Samurai Rising

Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune (2016) by American author Pamela S. Turner and illustrated by Gareth Hinds is a historical biography that follows the life of a famous 12th-century samurai who was instrumental in influencing the samurai order that ruled Japan for seven centuries. The work was praised for its thorough research and wealth of notes and timelines that help the reader understand a bygone era. Though Samurai Rising reads like a novel, it is entirely nonfiction. It won the 2017 American Library Association prize for excellence in nonfiction for young adults.

Its salient themes include war, honor, and betrayal. The introduction states that very few of the characters in this narrative died of natural causes.

Samurai Rising opens with a description of the home life of “Minamoto no Yoshitsune”: from infancy onward, his life was all about war. In the mid-12th century, the rules of war did not spare women and children, and it was common for even emperors to be held hostage or their children to be killed without hesitation.



Yoshitsune’s father (whose name is not known) was a respected samurai and a leader of the Minamoto clan. But then he kidnapped one of Japan’s old emperors (whose name was Go-Shirakawa) after the man insulted him by giving more riches to a rival samurai leader, Taira Kiyomori.

The father would soon be apprehended and beheaded for his treason. Yoshitsune’s mother was sent to a brothel, and his older half-brother, Minamoto Yoritomo, was exiled to an inhospitable island far from mainland Japan. Go-Shirakawa would remain alive, but would have to answer to Taira Kiyomori, who in essence was the ruler of Japan.

Yoshitsune was five at the time of his father’s death and mother’s banishment. The samurai, ruled by a code of community and honor, chose to place the young boy in a Buddhist monastery rather than killing him for his father’s misdeeds. As he grows up with monks, Yoshitsune seems like he’s destined to remain there. He is small in stature, has crooked teeth, and is exceedingly skinny.



As an adolescent, Yoshitsune yearns to become a samurai. Yoshitsune comes of age in the late twelfth century. At 15, he decides to run away from the monastery. He meets an old family friend, who helps him become a fully trained samurai. Yoshitsune proves to be a natural at handling the sword and bow.

While Yoshitsune is training, Yoritomo is gathering forces to lead a rebellion against the Taira. He faces stiff resistance as many of the Minamoto families have since become allies with the Taira, and few see the need for war. But once Yoritomo promises samurai and civil servants’ better jobs under his governorship, they agree to launch the coup d’état. The future conflict would become known as the Samurai Civil War (1180-1185)

When he learns that his step-brother Yoritomo is leading a rebelling with other Minamoto samurai, Yoshitsune can’t wait to join. As is custom, he blackens his teeth like other warriors and gets ready to cause mayhem.



Fueled by his need for justice against Kiyormi, Yoshitsune uses his considerable intellect and courage to pull of amazing campaign feats that will lead the Minamoto to victory over the ruling Taira clan.

Yoshitsune is not above cruelty for cruelty’s sake. While riding through Taira territory, he helps start fires to houses of innocent civilians. But before he can extract revenge on Kiyomori, the older man dies from a disease.

Despite the sane counsel of various figures, Yoshitsune decides to lay siege to Ichi-No-Tani, a fortress in the cliffs that is widely regarded as impenetrable. He and his forces enter the fortress through a vulnerable area in the mountains, which surprises all of the Taira guards, who run away from the invaders. With Ichi-No-Tani taken, Minamoto forces quickly seize vital river posts, then Kyoto, thus securing all of eastern Japan.



At this point, half of Japan loves Yoshitsune for his liberation; the other half hates him for disposing of their beloved rulers. Yoshitsune starts having a satisfying life in Kyoto, where he was born.

In 1185, Yoshitsune and Yoritomo decide to take over western Japan as well. After several skirmishes, the ultimate battle happens at Dan-no-Ura. Despite the Taira’s superior naval force, the Minamoto win the sea battle thanks to the military intelligence of Yoshitsune and their guerilla tactics.

In the end, it’s Yoshitsune’s own family that proves to be his downfall. A jealous Yoritomo leads a secret group to overthrow Yoshitsune. He also starts rumors about Yoshitsune’s ability as a leader. Yoritomo eventually gets more support, and a fleeing Yoshitsune is about to die with his group of followers. Instead of being murdered by another’s hand, Yoshitsune commits seppuku, the ritual where a samurai, having lost a battle or disgraced himself for other reasons, voluntarily stabs himself in the stomach then twirls the blade around his insides until he dies in terrible pain. It is likely that his wife and child were murdered while in Yoritomo’s custody.



Yoshitsune had an immense influence on samurai culture for nearly 700 years, until 1876, when the Meiji empire banned samurai from carrying swords. He remains a popular figure throughout the world, especially in manga.