Taira No Masakado

Being honest to a fault and trusting of others do not always end well. Masakado is a sixteen-year-old orphan when his uncles send him to the capital city to study and become a civilized man capable of leading his powerful and wealthy clan. The country boy from a frontier province gets his first lesson the moment he steps foot in the city. After a long time away, he returns home to his younger brothers and family estate to build a better life for all. But his brothers grew up to be meek and cowardly young men, and his uncles had picked his inheritance clean. Masakado asks his uncles to return what is his. Their response is a beating. Next, he appeals to the government. Unfortunately, the superstitious elite class in the government worry only about themselves and the pirates in the southern seas. In time, this family squabble explodes into war. This rebellion went down in history as one of the greatest threats to Japan's central government. The great Japanese historical novelist Eiji Yoshikawa tells this story of a life of loyalty, insurgency, compassion, treachery, and love. Buy Taira no Masakado now to read this telling of the life of the warrior rebel.