| NOTA |
(★)"Taiheiki[太平記]" 1.This celebrated literary classic, important chapters of which are here translated into English for the first time, has delighted generations of Japanese. In its pages, the Western reader will find a vivid contemporary description of the fourteenth-century intrigues and battles that led to the destruction of the Hoojoo family, the military overlords of the nation, and made it possible for the Emperor Go-Daigo [1288-1339], one of Japan´s most remarkable sovereigns, to reassert the power of the throne. Go-Daigo´s first hesitant attempts to overthrow the Hoojoo, the early defeats suffered by his handful of partisans, his deposition and exile, the legendary exploits of the great Kusunoki Masashige and others of his generals, the growing strength of his arms, and his ultimate return to the throne -all are recounted in engrossing detail. The book´s anonymous authors diversify their narrative through skillful use of the rich tresure house of the Chinese dynastic histories, the verse of the Six Dynasties and T´ang, and the Confucian teachings underlying the stern warrior code of loyalty and filial piety. As befits monkish chroniclers, they write with a deep sense of the inevitability of karma-determined fate and the evanescence of man and his works, but the virile spirit of the age is vigorously reflected in their praise of valor and military prowess, their taste for descriptions of the panoply of war, and their frequent irreverent asides. Dr. McCullough´s introduction and notes supply a historical frame of reference, evaluate the significance of events, and explain obscure customs and usages. Excellent illustrations further illuminate the culture of a crucial epoch in Japanese history. 2.Dr. McCullough is an Orientalist. She received her doctoral degree from the University of California and studied at Tokyo University on a Fulbright grant. Her present major interest is a study of the ´Ookagami [Great Mirror]´, a historical tale dating from the late eleventh or early twelfth century.) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
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