It took me a solid two months, but I recently finished reading the truly epic "Taiko" by Eiji Yoshikawa. I had previously only read "Musashi" from among his works, which I absolutely adored. "Taiko" tells the true story of Hideyoshi, starting from his youth through his rise in power and influence under Oda Nobunaga and, ultimately, after Nobunaga's assassination, his further rise in power and influence all the way up to his appointment as Taiko by the imperial court.
I ordered a hardcover copy of this book from Amazon some time ago. I held onto it for years before getting to it, which I frequently do with books. I was in the mood for a story like this and a lengthy book at that so dove in a couple of months ago.
When reading about the book, I learned that not much was known about Hideyoshi's youth and that much of that in Yoshikawa's account was speculative. Once he began serving Nobunaga, what is known about Hideyoshi has more historical weight. The youth side of his tale was a great read, but I was naturally drawn more to the parts of the book that portrayed what had actually happened. Fortunately for me, the speculative section of the book only spanned about a hundred pages of the book's more than nine hundred pages.
Hideyoshi was an interesting character and, although his traits remained consistent throughout the book, it was fun to watch him develop as a character as the events of the story unfolded. He had a tenacity and assertiveness that was not generally found among those that were born into his class. He also approached obstacles with an ingenuity and creativity that was both admirable and extremely effective. He went from selling needles in the street to serving Nobunaga - initially as a sandal bearer, but ultimately as a samurai and lord of his own castle and troops. By the end of the book, he was in command of 150,000 troops and expansive areas of Japan.
I wanted to share a quote real quick...a reflection of Hideyoshi's...that I feel describes his life journey quite well. "'There's Mount Bodai,' Hideyoshi muttered. Looking at the mountain he remembered its lord, Takenaka Hanbei, the hermit of Mount Kurihara. When he reflected on it now, he was thankful that he had not spent a single day in idleness during that short springtime of life. The reverses of his youth and the struggles of that time had made him what he was today, and he felt that he had actually been blessed by that dark world and the muddy currents of its streets."
And just one more even quicker quote: "'It's interesting, isn't it? Being in the world.'"
Hideyoshi's relationship with Nobunaga was fun to read about. Hideyoshi worked for him through many different roles and situations and always devoted himself fully to what had been put before him to do. He was ambitious in that he wanted personal successes but subordinated much of his ambition to Nobunaga's. Once Nobunaga was assassinated, it naturally led to a significant pivot in Hideyoshi's perspective and behavior. He was still the same Hideyoshi but was not subordinating his ambition to another's any longer. It mattered and was amazing to follow.
"Taiko" is beautifully written and, invokes a wide range of emotions throughout its reading. This is a phenomenal book and I'm very glad to have read it finally.
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