Samurai Rising

this is a great book detailing the life of the samurai. easily accessible by all

This well-researched book will especially be treasured by readers with a passion for samurais and Japanese history. With much detail, the author describes people, places and events pertaining to the life of the greatest samurai in Japanese history: Minamoto Yoshitsune. While the art was not completed yet in this ARC, I imagine it to bring extra appeal to this biography. Due to the content and nature of the topic, including the description of many battles, I would recommend this book to older readers.

Ever want to know more about samurais and what their way of life was really like? Then this is the book for you! This one has lots of information about samurai training and the way of life in Japan during the time the samurais were important.

A bloody good history lesson for kids who don’t usually love the subject.

(Full disclosure: I received a free electronic ARC for review through NetGalley.)

Minamoto Yoshitsune should not have been a samurai. But his story is legend in this real-life GAME OF THRONES.

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.

(Synopsis via Goodreads.)

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So this is a first: I do not remember requesting an ARC of this book. I suspect the wishbone button is at play here but, since NetGalley doesn’t have a way of tracking wishes, who knows? It was a stressful summer and fall, and I may have done all sorts of crazy things on the internet that I don’t remember.

Which is my roundabout way of saying that, despite the abundance of katanas and severed heads, SAMURAI RISING isn’t the sort of book I normally gravitate to. I don’t read a ton of middle grade, and military history mostly bores me to tears. (I’d call SAMURAI RISING equal parts biography and military history/strategy. But since Yoshitsune is mostly known for his inspired military leadership, that tips the scales more heavily toward the latter.) Though I did skim some of the more strategy-heavy battle scenes (the lack of maps in the ARC made them even more difficult for me to envision), overall I was pleasantly surprised: SAMURAI RISING is a rather engaging read.

Rife with political intrigue, shifting loyalties, and back-stabbing, SAMURAI RISING often reads like a centuries-old soap opera. Danger comes not just from rival samurai bloodlines (such as the warring Minamoto and Taira clans that take center stage here), but from within one’s own family as well: nephews are hired to assassinate their uncles, brothers betray brothers, and parents may murder their own children to (re)claim power. Ironically, among Yoshitsune’s small band of closest friends, there was not a single Minamoto to be found; and, despite all he did to help his half-brother Yoritomo ascend to power, Yoshitsune was cast aside – similar to how the Emperor treated their father decades before.

Yoshitsune’s is the ultimate underdog story. After his father’s defeat, then-baby Yoshitsune’s life was spared, but on the condition that he be raised as a monk, far away from the politics of Kyoto. Consequently, he didn’t begin his samurai training until he was fifteen, when he fled his impending religious vows and the life of tedium and anonymity they promised. By comparison, most samurai were finishing up a decade’s worth of training at this age and would be considered war-ready, or nearly so. Likewise, as a member of the opposition force, Yoshitsune often fought with smaller armies and in disadvantageous conditions – such as the famed cliffside attack on the Taira fortress at Ichi-no-Tani. Yet he always managed to rally his men to victory.

(Until he didn’t. If you’re already familiar with Japanese history, you probably know how Yoshitsune’s story ends. I’m not, and it came as a huge surprise. Nearly 40% of this book is comprised of back matter, a fact not immediately obvious in the ARC owing to the lack of a TOC. Thus I didn’t realize I’d reached the end until the last page. To say that I didn’t see it coming is an understatement.)

Even so, it’s disconcerting to see Yoshitsune positioned as the unequivocal hero. In their quest for power and riches, the samurai and monarchy consistently trample on those belonging to lower social classes. As they rampaged across the countryside, samurai ransacked homes, stole food and livestock to feed their armies, and kidnapped peasants to serve them – all while demanding taxes to fund a lifestyle at turns lavish and bloodthirsty. Turner reports that Yoshitsune was a little more humane than most, yet this didn’t stop him from setting fire to trees, fields – and even the homes of commoners – in order to light a midnight attack on the Taira:

“For a warrior Yoshitsune was unusually civilized in his dealings with common people. He made sure that his warriors behaved well in Kyoto – no thievery or bullying happened on his watch. Yet he remained a samurai. Samurai didn’t see themselves as protectors of the common people; a peasant had no more “rights” than an ox. So the fires were lit.”

Meticulously researched, Turner bases much of her narrative on two sources: THE TALE OF THE HEIKE, as translated by Helen McCullough and Royall Tyler, and the AZUMA KAGAMI (MIRROR OF EASTERN JAPAN). Yoshitsune “is clearly one of the HEIKIE’S heroes,” which could also explain the bias. That, and no one wants to root for Goliath.

Given the age and general sketchiness of the original texts, it’s no surprise that Turner’s retelling sometimes lacks depth and emotion; centuries dead and buried, their voices gone with them, Turner is often left to speculate about her subjects’ motivations, feelings, and innermost desires. What we’re left with is the who, what, when, and where, but the whys are a little harder to come by.

In this vein, women are predictably absent from the story – save for Yoshitsune’s lover Shizuka, who’s an all-around bad-ass. (Turner describes her as the bravest character in the whole darn book, and I’d be hard-pressed to disagree.) In her copious Author’s Notes, Turner includes a section on the status of women, which I appreciate; but I would’ve liked to have learned even more about Yoritomo’s widow, Hōjō Masako, who had her own son Yoriie strangled in order to prevent him allying with political factions she opposed. As Turner so wryly points out:

Minamoto rule of Japan ended on this fratricidal note. In Yoritomo had left a strong and loyal brother alive to protect his heirs, would history have turned out differently? [...]

“The Hōjō family was – wait for it! – a minor branch of the Taira.”

Still, SAMURAI RISING is an excellent choice for kids who aren’t too keen on history – but might be swayed with a little action and bloodshed.

Any history teacher know how hard it is to get kids interested in reading about history, Pamela Turner has changed that with this story of Minamoto Yoshitsune. For those students that tell you history is boring, hand them a copy of this book.

I'd classify this one as creative nonfiction, a biography that's styled a little more like a novel. Turner is very careful to clarify supposition and assumption from fact. We see phrases like "we can assume", "probably", and "Yoshitsune would have". Not as dry as your typical biography but not as engaging as a novel.

Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune by Pamela S. Turner is a children's nonfiction but it is written so well that it could be for anyone at all. I learned so much and didn't feel it was talking down to me. Through this book you could feel the social life, the strange customs, and the barbaric life it was back then. The role of the warrior and power and family was very powerful things. This books takes you into the background that leads up to Yoshitsune being a samurai, his childhood and on. Very wonderful work! Thanks NetGalley for suggesting this book! Truly an amazing book!

I try to read at least one non-fiction a year. The last few years it was whatever Steve Sheinkin published, but this year I decided to branch out. This book has been getting a lot of buzz in the library world, even Newbery worthy buzz. I can certainly see the appeal, especially to history buffs. It is well written and extremely well researched. In fact, her notes and citations are almost as long as the actual book, and some of the notes are more interesting than the story. There is a short section on women during that time period which was very interesting. Writing about a time period that is so long ago can be tricky. It is hard to separate fact from fiction, but this author really went out of her way to try to find the facts and tell it in an interesting way. The illustrations really enhance the story as well. I find it hard to believe that they wore all that elaborate armor when they went to war, I always thought it was ceremonial, but apparently not. The author has a great website that has videos of people performing fighting techniques used by the Samurai, as well as photos of their armor and other things about the Japanese culture during the Samurai era. If you click on the book cover it will take you there. Even though it is aimed at 4th grade and up, I would lean more towards older kids, unless they are really into history.

Many years ago in a land faraway, a baby was born. His father went to war and never came back. The new ruler intended to kill the sons of the defeated Samurai but the mother was very pretty. He sends the boys to the monks in the hills to care for them. Later he will be sorry he did that. That baby might not even remember his father but he still has his proud heart and his will to succeed and put down his enemies.

Charlesbridge and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published on the 2nd of February.

Set in medieval Japan, this story is fiction based on fact. That makes it much more readable and makes you care about the characters within. This is for young readers but it also has a lot of violence in it. Don't give it a child who will be upset by beheadings or killings in general.

It's a fascinating look at the politics in this era. The Emperor was like a god. He chose which of his Samurai he would reward and gave them land to use for harvests and even let some of them keep part of the taxes he charged the other residents. However, when the Samurai under him start fighting with each other he moves some place safe and waits to see how it turns out.

There are constant wars there. People get slighted, people get disappointed, people don't agree. Then the person that made them feel that way suddenly gets dead. That usually creates another enemy.

The baby grows up and learns a bit about being a Samurai but he's still a young man when he goes to fight. He's also not welcome. One of his worst enemies is his half-brother and he has more than one.

Yoshitsune is a fine tactician but he has no people skills. He does wondrous things in the field and ensures more than one battle ends in his half-brother's favor but he doesn't get the rewards he wanted and he's angry about that.

There's no happy ending for anyone in this story. It's life and sometimes happy doesn't happen. One thing I know, when you read this story, you'll be glad you're alive now...

Don't cast it aside for the 7th grade and up comments. This book has beheadings galore and wile violent gives great historical insights into the country that went from producing the greatest warriors to the greatest cars. I enjoyed it.

A great book! Fun, vivid, exciting look into a world foreign to us.

Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Yoshitsune's only assets were brains, ambition, and a dream. But childhood dreams can change history."

I absolutely adore books where I learn something new about history. This does not disappoint in bringing to life a charismatic, intriguing character and shining a light on the rise of samurai as political figures in Japan. The style of writing is somewhere between middle grade and YA so expect a simplified prose with plenty of modern similes and metaphors. I was also struck by the wearying nature of political and actual battles of the time period - the dizzying amount of bloodshed and disloyalty to family had my head spinning. Meticulously researched (the notes were almost as long as the book), the author's love and fascination for this time period and subject matter leap off the pages. I can only imagine how challenging it must be to write about a figure and time period where very little in the way of a written record exists but I could have done with a slightly less amount of "probably" and "it is said" conjecture.

Favorite quote: "'Every mother, high or low, wanders in darkness for love of her children ....'"

I found the rise of the samurai interesting in history, they really took over Japan and even outranked the emperor during their reign. They were a part of history I think little has been written about for children. This was a pretty good intro to them. Yes it's bloody, but that's the way things were. American history isn't much prettier. The story of Minamoto Yoshitsune is well told and interesting. I think some kids will find it a very good biography.

I love when non-fiction reads like fiction - it's so enjoyable and you learn so much! This book brings to life not only Minamoto Yoshitsune, but also the samurai way of life during the 12th century. It wasn't necessarily something I thought I would enjoy, but I really ended up liking it!

I appreciate the well-researched and highly readable introduction to Yoshitomo and his story. I have recommended and will continue to recommend this to my students.