Chapter 23: If you could travel back in time, where and when would you go?

I have read many books about early Japan, starting with the Heian Period. The Heian period (794 – 1185 AD) is considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art, especially poetry and literature.

The Tale of Genji was written in 1008 by Murasaki Shikibu. It told about the daily life of the imperial family and other aristocrats. The story spanned four generations. It was a very difficult book to read with so many characters and the original book had many volumes with about 1300 pages.

Next, I read the Tale of the Heike. The main character is Taira no Kiyomori. Taira is the name of a clan and the Japanese kanji for Taira can be read as Heike. Kiyomori established the first samurai-controlled government. The story is about the struggle for power between the Taira (or Heike) and Minamoto (or Genji) clans in the late twelfth century. With the Taira's defeat in 1185 and the establishment of a new warrior government by the victorious Minamoto, the medieval age began.

My favorite story is Taiko. (A taiko was basically a ruler who governed in the name of the emperor.) The main character is Hideyoshi Toyotomi. He lived from 1536 to 1598. He was born into a peasant family. His father was a samurai but was crippled from battles. By chance, he met Oda Nobunaga and became his servant. He quickly rose to the position of general, but the other generals looked down on him because of his peasant background. Nobunaga was trying to unify the warlords. They had been fighting each other for about 100 years. When Nobunaga was assassinated, Hideyoshi quickly revenged his death by killing the assassin. He finished unifying the country. After his death, Tokugawa Ieyasu took control from Hideyoshi’s son and Tokugawa family controlled Japan from 1603 to 1868 when the American Black Ships arrived to open Japan.

Another great story was about Miyamoto Musashi. He was swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and ronin. (A ronin is a samurai who didn’t have a master.) His story was a very interesting read.

If I was given the chance to travel into the past, I would love to go back to these time periods. Of course, they would have to give me the ability to understand Japanese. I would like to see these famous people, but mostly, I would love to see how the common people lived. We take for granted simple things in life such as room heaters, washing machines for clothes, electric lights, etc., etc., etc. I would like to experience how they lived. I am sure that it would help me appreciate the things I have today.