Shogun

Like many of you, I am watching Shogun on Hulu and enjoying every episode. In prep for the show, I went back and reread Shogun , the historical novel by James Clavell upon which the show is based.

While the show is terrific, the book does a far better job in showcasing the genius of Toranaga, the warlord who ultimately triumphs. He is a master of the human character. My Japanese samurai kick went into full gear and I searched for other books set in the Sengoku (waring states) period, 1467-1600.

The book I heartily recommend is Taiko , which covers the rise and fall of Oda Nobunaga but centers on the incredible story of Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi rises from his humble beginnings as a sandal bearer for Nobunaga to become the unifier and military ruler of Japan. It is the death of Hideyoshi that begins the material covered in the book and show Shogun. Toranaga is based on the historical figure of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The book is wonderful and delves into the battles, intrigues, minds, and tactics of rival warlords battling for control.

At the end of the book Taiko, the author Eiji Yoshikawa brilliantly sums up Hideyoshi's learnings from a life of constant challenge, danger, and action. I share his writing here as I loved every word.

The summit is believed to be the object of the climb. But its true object - the joy of living - is not in the peak itself, but in the adversities encountered along the way up. There are valleys, cliffs, streams, precipices, and slides, and as he walks these steep paths, the climber may think he cannot go any further, or even that dying would be better than going on. But then he resumes fighting the difficulties directly in front of him, and when he is finally able to turn and look back at what he has overcome, he finds he has truly experienced the joy of living while on life's very road. How boring would a life be lacking the confusions of many digressions or the difficult struggles! How soon would a man grow tired of living if he only walked peacefully along a level path. In the end, a man's life lies in a continuous series of hardships and struggles, and the pleasure of living is not in the short spaces of rest.