun, sebagian orang percaya bahwa Kiyomori-lah yang menerima hadiah terbesar. Jabatan Gubernur di Provinsi Harima dan gelar Tuan Harima...

Setelah baca ini, saya mikir Yoshitomo kerjanya jagain kuda sementara Kiyomori jadi gubernur. Dengan penafsiran semacam itu, nggak usah diperdebatkan siapa yang jabatannya lebih tinggi ya. Saya curiga ini semua gara-gara penerjemahan yang disederhanakan itu. Kayaknya lebih asyik kalau istilah-istilah bahasa Jepangnya aja yang diterakan sementara di bawah ada footnote yang menjelaskan, maksudnya jabatan itu apa. Oh, sepanjang pembacaan buku ini, sungguh saya mendamba footnote semacam itu.

Ketiga-tiga, tentang typo. Saya sampai membaca dengan pulpen di tangan, siap sedia mencoret huruf yang salah atau berlebih. Terkadang fatal karena terkait nama, misalnya 'Yoshihira' dan 'Yoshihiro'. Plus banyaknya nama-nama yang bermunculan (berhubung ini adalah kisah epik dengan berbagai klan serta tokoh-tokoh non-klan), ini bisa jadi sangat membingungkan. Misalnya di bab 30-sekian baru muncul tokoh Yoshihiro, terus jadi bingung Yoshihiro ini siapa? Dari klan mana? Kenapa dia tiba-tiba melakukan hal ini? Akhirnya skimming untuk mencari nama Yoshihiro di halaman-halaman sebelumnya (and doing that in a 750-pages book is no easy feat). Setelah kebingungan dan membaca bab itu pelan-pelan, ternyata yang dimaksud adalah Minamoto no Yoshihira, anak sulung Minamoto no Yoshitomo. Zzzz banget. Hati-hati aja, sebab hal semacam ini tak hanya terjadi sekali. Untungnya sih, buku yang saya pegang ini baru cetakan pertama, jadi masih ada kemungkinan besar untuk diperbaiki pada cetakan selanjutnya.

Terlepas dari semua kekurangan itu, buku ini membuat saya banyak merenung. Tidak hanya bertebar pertempuran yang membuat berdebar, buku ini juga bercerita tentang cinta, belas kasihan, dan usaha memaafkan (walau, ya itu, porsi pertempuran lebih besar). Saya belajar bahwa ketika kekuasaan ditempatkan menjadi yang utama, kedamaian itu cuma fatamorgana. Dapat dilihat dari perseteruan golongan samurai, bangsawan, dan pemuka agama, bahkan antara mantan kaisar, kaisar berkuasa, dan calon kaisar (padahal kaisar-kaisar ini anak-beranak lho). Ayah mengasingkan anaknya, anak membunuh ayahnya, keponakan memenggal pamannya. Your head was never actually safe, even at the mercy of your own family (and your anus was never actually safe even in the privacy of your own toilet). Nggak heran kalau di masa itu para samurai jadi paranoid banget. Bersyukur banget hidup di masa kini, setidaknya hubungan keluarga nggak begitu-begitu amat.

Hal lain yang menarik di sini adalah interaksi antara tokoh-tokoh lelaki, terutama Kiyomori, dengan perempuan-perempuan dalam hidupnya. Dikotomi antara maskulinitas dan femininitas yang sangat terasa. Misalnya pada kata-kata Kiyomori saat mengomentari permintaan istrinya untuk menjaga Motomori, anak kedua mereka yang baru pertama kali terjun ke peperangan (FYI, Motomori was 17 at that time):

"Mereka, para wanita itu, tidak tahu betapa kejinya perang. Mereka tidak pernah melihatnya. Pertempuran pecah sepanjang waktu di wilayah Barat dan Timur, namun tidak pernah terjadi di sini sejak berabad-abad silam. Tidak seorang pun dari kalian mengetahui seperti apa perang yang sesungguhnya. Kalian baru akan mencicipinya untuk pertama kalinya, dan ini tidak akan mudah bagi siapa pun yang ada di sini." (hal. 229)

Kiyomori mungkin menganggap rendah permintaan istrinya itu, yang dianggapnya pengecut. Namun sebagai samurai, dia pun belum dapat memahami penderitaan wanita pada masa itu. Nasibnya menunggu sementara ayah, suami, dan anak-anak mereka terjun ke medan perang, membela kehormatan atau apalah, alasan-alasan yang secara gamblang digambarkan Yoshikawa sebagai tidak terlalu penting bagi mereka, terutama melalui tokoh Fujiwara no Tokiko, istri Kiyomori. Kadang, orang-orang yang mereka cintai itu pulang hanya kepalanya saja, digantung di gerbang kota oleh pihak yang memenangi perang. Sementara wanita-wanita itu akan menjadi tawanan, atau diharapkan menjaga kehormatan keluarga dengan membunuh diri mereka sendiri dan anak-anak mereka. Penolakan terhadap kebiasaan ini menjadi lebih jelas karena kebanyakan tokoh wanita merupakan wanita istana atau berasal dari klan bangsawan Fujiwara, yang terbiasa hidup mewah dan tidak menyukai pertikaian langsung. Menarik juga bahwa menjelang akhir cerita, Kiyomori dibuat menyadari bahwa kekuatan wanita justru dapat terlihat dari kasih sayang dan ketabahannya.

There were some loose strands in this story. Menurut catatan di belakang buku ini, Yoshikawa Eiji tidak sempat menyelesaikan buku ini, namun dua pertiga bagian yang sudah ada dianggap sudah memadai untuk diterbitkan. Mungkin gara-gara itu di sini saya nggak membaca tentang putri keluarga Takashina yang diperistri Kiyomori sebelum Tokiko dan beberapa tokoh lainnya yang saya baca dari sumber lain juga tidak muncul. Atau mungkin itu hanya licentia poetica, entahlah.

Vera's tips on how to enjoy this book more

1. As impossible as it may seems, read this book in few sittings. Interval antara pembacaan satu dan yang lainnya jangan terlalu lama. Kalau tidak, mungkin kamu akan mendapati nama suatu tokoh di bab 40-an yang kamu lupa banget itu siapa, karena terakhir dia muncul di bab belasan. Beberapa orang memilih skimming untuk mengingat kembali tokoh itu siapa, sementara beberapa orang memilih untuk bodo amat dan melanjutkan membaca. Keduanya merupakan pilihan yang amat menyebalkan dan mengganggu kenikmatan membaca secara keseluruhan.

2. Peta silsilah di halaman-halaman depan sangat berguna untuk mengingat hubungan antartokoh.

3. Kalau bisa beli cetakan kedua dan selanjutnya aja, serta berdoalah semoga typo dan kesalahan di cetakan pertama sudah dibetulkan

[Manea Ionut]

"Povestea familiei Heike este o transpunere modernă a unei frumoase legende japoneze. Atmosfera sa exotică, puterea narativă, descrierile minuţioase şi poeticitatea limbajului vor cuceri cititorul contemporan, care va avea, citind-o, prilejul unei fermecătoare lecţii de cultura şi istorie a Japoniei. „Când secretele marilor familii ale Japoniei se alătură tainelor din budoarele curtezanelor, când tradiţia nepătată a călugărilor budişti este tulburată de revolte înspăimântătoare, doar onoarea războinicilor mai stă în calea haosului. În tot acest labirint de evenimente, Eiji Yoshikawa plasează cu o neîntrecută măiestrie momentele de tensiune şi ştie cum să facă să rezoneze corzile narative ale poveştii sale, un adevărat bestseller.“

[Gertrude & Victoria]

The Heike Story is an epic tale of two rival clans struggling for power. The loyal Heike and Genji clans have served the Fujiwara court well, but later find themselves in a battle for military and political control of the Imperial throne.

In this tale we follow three generation of Heike commanders starting with Tadamori, then Kiyomori, and finally Shigemori. Throughout most of this historical novel, Kiyomori takes center stage, and it is primarily through his eyes, we can comprehend the tumultuous times of that era. Through him we gain insights into the strategies and strategems of warfare, as well as, learn something quite different and mundane in comparison, that of domestic life. He is the greatest of generals, but like all military men, succumbs to illusions too grand for any one man to handle, even a great man like Kiyomori.

The plot, driven by a series of fierce and bloody battles, tempered by noble overtures of peace, captures the imagination as we get a rare glimpse into the life of twelfth century Heian, Japan. This is not just a story of war, but also, one of love and politics. Here the intrigues of the heart are equally as potent and diabolical as clandestine agreements between court officials or military commanders. From beginning to end we are consumed in the affairs of royalty, military men, politicians and priest monks, where courage, mercy and betrayal are woven together so beautifully, so effectively, we can feel both pain and joy, through their defeats and in their victories. This tale is nothing less than the story of life itself.

[~Andreea°]

Deși nu este prima mea experiență cu stilul lui Eiji Yoshikawa, "Povestea familiei Heike" m-a captivat încă din primul capitol.
Este, într-adevăr, o adaptare accesibilă a poemului epic „ Heike Monogatari” sau, în cazul meu, o lucrare pregătitoare pentru intelegerea originalului.
Cartea are un stil lejer, capitole scurte cu sporadice momente comice. Tragedia însă este o componentă esențială a poemului, iar Yoshikawa le prezintă cu măiestrie. Avem, drept exemplu, cazul Kesei Gozen, ucisă de Morito, un tânăr îndrăgostit nebunește de ea, deși era deja căsătorită. Este un eveniment absolut neașteptat care schimbă atmosfera lejeră si optimistă creată până în acel moment. Punctul culminant al întâmplării este fuga din capitală a lui Morito si regretul pe care îl exprimă cititorului. Adevărata lui țintă era soțul Kesei, Wataru, fapt de care femeia era conștientă. Așa că îl păcălește pe Morito, spunându-i să vină noaptea să-l ucidă. Astfel adormi Kesa în locul unde sabia lui Morito avea să-i spintece capul. Amărăciunea și disperarea lui sunt palpabile, iar pentru el nu am putut simți decât compătimire. (O altă versiune interesantă, în stilul analizei psihologice, este „Kesa și Morito” de Ryunosuke Akutagawa.)
Narațiunea este lineară, centrată mai mult pe acțiune decât pe interioritate. Există mici segmente in care trăirile psihologice ale unor personaje sunt discutate, însă nu în mod complex: neputința de a-și hrăni copiii si separarea de ei însoțită de singurătate a doamnei Tokiwa sau ura tânărului Kiyomori pentru mama care l-a abandonat din cauza sărăciei sunt câteva exemple care îmi vin în minte.
Am de discutat însă despre nemulțumirea pe care o am față de ediția în română. „Povestea familiei Heike" este prima carte pe paginile căreia am scris vreodată, iar asta pentru că în lista de personaje am găsit anul 1989, deși acțiunea se petrece in mijlocul secolului XII. Am mai corectat și alți ani, presupunând că pot să iert persoana responsabilă deoarece multe date sunt vagi. Nu am putut ierta însă greșelile gramaticale, mult prea multe pentru a putea fi scuzate. Nu mai vorbim și de nume așezate în alte locuri, astea sunt detalii.

[Victor Bruneski]

This is a strange book, and I'm glad there was an historical note at the end to explain why. The story doesn't end first of all, it just stops. In the historical note it explains that the novel is only 2/3 of the way done. Why would they release an unfinished work you might ask. I'm guessing because Eiji Yoshikawa passed away in 1962. The tale ends with the oldest Genji escaping the capital, who would go onto bringing the Heike down. But there is no explanation of that unless you read the note at the end.

The book is also a translation of a translation. What I mean is that Tales of Heike were old Japanese poems from after they lost power. Eiji Yoshikawa then translated them into a modern story...in Japanese. This is the English translation. It reads well and is enjoyable, but some of the translation put me off a little. Two things that come to mind is warrior class and some religous terms. I was confused at first if they had Samurai back then, and if it was the warrior class. It is easily researched and found out. Some of the relgious terms sound too western, like Bishop and church. It doesn't really detract from the story though, and for someone not familier with Japanese terms it works out.

All in all I still recommend the book if you like Japanese history. It is quite entertaining. The Heike story is not just about the Samurai, but the Emperor, court, merchants (My favorite character is The Nose), and beggers. You really get the feel for the period and place. I had trouble rating it a 3 or a 4, if I could it would have got 3.5.

[Anasylvi]

În Japonia secolului al XII-lea existau două clanuri de războinici rivale: Heiké (Taira) și Genji (Minamoto). În Povestea familiei Heiké, autorul aduce treptat la lumină, într-un amplu tablou, modul în care funcționa societatea niponă a acelor vremuri. Urmărește destinul lui Kiyomori al clanului Heiké, ascensiunea acestui de-a lungul anilor de la nivelul unui băiat sărac, cu o paternitate incertă, deși membru al unei familii de luptători de vază, până la un om de o mare putere militară și cu influență la Curtea Imperială.

Detalii aici: https://adropofinspiration.wordpress....

[Marie-Hélène Clinchamps]

J'avais adoré "La pierre et le sabre" et "La parfaite lumière", tous premiers pas dans la littérature japonaise. En souvenir, je me suis précipitée sur cette chronique qui remonte bien plus haut dans l'histoire du Japon (XIIe siècle). On y assiste à la lutte de deux clans, les Heike (plus connus comme Taïra) et les Genji (Minamoto). L'auteur a voulu redonner une meilleure image au chef des Heike, Kiyomori, que la tradition de transmission orale avait pas mal démoli, et il arrête d'ailleurs son récit à l'époque de la grande puissance dominatrice du chef du clan Heike. Pourtant ce sont les Minamoto qui reprendront le pouvoir, terminant l'époque Heian et plaçant la capitale à Kamakura. Bon, je ne vais pas me lancer dans l'histoire du japon et revenir au livre. J'ai aimé cette lecture qui m' a remis en mémoire des noms et des lieux emplis de siècles d'Histoire que j'avais adoré découvrir (comme Itsukushima / Miyajima) Cependant je n'ai pas retrouvé le souffle des premiers romans lus de Yoshikawa, ceci est sans doute dû à l'absence d'un véritable héros. Miyamoto Musashi était l'épine dorsale de "La pierre et le sabre" et la suite. Mais ici la peinture de Heike no Kiyomori reste en surface du personnage, comme d'ailleurs tous les autres acteurs de ce récit.J'aurais aimé que l'auteur choisisse soit entre une chronique réellement historique soit un roman avec ce que ça aurait apporté de vie et d'intensité. Cependant la lecture en est agréable, surtout si comme moi l'histoire du Japon vous passionne ! D'ailleurs j'ai beaucoup apprécié la post-face qui éclaire très bien la suite du clan Heike (Taïra)dans un style teinté d'humour.

[Eadweard]

Fun novelization of a historical event.

I'll be generous and give it a 4/5 since I thoroughly enjoyed it even though I had some issues with the translation (mostly choice of words) and the fact that it's an abridged edition for the western market.

[James Imelda]

The Heike Story: Fragmented

It would help to know the manner in which this story was written. The Tales of the Heiké is a Japanese classic from the 13th century, about the war between the Heiké clan (AKA the Taira) and the Genji clan (AKA the Minamoto) in the 12th century. As I understand it, the leader of the Heiké, Kiyomori, is written as a bloodthirsty villain (given that the Genji won, this was the story told). Then in the 1950’s, Eiji Yoshikawa rewrote the class story as New Tales of the Heiké, a 24-volume series published from 1950-1957. In this, Kiyomori is a nuanced character with good and bad traits and acts. Then Fuki Wooyenuka Uramatsu, with permission from the author, rendered this into a shorter novel (540 pages) in English, published in 1956. Thus, it is not only a translation, but an abridgement, and one which abridged a material that was not yet finished (though the original story was a well known classic).

Thus, I recommend reading the foreword (by Davinder Bhowmik) and the afterword (by Uramatsu) before reading the novel, to learn some details on the Heian period, the original text, the source text, and the translation.

I enjoyed this book. I found the later Heian period fascinating, with its emperors and abdicated emperors, court politics, the rise of the warrior class, and the armies of warrior Buddhist monks. On that last note, here is one of my favourite descriptions:

“By evening several thousand armed monks with the Sacred Shrine had poured down the mountainside, and like thunderclouds bore down on the capital from the north, following the banks of the Kamo River in the twilight to a position not far from the city gates. As darkness fell they tramped to an ominous chanting of sutras, and their blazing torches seemed to scorch the earth and set the clouds on fire.

In every village and hamlet along the marchers’ route, terror seized the inhabitants as though the God of Evil himself were marching through; not a soul could be seen. In their hovels of boards, mothers clutched their children to them, hid their faces, and stopped up their ears, waiting for the terrible invaders to pass on.

At Gion the Sacred Shrine was installed in the temple sanctuary, where the monks set up watches, and through the night the light from their fires made the hot vapors of the Eastern Hills burn with a spectral glare.” (p. 113)

War and violence form a central theme of the story, but like many Eastern stories there is a cyclical nature to all things. “Impermanence is the nature of all things of this world.” (p. 365) If my scant historical knowledge is accurate, before the Heian period the warrior class ruled. But later on the Fujiwara aristocrats began to really run things, marrying their daughters into the imperial family and selecting who the emperor would be and when he would abdicate (there were, at least in the 12th century, several abdications and cloistered emperors who still wielded power contemporaneously with the reigning emperor). This is when the story takes place. But by the end of the story the warrior class, particularly the Heiké, wield considerable power. With the defeat of the Heiké would come Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun as we know them today. But the fighting would continue until the Tokugawa shogunate prevailed in the 16th century, and even after the Tokugawa reign of the Edo period, the power of the emperor would rise again in the 19th century, and the Samurai class and feudalism would be abolished. But this new power of the emperor lasted not even a century, as America dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Japan surrendered in 1945. It was in the wake of the Empire’s end, that Yoshikawa rewrote the Heiké story. “That which hath been made, the same continueth: the things that shall be, have already been: and God restoreth that which is past.” (Ecclesiastes 3:15)

The two most constant characters in the book’s 36 year timespan—that is, the ones who appear earliest, feature throughout, and appear near the end—are Kiyomori, leader of the Heiké, and Mongaku, the former warrior turned prophetic monk. In Yoshikawa’s retelling, Kiyomori shows up as a sort of slow-witted Musashi—an impetuous, somewhat licentious, unlearned warrior who, unlike Musashi, does not spend three years locked in a tower reading philosophical classics, and instead must learn from decades of experience the price of violence and the necessity of self-mastery. Whether he really learns this, I think is debatable.

As a contrast to Kiyomori, the tragic Morito, who becomes the crazy prophetic monk Mongaku, begins far more committed to lust and violence than Kiyomori does. However, in one of the most classic displays of Japanese spousal piety on the part of a woman, his own passion works against him and becomes his undoing. The rest of his life is a conversion, a penance, one spent warning others against the same mistakes he has made. Morito is saved by Kesa-Gozen, the loyal wife. Kiyomori, for his part, makes Morito’s mistake by giving in to his own passions (see p. 347). Although there is, perhaps, a cyclical justice to this scene as well, knowing who aids in his downfall at the end of the story (not shown in this book).

Mongaku attempts to teach mercy and self-restraint, warning those who would fall to the same fate as their predecessors. When he overhears three young Genji planning to enact their murderous vengeance on the Heiké, we read the following from Mongaku:

“'My sympathies, in fact, are with the defeated and that's why I want to talk to you, young man, who still have the world before you. Your father and brothers are dead and the Genji scattered, but why must you throw away your life? Out of you will come future generations. Guard that priceless life of yours! Forget those foolish plans for revenge. You can't change this world by killing one man. O fool, fool that you are! Can't you see that that helpless woman, submitting quietly to her agonies for love of her children, is far more courageous than you?'

The three youths under the tree fell silent. The light sifting through the treetops showed that evening was near, and a red glow played over the seated figures.

'See, see how the sun has moved onward while we talked. Nothing can stop it in its course. Prayers cannot halt the revolving of nature. It is the same with human life. Victory and defeat are one in the vast stream of life. Victory is the beginning of defeat, and who can rest safely in victory? Impermanence is the nature of all things of this world. Even you will find that your ill fortunes too will change. It is easy to understand the impatience of the old, whose days are numbered, but why should you young ones fret when the future is yours? Why try to dispel your petty dejection by a rash act that can only hasten death?'” (Pp. 365-366)

In this case as in another in the novel, those who do not listen to Mongaku meet a swift death. Yet here his words save the lives of two.

The theme of mercy, mingled with a repugnance for violence, appears several times, with the crux of the story laying upon Kiyomori’s decision to spare those children and youths who will one day overthrow him (though this is not in the novel). Another cyclical theme of violence shows up in Kiyomori and Ushiwaka, Tokiwa’s son. The novel begins with Kiyomori’s struggle to learn who his father is, and upon discovering it, deciding to become a warrior despite his self-centered mother and leaving behind his impoverished life (which he blames the Fujiwara for, who had trampled the warrior class) to become the leader of the heike. The novel ends with Ushiwaka discovering who his father is, and upon discovering it, deciding to become a warrior despite his loving mother and leaving behind his life imprisoned in captivity (which he blames the heike for, who have trampled the Genji) to become one of the leaders of the Genji. By the end, Kiyomori has matured, become more merciful and prudent, and prioritises prosperity of Japan over self-aggrandisement, and his own more peaceful economic dream over power and war. Both men, as youths, had to learn a secret about their parentage. Neither learned the whole of it, since it was shrouded in secrecy and never fully revealed. Both men chose to honor their father instead of their mother, since each were separated from their mothers for one reason or another. Masculinity without maternal care, in Kiyomori’s case, became licentious and violent, but became tempered through bitter struggle and experience. As the novel ends, Ushiwaka chooses the path of violence. Tokiwa’s words to him in the final chapter will be fulfilled: “Be warned that in righting wrong and putting down the arrogant, you too may follow the example of those you most deplore; others will rise to humble you, and the fearful and foolish history of bloodshed will go on repeating itself forever. As a warrior, remember to love and protect the oppressed and weak, that your name may be honored forever more.” (p. 539) Perhaps the difference between them lies in the fact that Kiyomori had a father who raised him, who exemplified honor, strength, and self-restraint. What has been, will be. But what one has not learned, one cannot know. The wise words of an absent mother (even if absent by necessity) cannot stand against the desire of a son to honor and avenge his father, a desire nurtured by another father-like figure in his life.

The novel essentially sets up the fall of the Heiki. The whole story, I suppose, might as well have been called The Rise and Fall of the Heikie. I do not think there is any issue with the reader needing to know a little of the surrounding history—most notably that Ushiwaka and Yoritomo, spared by Kiyomori, would end up defeating the Heike. I believe that is in the aforementioned introduction. However, the abridgment suffers. I suppose that is like saying, the wound suffers. For the most part, I had no issue with the pacing, with two main exceptions.

The ending feels rather abrupt. In the latter part of the novel the story speeds up, jumping over years, then feels like it slows down to a rather sudden halt. This was saved, if at all, only by the parallel between Kiyomori and Ushiwaka, creating a satisfying feeling that the story has resolved, in away, into this contrast between the old and the young, the powerful and the future victor.

Even so, the latter parts of the novel focus less on Kiyomori and more on lesser characters. The issue is not that the story spent so much time on monks, maidens, and minstrels, nor were they uninteresting. The issue is that they were more interesting than the main character by that point. I am not sure why this was so. I think it has to do with the fact that, in the beginning, the story shows Kiyomori—he acts, changes, and reacts, and I found his inner dynamism and contradictions fascinating—whereas in the latter half or so of the story it merely tells. We are told, for instance, about his inner thoughts in the scene with Giwo and with the dancing girl. But somehow the scene feels colder, like looking in, rather than experiencing it and living in the scene the way a good story allows one to do. I do not think there is an issue in not having a main character, especially given the grandness of the novel in terms of time span, plot lines, and number of characters. Certainly in a novel like The Count of Monte Cristo, there is a shift away from the protagonist, and the reader gets to know other characters better, seeing Dantes only from an emotional distance until the end. Somehow, I did not feel this was achieved here, either because at the end Kiyomori seems to fade away in importance (unlike Dantes), or because of too much showing instead of telling, or both. The fact that it is abridged, with many scenes cut out, possibly factored in. The translator wrote, “Much that is
significant and of great interest to a Japanese audience familiar with the historical
setting has been omitted in translation.” Perhaps it would have been of interest to a Western audience too.

Finally, the translator is excellent at English, but not perfect. Certain sentences feel awkward. I made a full list, since I thought it could be helpful in the interest of translation work between Japanese and English. But a couple examples are as follows.

A couple examples of awkward comma placement: “Assailant after assailant went down as Tadanori, nimbly wrenched away halberds and struck at his attackers.” (p.445) And “It was only a few days, now until the 3rd of March, and they had lingered along, looking at the many displays in the stalls.” (p. 532)

In response to the words, “O-oy—Jiro! Stop pretending you know the way. Are you sure you’re turning in the right direction?” Jiro replies: “All right, all right. We just passed the Tenno Hills and must be on the Yamazaki Road. We’ll get to Akutagawa by following the foothills.” Since Jiro is clearly contradicting the speaker and affirming his own plan, the “All right” is a little confusing. If the original was the Japanese “daijyōbu,” it would be an understandable mistake, since that word does mean “alright,” but it also means “It’s alright,” as in “Stop worrying.” But the English “all right” usually communicates acquiescence.

There are a few other instances of awkward words or sentences, as well as a character who is described as a half-brother but is listed in the geneology at the beginning as a cousin (or else it is a different Tadanori, which would have been helpful to have clarified). This was not really annoying, just a minor issue with readability. However, as a whole, the words of the novel are not beautiful. There are a few passages I really enjoyed, such as the one of the armed warrior monks above. But, unlike Yoshikawa’s Musashi, translated by the American Charles S. Terry, the story is told well enough, but the prose is not beautiful. In Musashi, the prose runs smoothly, with both brevity and beauty in its sentences. Perhaps if I could read the original, I would find problems with Terry’s translation. But as far as the two English translations go, I found Terry’s excellent, and Urumatsu’s to be good in many ways but not up to the same level, with some awkwardness in a few places. Translation work is quite difficult. Perhaps, with only a few exceptions, it is better to have a translator render the work into his own native tongue, rather than to have a native speaker of the original language render it into his second language.

In all, I enjoyed this book, though I do not know if I will reread it, as I hope to reread Musashi. I am looking forward to reading the third of Yoshikawa’s novels that has an English translation, Taiko (translated by an American).

[Keith Alverson]

This is not a novel in the real sense. A collage of stories with common characters. It does however provide a window into a very interesting period in Japanese history. I guess this window is a bit long for the average vaguely curious reader though. Yoshimori of the Heike was obviously a great leader in an interesting time.

[Matt]

It will probably take me a while to properly process this book. It was... A chore. The prose is super dense, and was difficult to read at times. It was not a very enjoyable read. However, there were a lot of very interesting bits. I am really interested in this era of Japanese history, particularly the events that precede and occur during the Tales of the Heike. Which is what this book covers.

However, when this translation came out, the story (which was serialized in a weekly newspaper over the course of 7 years...), was only 2/3 complete. And the historical background further describes how the English translation was very manipulated "for a Western audience", i.e. subplots removed, characters rewritten/merged/omitted, etc.

All of that combined with the fact that the story just ends (due to it being, ya know, incomplete), just made this slog feel utterly pointless.

Would not recommend this to anyone who is not very interested in 12th century Japanese history. But because it can be difficult to find good, detailed accounts of the events leading up to the Genpei Wars in English, it was still probably worth it for me to read this.

But like I mentioned at the beginning... Still processing lol.

[Indri Juwono]

Membaca buku ini, berharap akan menemukan kisah semenakjubkan Taiko, dengan perjuangan dan keputusan-keputusan bijak yang diambil.

Mungkin moral ceritanya yang saya tangkaplah yang membuat saya hanya mendapat kesan begini datar. Saya nggak tahu apa yang salah dengan buku ini, apa penerjemahannya atau teknik penceritaannya yang membuat saya tidak bisa terpaku, dan membuat jeda yang amat panjang di antara masa2 membacanya.
Campur aduk antara cerita yang berbunga-bunga, kadang deskripsi yang berlebihan terhadap suatu tokoh, yang membuat saya berpikir siapa dia, perlukah ditampilkan sekilas pintas. Malah penggambaran si tokoh utama, Heike Kiyomori, cukup banyak ditenggelamkan oleh banyaknya tokoh2 lain di sekitarnya, juga oleh bunga-bunga bahasa yang betebaran di sana sini.
Banyaknya tokoh membuat beberapa pertempuran menjadi tidak detail, kadang terlalu cepat selesai. Tidak ada klimaks, tidak ada antiklimaks, semuanya aliran deskriptif yang dituturkan lewat tokoh2nya.

***
Heike Kiyomori yang meniti karirnya sebagai samurai, dan berani menantang kaum agama (yang digambarkan sebagai pendeta Budha dari gunung Hiei), hingga berhasil memasuki istana, menjadi orang kepercayaan, bahkan menjadi klan yang sangat kuat setelah menggulingkan lawannya dari klan Genji.

Bisa kita lihat bahwa di belahan dunia mana pun kekuasaan mempunyai efek yang sama. Kekuasaan membuat kita ingin memperluas kekuasaan, menancapkan pengaruh di sudut-sudut negeri. Kekuasaan membuat kehilangan welas asih, tega menyakiti orang terdekat yang tidak sependapat. Kekuasaan memberikan kesempatan untuk menumpuk kekayaan, membangun kemewahan, membentengi diri, dan tidak peka pada sekeliling. Kekuasaan membuat ketakutan akan dihantui oleh lawan-lawan politiknya, sehingga hal yang dipikirkan adalah menyingkirkannya, tidak mendengar pendapat yang berseberangan, tidak menjadikan sekutu. Kekuasaan menjadikan sombong, dan gegabah dalam pengambilan keputusan.

Di negeri Jepang jaman dulu, di Eropa, di Amerika, dan di tanah air kita, selalu ada orang-orang yang merasa berkuasa, menimbun kekayaan, menebar pengaruh dan ketakutan, menggunakan sebesar-besarnya untuk kepentingannya sendiri, tuli terhadap rakyat.

***
review ditulis dengan suasana hati yang kesal terhadap ketua DPR yang sombong atas pernyataannya terhadap Mentawai, dan ngotot atas pembangunan gedung baru MPR DPR, anggota DPR yang nggak 'mampu' membantu rakyatnya di Dubai, menteri2 yang sok suci, anggota DPR yang hobi 'studi banding', partai-partai yang membantu bencana hanya untuk cari nama, kasus korupsi yang merajalela di antara pejabat, presiden yang kehabisan masa jabatannya sehingga malas berbuat apa-apa.
Miskin hati, dan miskin jiwa..

Mungkin tidak nyambung, tapi lihatlah, bahwa segala bidang ilmu, baik hukum, psikologi, sastra, ekonomi, teknik, sains, kesehatan, bisa runtuh tak berguna karena politik.

Tokoh yang saya ingat hanyalah Kiyomori sang samurai yang menjadi pemimpin militer, Mongaku sang biksu yang selalu mengingatkan namun dianggap gila, Asatori si peniup seruling dan tabib yang ingin selalu membantu orang tak peduli siapa penguasanya, dan Bamboku si penjilat tapi dipercaya Kiyomori.

Gambaran pada kisah Heike, masih jadi gambaran kekuasaan sekarang ini.

[Ahmad Zaenun]

Novel ini mampu menggambarkan suasana Jepang abad ke-12 dengan sangat rinci dari segi kultur, strata sosial hingga kehidupan di Kota Heian-kyo (Kyoto) pada saat itu. Cerita yg cukup bagus dalam menggambarkan kelas samurai yang sebelumnya dipandang sebelah mata hingga menjadi kelas sosial yang paling berkuasa di Jepang, bahkan hingga 7 abad lamanya. Saya memberikan bintang 4 karena penyajian cerita dan terjemahannya yang cukup lebih baik ketimbang buku The Heike Story yang bercover oren. Hanya saja karena ini novel epic yg melibatkan banyak tokoh dan lokasi, novel terjemahan yg satu ini minus silsilah, hubungan antar tokoh dan peta tempat kejadian yang diceritakan oleh Eiji Yoshikawa. Misal seperti lokasi Rokuhara, jembatan Gojo dan kota Kyoto akan susah dibayangkan jika tidak melihat peta. Atau di mana letak gunung Kurama tempat Ushiwaka menjadi tahanan rumah, di mana pula letak gunung Hiei tempat para biksu protes terhadap kaisar. Seringkali saya browsing dan beberapa kali liat Google Maps untuk memberikan gambaran spasial mengenai kejadian di setiap kejadian yg tertulis pada novel ini. Ditambah lagi tokoh yg begitu banyak dan namanya mirip seperti Yoshitomo dan Yoritomo, kemudian siapa itu Mongaku dan apa hubungannya dengan Kiyomori. Perlu ingatan yg tajam untuk menyambungkan antara satu tokoh dengan tokoh lain pada periode kejadian yg berbeda. Terkadang harus skimming ke halaman2 awal agar bisa dapatkan gambaran penuh mengenai hubungan antar tokohnya mengingat ini adalah cerita epic. Jika dilengkapi gambaran tokoh, silsilah dan peta sekitar kyoto mungkin review ini akan menjadi bintang 5

[Yanti]

Tidak sia-sia juga perjuangan saya yang hampir tiap hari (selama beberapa bulan) membawa buku setebal bantal ini sambil berhimpit-himpitan dengan penumpang lain di busway, hehehe.....it was worth it!

Melalui buku ini saya pun jadi bisa ikut merasakan semangat tanpa kenal kata menyerah dari para Samurai. Pertarungan tanpa kenal kata usai antar keluarga Samurai, intrik politik menjadi tema novel yang menceritakan klan Heike ini.

Bermula dari keluarga biasa hingga mampu membangun sebuah kota pelabuhan, Kiyomori menjadi tokoh sentral dalam novel ini. Berlanjut dengan kedekatannya pada Kaisar menyebabkan semakin banyak yang iri pada Kiyomori. Perang antar keluarga dan pendukungnya terjadi silih berganti.

Jika saya bertanya pada Anda, apa yang akan Anda lakukan jika Anda menjadi seorang pemenang dalam suatu peperangan antar Samurai dalam menghadapi keluarga dari pihak yang kalah? Membunuh semua anggota keluarga (extended family) termasuk istri dan anak-anaknya yang masih kecil untuk menghindari kemungkinan balas dendam di masa depan atau membiarkan istri dan anak-anak dari pihak yang kalah atas dasar belas kasihan sebagai seorang manusia? Satu keputusan yang diambil Kiyomori pada masalah di atas berakibat harga yang harus dibayar di masa depan.

Sayangnya, The Heike Story tidak tuntas karena menurut penerjemah novel ini Eiji Yoshikawa-san keburu meninggal.
Karena novel ini saya jadi tertarik untuk membaca novel Samurai lainnya, baik tulisan Eiji Yoshikawa atau yang lain. Ada yang mau merekomendasikan novel Samurai menarik lainnya?

[Jamie Barringer (Ravenmount)]

I was a bit annoyed to read in the 'about the author' section at the end how this English version of this novel was adjusted for Western readers- most Western readers who would read a 600+pg historical novel on Japan would probably appreciate the chapters and subplots and details that were cut, and it is rather patronizing to assume otherwise. That said, the novel is well written and readable, and while there are a lot of very similar names and complicated character relationships to keep track of, and characters change names regularly, this book was no harder to follow than Tolkien's Silmarillion or Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Without knowing what was left out, I can't know for sure whether the story would be richer, but there did not seem to be gaping holes where chapters were cut, and the story was fairly seamless. It ends rather abruptly, but does convey the sense that we already know what will happen, since the names change but the wars look pretty much the same from one generation to the next. I did wish there were more maps, since so much of the story relies on geography and the layouts of towns and cities.

[Speakercoret]

baca bareng yudha, iyut, aki, imam, didit, threez, madam..
baca bareng tanpa batas waktu yg ditentukan :p

---------------------------------------------

"aku iri padamu" kata Yoshimoto, karena keluargamu tidak tepecah belah dan harus saling melawan seperti keluargaku" - hal 251

ketika yoshimoto harus melawan darah dagingnya sendiri..
ketika tameyoshi harus memilih antara pengabdian dan hutang budi keluarga..
ketika yoshitomo harus berseberangan kubu dengan tametomo, adiknya sendiri..

semua atas nama perang... perebutan kekuasaan..

tp buku ini tidak hanya bercerita soal perang, bahkan porsi perangnya sedikit (menurut aku)..
buku ini lebih ke kisah perjalanan hidup kiyomori, intrik2 para bangsawan dan samurai yg mengincar kekuasaan..

3,5 *

@ijul, makasih yahh... sering2 aja :p

[Cristina]

O poveste captivanta, insa, dupa 100 si ceva de pagini firul povestii a devenit tot mai greu de urmarit. Si nu-mi dau seama daca este vina autorului sau a faptului ca traducerea in romana este facuta dupa traducerea engleza a textului japonez... Cel mai probabil, a doua varianta... Sper ca va aparea o traducere adecvata (japoneza-romana) si atunci voi relua cu mare interes aceasta istorisire.

[Socrate]

— Iar tu, Heita, nu mai hoinări şi nu mai pierde timpul pe Shiokoji pe drumul de întoarcere, îl auzi Heita Kiyomori pe tatăl său, Tadamori, cum striga în urma lui, în timp ce el pornea în misiune. Simţise această voce urmărindu-l pas cu pas, tot drumul.
Îi era teamă de tatăl său; fiecare cuvânt părea să i se înfigă până în străfundurile minţii. Cu un an în urmă, în 1135, Kiyomori îl însoţise pentru prima oară pe tatăl său şi pe câţiva bărbaţi înarmaţi de la Kyoto la Shikoku, şi apoi la Kyushu, într-o expediţie împotriva piraţilor din Marea Interioară. Din luna aprilie a acelei primăveri şi până în august, îşi vânaseră prada; apoi, avându-i pe căpitanul piraţilor şi pe mai mult de treizeci dintre bandiţii lui prizonieri în lanţuri, se întorseseră triumfători în capitală, într-un marş al victoriei de care încă îşi aduceau aminte. Da, fără îndoială, tatăl lui era un erou, orice s-ar spune!
După asta, părerea lui Kiyomori despre tatăl său se schimbase. Şi teama faţă de el crescuse. De când era mic, Kiyomori crezuse că lenea e aceea care îl face pe tatăl său să se ferească de oameni, că îi lipseşte ambiţia, că nu are atâta minte ca să-şi vadă de treabă şi insista să rămână sărac din pură încăpăţânare. Oricum, nu acesta era tata, aşa cum îl văzuse el cu propriii lui ochi în copilărie, imaginea îi fusese sădită în minte de mama lui. De când îşi amintea, casa lor din Imadegawa, unul dintre cartierele sărăcăcioase ale oraşului, fusese o dărăpănătură murdară, acoperişurile găurite nu fuseseră reparate de peste zece ani; grădinile neîngrijite fuseseră năpădite de buruieni, iar casa, din ce în ce mai dărăpănată, fusese scena nesfârşitelor certuri dintre tata şi mama. Şi, în ciuda acestor neînţelegeri, li se năştea un copil după altul – Heita Kiyomori, cel mai mare; Tsunemori, al doilea fiu; apoi urmaseră al treilea şi chiar al patrulea. Lui Tadamori, îndatoririle de funcţionar al Palatului i se păreau de neîndurat; de aceea, nu făcea nici un efort pentru a apărea la Palat sau la sediul Gărzilor Imperiale decât dacă era chemat anume. Acum, singurele lui venituri veneau din recoltele moşiei lui din Isé, şi, exceptând câte un dar generos de la Palat, nu beneficia de nici una dintre îndemnizaţiile care i s-ar fi cuvenit datorită rangului.

[Books on Asia]

The opening words to the Tales of the Heike are known to every Japanese person:

"The temple bell echoes the impermanence of all things. The colors of the flowers testify to the truth that those who flourish must decay. Pride lasts but a little while, like a dream on a spring night. Before long the mighty are cast down and they are as dust before the wind."

The Heike Story is about the impermanence of things: love, power and life. This story, though written in the early 195o's, is an abridged version, or interpretation, of the much longer ancient tale. It's better to think of this book as a series of short stories that are all connected. With the frequent story breaks, plot and setting changes and revolving characters, it seems to hold together better as separate parts of a whole than trying to thread one long epic tale and attempt to hold readers' interest. I also enjoyed the focus on one hero, Kiyomori of the Heike, rather than a more encompassing story that would have involved multiple POV's and quickly become more confusing with so many rivals to be dealt with. By focusing on the rise and fall of Kiyomori of the Heike, we, almost by default, understand the Genji/Minamoto side.

The writing/translation is beautiful and each chapter (or story) begins and ends with poetic, seasonal references such as:

"The moon was rising over the Eastern Hills, and the waters of the Kamo River took on the sheen of pearls."

or

"The winter sea darkened slowly, taking on the indigo iridescence of fish scales as the sun dropped toward the horizon."

Anyone who loves Kyoto will appreciate this book for all its references: the Fifth Avenue Bridge, Shirakawa, Kiyomizu Temple, Ninnaji Temple, Rokuhara, Fushimi Shrine, Mt. Hiei, Rashomon Gate and many other locations will have much more meaning after reading this story. Anyone in Western Japan should also be interested in the stories that surround those parts, including the Seto Inland Sea.

I thought the translation was lovely, although I do wonder what "dancing girls" and "soccer" would have been in Japanese.

[John_booksboy]

Heike story atau dalam bahasa Jepang heike Monogatari merupakan buku yang mengisahkan perebutan kekuasaan yang terjadi di keluarga kekaisaran yang pada akhirnya melibatkan dua klan besar samurai yakni heike (Taira) dengan genji (minamoto) dan juga para biksu bersenjata dari gunung hiei dan Nara yang turut memperkeruh suasana. Buku ini juga tentunya mengisahkan Taira kiyomori seorang samurai yang dibenci oleh kaum bangsawan kelak menjadi orang yang berpengaruh di negerinya dan membuat kaum samurai menjadi setara dengan kaum bangsawan.

Bagian yang menarik menurut saya adalah pada halaman 241 ketika sebelum perang hogen pecah yakni saat genji tameyoshi dilema kepada siapa ia harus memihak? Kepada Mantan kaisar atau kepada kaisar?Jika memihak kepada mantan kaisar maka anaknya yoshitomo akan menjadi musuhnya begitupun ketika ia harus memihak kepada kaisar ia akan merasa bersalah karena tidak tahu terima kasih kepada pelindungnya sang menteri golongan kiri yorinaga. Benar benar keputusan yang sangat sulittt brodiii

Salah satu tokoh yang menurut saya menarik adalah mongaku si biksu yang kerap dianggap gila namun wejangannya cukup ciamik seperti
"kemenangan dan kekalahan hanyut bersama dalam arus deras kehidupan. Kemenangan adalah awal dari kekalahan, dan siapakah yang bisa beristirahat dengan tenang ditengah kemenangan? Tidak ada yang tetap dunia ini." Hlm.509
Dan biksu ini dulunya temen sekolah kiyomori yang sangat cerdas, namun karena sebuah tragedi yang membuatnya akhirnya menjadi biksu untuk menebus dosa yang bahkan sampai bertahun tahun ia berada di air terjun nachi yang ternyata hal itu belum bisa sepenuhnya menghilangkan rasa bersalahnya

secara keseluruhan buku ini menurut saya sangat cocok untuk yang ingin mengetahui bagaimana pergolakan yang terjadi di Jepang pada abad ke 12 terutama perseteruan antara klan Taira dan minamoto. Dan setelah membaca buku ini kita akan mengerti bahwasanya perang, cinta, dan maaf merupakan sebuah satu kesatuan yang tidak bisa dipisahkan.

[Cristi Ivan]

Too bad the author didn’t get to finish the story.

The retelling of the classic twelfth century Japanese tale, The Heike Story depicts the power struggles and feuds between the Taira (Heike) and Minamoto (Genji) clans. Retold in a more digestible way for modern and also Western audiences, Eiji Yoshikawa’s novel unfortunately doesn’t cover the downfall of the Taira clan. It may have been intended as a novel in at least two parts, but only the first part was completed.

Well, in this partial work, we follow the rise of the Taira clan, through Tadamori and especially his son, Kiyomori, helped by their participation on the winning side in the Hogen rebellion. Some part of the Minamoto clan fell during this rebellion, except some members that ruled remote lands far from the capital, and Yoshitomo that fought alongside the Emperor and Taira clan.

But, just three years later, when the former Emperor wanted to seize power and crown his son, the Fujiwara and Minamoto clans saw this as a chance to get rid of the Taira clan. They lost yet again, with several of the Minamoto clan members being beheaded. However, Yoshitomo’s youngest sons were shown mercy and were exiled to some monasteries. The novel ends with Yoshitomo’s sons now grown up and planning their revenge.

As for the book itself – the story is engaging, presenting the intricacies of the events leading up to the Genpei War and the beginning of the Kamakura Shogunate. One of Yoshikawa’s abilities is to breathe life into historical figures and events. While not as good as Musashi or Taiko, The Heike Story beautifully captures the spirit of feudal Japan, the meditation over the ephemeral nature of life and glory, and the inevitability of decline in such competitive and grandiose times. **** stars.

[Felipe Alfaro]

I’ve always been interested in the origins of Japan’s samurai culture. This epic story takes place in the latter half of the Heian Period and builds up to the Gempei War which resulted in the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate (幕府=bakufu).

The tale follows Taira no Kiyomori of the Heike Clan.
Although the original story in Japanese does not seem to have him as its main character, this abridged version mostly revolves around him as the central character.

Readers will enjoy the vivid and exciting accounts of the Hogen and Heiji Wars (1156 and 1160).

Other historical characters include Yoshitomo, Yoritomo and Yoshitsune (AKA Ushikawa) of the rival Minamoto clan.

Besides the burgeoning warrior class, I was pleased that this book covered the lifestyles and experiences of rival emperors and courtly nobles, dancing-girls (芸者=geisha), warrior monks (僧兵=souhei), musicians. Chinese visitors, women of all classes, and the common people (merchants/traders).

I was particularly interested in the insights gained from the stories about religion and women. Even peaceful religions such as Buddhism formed violent and corrupt sects, and women suffered greatly from male dominance and being forced into sex/entertainment work, even being kidnapped in childhood and held hostage in womanhood.

The conversations had by the many classes of people in ancient Japanese society reveal a lot about Japan’s past and present.

This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand Japanese history.

I only refrained from giving it four stars because it had many typos in it and was not the full story. I wish that the story would go on to tell about the Gempei War, rather than end just before it.

[Iris]

Young Heita of the Heike lives in poverty after his father, the samurai Tadanori, fell from grace at court. Not only that, the constant quarrelling between his parents often lead him to roam the streets of Kyoto. When Heita becomes a member of the guards at the palace, he takes on a new name – Kiyomori – and soon his talent as a leader shows itself, and he rises in ranks and status. This leads to discontent among the rival Genji clan, and they begin plotting against Kiyomori, even involving the Retired Emperor. Kiyomoro, however, manages to foil all the intrigues, executes or banishes the Genji and their followers and eventually becomes the Chief Councillor to the Emperor. But one act of mercy allows the remaining Genji to hold on to hope, and dark clouds are forming over the head of Kiyomori and the Heike…

The Heike Monogatari is the epic tale of the struggle for power between the houses of Genji and Heike that culminated in the Genpei Wars (1180 – 1185). Eiji Yoshikawa bases his own story on the old tradition and starts with the youth of Kiyomori and tells about the rise of the Heike until shortly before the war begins.

Historical novels, especially when the protagonist is a well-known historical figure, often have to grapple with long stretches of time when nothing much is happening or entire characters drop off the scene. This novel is no exception, and thus there are many parts that could have been shortened. It is a sad fact that strife and battle are so much more interesting to read about than the times of peace in between.

I don’t think this book is as good as his Musashi or Taiko, so only three stars here.

[Nicholas (was Allison)]

*4.54 Stars
Notes: This book is very lengthy - it is detailed in properly explaining what happens. There are longer than normal paragraphs in several chapters. I would advise caution to reading through this book unless someone actually feels okay.

I have been reading historical fiction for a long time. I had done historical research for several years after school. So, I waited for around a year to read this novel. Kiyomori was someone in history that I had known about in the past. How this version of his character arc was amazing to get to read through.

I could read through the storyline just fine. The long paragraphs explained stuff that was happening. There are Japanese culture references a lot in the novel. This is not light reading. I had previously read some other historical fiction related to Japan before in the past. So I could understand this novel just fine.

However - this book should really only be read through when someone is okay, past 25%. While the first few chapters have to be read through to understand, there are many different characters in this book. The character point of views can change sometimes.

I am not going to include too many spoilers in this review because I am really attached to this novel. I was trying to search for historical fiction that was not as known, that I could understand it okay enough. I just really enjoyed reading through so many detailed explanations on what was a really good novel.

[Jack Harrison-Quintana]

One of the most romantic things my husband and I do together is read out loud to one another. Every year, we try to tackle at least one long, serious book, and this year it was the Heikei Story.

It’s a funny book to try to review because we didn’t really read it because it would be equally enjoyable all the way through. We knew that it was famously extremely Japanese, even with translation and adaptation. The plot structure just isn’t very much like anything in western literature, although the themes are reminiscent of many texts from The War of the Roses to its descendants, A Song of Ice and Fire.

I wish I had a bit better of a handle on the portions of the Heike story that never made it into this English edition. I thought the editing worked well, even if it wasn’t the translator’s exact original intention. But when I heard the book only captured part of the original, I worried that the ending would be highly disappointing, and I am pleased to report it is not.

Overall, I’m so pleased to have become better acquainted with these crucial Japanese literary characters. I fully expect to be running into references to them all over, as I did before taking on the text and which originally led me here.