Rating: 
Summary: Vastly entertaining and instructive
Review: I have lived in Japan for more than 15 years, and my Japanese is fluent, but I've always regretted my inability to understand the period dramas on TV, because of a lack of historical knowledge. Taiko has done a lot to rectify that situation, but despite its length I found myself wanting more. At the end of the book, Hideyoshi has 12 years to live, and then Ieyasu takes over. But how does this happen? I hear that Yoshikawa has written a book about Ieyasu, too, but I can't trace it. I'd buy anything by this author.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational and excellent book
Review: I have only seen this book available in one place in Australia, and when I saw it, I had to buy it. I bought it two years ago when I was 16, and I have read it twice. It is a fantastic book, which has a vast array of characters and events which makes you want to keep reading it. I am now searching for "Musashi" by the same author, and I may get it here
Rating: 
Summary: good read, but too one-sided
Review: I have read the Three Kingdoms also a historical fiction about war lords in East Asia. I really enjoyed that novel, then I heard that Taiko is like the Three Kingdoms of Japan, so I picked it up. I liked this novel also, but the sense of scale is in this novel is much smaller, like Nobunaga is fearing an army of 40,000 men from Yoshimoto, a similiar decisive battle in Three Kingdoms, the battle at red cliffs, the Wei had an army of 1,000,000 men. Also, I was told this is about ancient japan, it isn't really that ancient, considering, at the time the events of the Taiko took place, that was around when the novel Three Kingdoms were first published, written about events took place around 2000 years ago. One positive thing is that, since Taiko focuses on much fewer characters, it has more detailed character developement. I also think it is strange that given Hideyoshi's childhood was so horrible because of the war, he decides to join the army to advocate war rather than peace. The novel also feels incomplete, because it tries very hard to portray Hideyoshi in positive light, and the author didn't show the later stages when Hideyoshi's ambitions started his unprovoked war on Korea and China, and lost miserably. That makes me feel the novel is bit too one-sided.
Rating:
Summary: As has been said before: a great book!
Review: I honestly cannot add much to the comments that have been made before; this book is a great read.Whether it is better than Yoshikawa's "Musashi", is difficult to say. I read "Musashi" first and did like it better, but that is just personal preference. I think you should simply read both books, because they both shed a light on two different (philosophical) ways of leading your life: concentrating totally on yourself and in that way making the world a better place ("Musashi"); or dedicating your life to greater goals and to the well-being of as many people as possible ("Taiko"). Whenever I read a good book, it usually raises my interest in things related to the subject. In "Taiko", I did develop an interest for Oda Nobunaga. And for those of you who feel the same way and who want to find out more about the life of Nobunaga, I can wholeheartedly recommend the following book: Jeroen P. Lamers, "Japonius Tyrannus - The Japanese Warlord Oda Nobunaga Reconsidered", Hotei Publishing. Don't be put off by the relatively high price: it is worth every penny!
Rating:
Summary: It was too hard to put this book down!
Review: I loved it. I didn't think I would like it but my husband(who is a great fan of Japanese lit) always picked it up at every opportunity. I started to read it and I couldn't stop. Not really a good thing with a book with 900+ pages! The language the author used was wonderful. The translater did a wonderful job of keeping the spirit and intent of Yoshikawa intact. Reading this, I felt like I was right there with Hideyoshi as he met and then fought beside Nobunaga. My only disapointment was when the book ended. Like so many works from Japan, it seemed to just stop, leaving me hungary for more. Yoshikawa indeed did an excellent job of making a sometimes dry subject become completely alive. I originally purchased this for my husband for Christmas. I read it and it is one present I know he enjoyed over and over, every time he turned the page. If you are or know someone who likes to read about history or Japan, buy this book!
Rating:
Summary: Better than Musashi!!!
Review: I've read this book three times. Every time I need inspiration, I read about the man who unified Japan, employed the tactics of management to military ends, and who detested the tedium of hand-to-hand combat.
This book is a must read for any young person with ambition, or a desire to glimpse the strong personality who shaped Japan.
Rating:
Summary: Addendum to Kirkus review
Review: In the Kirkus review, young Hiyoshi becomes Hiyoshita ("Hiyoshi, now Hiyoshita"). The new name was actually "Kinoshita". Upon avenging his late mentor's death, Kinoshita changed his name once more to "Hideyoshi", the historically familiar name of this real-life character, whom the book was modeled after. Thank you for your attention.
Rating:
Summary: The Age of War
Review: In the middle of the sixteenth century, Japan is sunk again in the turmoil of civil war, as the weak Ashikaga Shogunate is no longer able to keep the order. The most powerful clans are willing to take control over the country, reach the capital, Kyoto, and thus gain the favour of the Emperor: the Imagawa of Suruga, the Takeda of Kai, the Uesugi of Echigo and the Hojo of the Kanto.
Within this turbulent period, "Taiko" narrates the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, "Monkey", as he was called since he was a child; the man who, born in poverty in an ashigaru's family, would become the most powerful man in Japan, accomplishing the dream of unification of his master, Oda Nobunaga, lord of Owari and head of the Oda Clan. Together with Tokugawa Ieyasu, lord of Mikawa, they will complete step by step the process of unification which is only to end with the appointment of Tokugawa Ieyasu as Shogun by the Emperor in 1603 and the restoration of the Shogunate administration, the Bakufu. "Taiko" is mainly a succession of epic feats, battles and military campaigns described indeed with the vividness of a Kurosawa film, but it is also a rich depiction of samurai's way of life, the Bushido, their sense of honour, their households, etiquette and ceremony, like the tea ceremony or the ritual suicide (seppuku).
This process of unification begins with the astounding defeat of Imagawa Yoshimoto on his way towards Kyoto by Oda Nobunaga in the battle of Okehazama (1560), to continue with the expansion of the Oda Clan through Central Japan, the defeat of the Saito and subsequent conquest of Mino; the defeat of the Asai of Omi and Asakura of Echizen in the battle of Anegawa (1570); the crush of the warrior monks and the destruction of its holy sanctuary of Mount Hiei; the beginning of the end of the House of Takeda after the battle of Nagashino (1575), until the campaign that Hideyoshi commanded against the powerful Mori Clan of the Western provinces in the early 1580s. Hideyoshi died in 1598, two years before the famous battle of Sekigahara, upon which, his former ally, Tokugawa Ieyasu, won the Shogunate. However, already in 1585 Hideyoshy had been appointed Kampaku (Regent) by the Emperor, and Dajo-daijin (Chancellor) a year after. The appellation of Taiko is that used by a Regent on retiring from office.
"Taiko" is the very best novel of Japan's Sengoku, absorbing in its reading as if one was actually living in those feudal times.
Rating:
Summary: The era of the country at war, explained
Review: It is a pity that the English edition is abridged, but the original length might be too much for western readers. I loved every sentence, every page. The ilustration of Japanese life, from the first page, through the last is vivid, accurate and enlightening.
As a history buff I may be biased, but if you want an entertainig summary of the period between the fall of the Ashikaga shogunate, and the rise of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
If you read "The art of War", or the "Book of five rings", then get this book to see the "Art" in action.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable read for lovers of historical fiction
Review: Taiko was my second book by Eiji Yoshikawa. I loved his first book, Musashi! This book, Taiko, is a fictionalised account of life of one of three great unifiers of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi was born into the family of poor samurai who decided to become a farmer after suffering a heavy injury. In his childhood, due to his appearance, peers often mocked Hideyoshi calling him "the Monkey". This nickname well reflected the attitude of people towards Hideyoshi would stick with him whole his life. Having engaged in a lot of adventures in process of seeking a good lord to serve, Hideyoshi returned to his home province of Owari and entered the service to Oda Nobunaga.* The book gives a vivid picture of Hideyoshi's rise of the position of one of the most trusted Oda's generals at the same time showing utterly human sides of Hideyoshi, his friendships, love for a woman and respect for the mother. I had two closely interconnected reasons to give this book only three stars. First, throughout the book I had permanent feeling that the author bent actual history to a substantial extent. Some of the scenes, e.g. scenes of recruitment of some vassals, do not sound convincing. They give just too much undue credit to the persuasive and managerial skills of Hideyoshi having left out a lot of historical context which either turned out to be a sheer luck for Hideyoshi or was masterfully exploited by him. I was always left with a suspicion that the actual history of an event described in the book would be more complicated and the author just had not made his homework. The second star was cut off because throughout the book I had a feeling that the author tries hard to be politically correct. You just see that Hideyoshi and Oda are always credited with some kind of "national vision" attracting" the flock of followers. I would not probably object to the idea of "national vision" in itself, but not to such high degree that it would be visible to everybody at a great distance. I just immediately saw the desire of the author to credit a Sengoku era daimyo and samurai with the ideas of imperial restoration, which did not take place until late nineteenth century. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book about times of glory - it is easy and enjoyable to read. *House of Oda was a not particularly remarkable mid-level Sengoku Daimyo having risen through ranks of more senior warrior houses in those turbulent ages (Eiji Yoshikawa does not give an account of Oda's life, this is from other sources). Being squeezed among many formidable enemies including warrior monks of Mount Hiei, Imagawa of Suruga, Takeda of Kai, Asai of Omi and others, Oda managed to subdue them all. His spectacular victory in the battle of Okazaki propelled Nobunaga to the top ranks of regional daimyos. From this position he would unify most of Japan paving the road to Hideyoshi's rise to the title of Taiko, the undisputed ruler of Japan.
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