Heike's translation isn't as stong as Taiko or Musashi, however. The English translation actually came out before Yoshikawa had finished the Japanese version, so it is definitely not a complete translation, but that's OK, as it ends in a good spot. It is a well-known story in Japan, but Yoshikawa gives it a compelling twist by telling it from the point-of-view of its traditional villain (for that reason, the Japanese title literally translates to NEW Heike Story). If you have to read anything first, The Heike Story is another good starting place. And while Yoshikawa remained amazingly consistent in the characters and subplots, no small feat for a story this size, some characters are dropped with no explanation (Musashi's sister), and he does have to do some backtracking at times when a certain detail from Musashi's past becomes important, but Yoshikawa had neglected to include it in earlier installments, so he has to elude to an episode that didn't happen in the book. This would have been less obvious to an audience reading it piece-by-piece in a newspaper than reading it consolidated in novel form with the ability to flip back. The book contains a few too many coincidences to completely suspend disbelief. Keep in mind both were serialized, and there are some problems in that format, which are more evident in Musashi. Taiko was highly edited from the Japanese original, which was sprawling and had a lot more subplots and minor characters than the better-focused English translation. I found it more epic and the translation was stronger. I personally enjoyed Taiko the most, and would recommend that if you had to choose only one of them. Both are stand-alone novels, however, and can be read, understood and enjoyed in any order. Musashi appears to have been written earlier, but the preceding historical events would have been well-known to its Japanese audience, whereas foreigners might feel lost without the context. Musashi appears to have been written earlier, but theā¦more I'd recommend Taiko first, as historically the events in Musashi follow those in Taiko. Dustin Dye I'd recommend Taiko first, as historically the events in Musashi follow those in Taiko.
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