← Back
002255

Sanetomo, Minister of the RightAuthor: Dazai Osamu

Original Title右大臣実朝
Author太宰 治
GenreHistorical Fiction
Author TypeMale Author
SummaryIn the turbulent dawn of Kamakura-era Japan, a young shogun navigates a world of fragile alliances and simmering rebellion. Minamoto no Sanetomo, heir to a warrior dynasty, ascends power amid scars—both physical from a disfiguring illness and emotional from the weight of legacy. His court is a tapestry of contrasts: delicate poetry flourishes alongside martial rigor, while reverence for Kyoto’s imperial grace clashes with eastern warlords’ ambitions. Sanetomo’s introspective spirit finds solace in waka verses and ancient texts, yet shadows loom—a domineering mother’s influence, loyal vassals’ whispered discontent, and the ever-watchful presence of regents hungry for control. As earthquakes rattle the land and omens whisper of calamity, the shogun’s luminous intellect and unyielding devotion to tradition become both his armor and vulnerability. Behind serene rituals and moonlit banquets, political storms gather, threatening to unravel a reign balancing on the edge of blade and brush. Will his dreams of harmony withstand the tides of betrayal, or will the weight of prophecy crush Kamakura’s fleeting peace?