Samurai rising : the epic life of Minamoto Yoshitsune

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Where to find it

Information & Library Science Library — Juvenile

Call Number
J92 Minamoto
Status
Available

Authors, etc.

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Summary

This epic tale of warriors and bravery, rebellion and revenge, reads like a novel, but this is the true story of the greatest samurai in Japanese history.

When Yoshitsune was just a baby, his father went to war with a rival samurai family-and lost. His father was killed, his mother captured, and his brothers sent away. Yoshitsune was raised in his enemy's household until he was sent away to live in a monastery. He grew up skinny and small. Not the warrior type. But he did inherit his family pride and when the time came for the Minamoto to rise up against their enemy once again, Yoshitsune was there. His daring feats, such as storming a fortress by riding on horseback down the side of a cliff and his glorious victory at sea, secured Yoshitsune's place in history and his story is still being told centuries later.

Contents

  • Characters and Places p. vii
  • Map of Japan p. x
  • Introduction p. xiii
  • 1 Disaster in Kyoto-Kyoto, 1160 p. 1
  • 2 Headless Ghosts-Kurama, 1160-1174 p. 9
  • 3 Samurai Boot Camp-Hiraizumi, 1174-1180 p. 17
  • 4 Brothers-in-Arms-Kamakura, 1180-1184 p. 31
  • 5 Perilous River-Kyoto, 1184 p. 47
  • Map of the Battle of Uji River p. 49
  • 6 Midnight Strike-Ichi-No-Tani, 1184 p. 57
  • Map of the Battle of Iohi-No-Tant p. 59
  • 7 Hooves Like Hailstones-Ichi-No-Tani, 1184 p. 69
  • 8 Into the Storm-Kyoto, Shikoku, and Yashima, 1184-1185 p. 77
  • Map of the Battle of Yashima p. 85
  • 9 The Dropped Bow-Yashima, 1185 p. 93
  • 10 The Drowned Sword-Dan-No-Ura, 1185 p. 101
  • Map of the Battle of Dan-No-Ura p. 104
  • 11 Assassins in the Dark-Dan-No-Ura, Kyoto, and Koshigoe, 1185 p. 111
  • 12 Shizuka's Song-Kyoto, Kamakura, and the Yoshino Mountains, 1185-1186 p. 125
  • 13 The Fugitive-Locations Unknown, 1185-1187 p. 137
  • 14 Feast of Arrows-Hiraizumi, 1187-1189 p. 147
  • Epilogue: The Samurai Weeps p. 157
  • Acknowledgments p. 164
  • Author's Notes p. 166
  • A Note on Names p. 166
  • A Note on Dates p. 167
  • A Note on the Status of Women p. 167
  • Re-creating Yoshitsune's World p. 169
  • Time Lines p. 174
  • Yoshitsune and the Wider World p. 174
  • Major Periods of Japanese History p. 175
  • Time Line of Samurai Rising p. 176
  • Glossary of Japanese Words p. 178
  • Chapter Notes p. 179
  • Bibliography p. 225
  • Index p. 232

Sample chapter

Few warriors are as famous as the Japanese samurai. We rememberthose beautiful swords and those fearsome helmets. Werecall, with both horror and fascination, how some chose to endtheir own lives. But no one can understand the Japanese samuraiwithout knowing Minamoto Yoshitsune.Yoshitsune's story unfolds in the late twelfth century,during the adolescence of the samurai. Yes, cultures have theiryouth, maturity, and old age, just as people do. During Yoshitsune'slifetime the samurai awakened. Their culture was bold,rebellious, and eager to flex its muscle. The samurai would ultimatelydestroy Japan's old way of life and forge a new oneusing fire and steel and pain.Yoshitsune was at the very heart of this samurai rising.Hostage, runaway, fugitive, rebel, and hero, he became themost famous warrior in Japanese history. The reason is simple:Yoshitsune was the kind of man other samurai longed to be. Excerpted from Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune by Pamela S. Turner All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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