The Revenge of the Soga Brothers (Soga Monogatari)

The Tale of the Soga, a.k.a. the Soga Monogatari, is a medieval tale of Japanese revenge set at the beginning of Japan’s first period of samurai rule: the Kamakura Period (1192-1333). Join me as I explore the background of this tale, narrate the story itself, and showcase a small portion of the wealth of pre-modern and early modern images depicting it.
Support the channel with a t-shirt purchase: buyuuden-japanese-history.cre...
Translation of the full story into modern Japanese: dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1...
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
0:29 Background and explanation
4:14 The story
27:48 Closing thoughts
Information Sources:
復讐の論理 (The Logic of Revenge) by Saeki Shin’ichi
Fuji City’s official Soga Brothers pamphlet (www.city.fuji.shizuoka.jp/img...)
Basis of my translation of the tale:
少年日本お伽噺読本 (Main)
少年曽我兄弟 (Supplemental)
(Both books from the National Diet Library Digital Collections)
Image sources:
The National Diet Library Digital Collections (dl.ndl.go.jp/)
The Art Research Center (www.dh-jac.net/db1/books/sear...)
The Waseda University Library (www.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kotensek...)
The British Museum (www.britishmuseum.org)
The National Institute of Japanese Literature (kotenseki.nijl.ac.jp)
The Tokyo Metropolitan Library (archive.library.metro.tokyo.l...)
Colbase (colbase.nich.go.jp/)
The Hiroshima University Library Textbook Collection Image Database (dc.lib.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/text/)
The Densho Digital Repository (ddr.densho.org/)
Twitter User Sayonosuke, who posted the entirety of the 1936 Kodansha Soga Brothers picture book ( / sayonosuke )
Music/sound effects:
The National Diet Library Digital Collections (dl.ndl.go.jp/) (Traditional music)
効果音ラボ (soundeffect-lab.info/)
VSQplus (vsq.co.jp/plus/sound/category...)
Hip-hop beats produced by me (Buyuuden Japanese History)

[@veiledrecalcitrance4314]

“There’s no helping how things have turned out. Although there’s no one to blame for this besides me since you were tiny children when I drove the idea of revenge into your heads, but I’ll now act as if I said the opposite and your causing me pain because you ignored my plea for forgiveness”. Can’t believe she said that first part as if she wasn’t to blame for all of this

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Yeah that's pretty much exactly how I felt reading the text... I'm curious to know how the original medieval manuscript portrayed that part.

[@OasisTypeZaku]

The Soga Brothers ended up just as dead as their father's murderer. Revenge is not always the answer?😢

[@19thnervousbreakdown80]

Not everyone can live your venerable and sublime lifestyle. Very few are as forgiving and magnanimous as you. Unlike you apparently, everyone will end up "as dead as their" father eventually. Revenge or no. Prostate health must be a nightmare at around your 500th year!😉

[@Fire_ov_Renewal]

​@OasisTypeZaku death is to be embraced, not feared! It is Reality!

[@NickDak1]

Loved this man. Watching the new Shogun miniseries reinvigorated my love for Japanese history instilled in me by my grandfather, who recently passed away, when I was 11 years old; he presented to me a katana taken from a Japanese officer in WW2. I didn’t have the internet to provide so much info, so what I had access to was books and documentaries with much misinformation. Would you be interested in writing a history book on the history of Japan for English readers? Specifically ancient through early modern? Thanks for your amazing channel.

[@connorflynn6117]

Thorough their unwavering devotion, they have achieved true immortality. It’s amazing that their legend lives on hundreds of years later. Thank you for sharing this amazing story in such beautiful detail!

[@sidneysill8495]

I hate that this channel doesnt have 10x the subs. Such high quality stuff, I come back to rewatch things time and time again. Thank you.

[@shaynedavidson7087]

Really enjoyed hearing your rendition of this story! I agree with the person who commented on the visuals-they are beautiful and add so much to the video!

[@Bushwookie_18]

It’s not often anymore that I stumble across a YT channel that has content that is intensely fascinating along with a length format I prefer. Amazing work.

[@ricardolujan5571]

This is one of the best stories I've ever heard. Thanks for sharing these.

[@arturomorales966]

I am in awe. It was a beautiful story but man, all this time I thought you were Japanese. You even show an accent when speaking English in your narrations. Well done, sir! Keep it up. If no one else, I’ll say that you make Japan proud

[@worthymartin4008]

excellent content as always, would love to see more stories like this

[@rts0fft0ya16]

I really enjoyed this video. It was very well done. You deserve far more subscribers.

[@SgtRocko]

Fascinating story! And your narration is PERFECT for this!!!

[@RiffsandBridges]

Great video! I've been watching your videos since January or so, and it's been very captivating following since Episode 1. I think you should continue adding these legends and myths inbetween the historical videos, it's a real nice breath of fresh air.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Thank you for that feedback! Making them is a nice break for me as well, so I think I'll try to keep making them occasionally.

[@ericpowell96]

This was amazing, I hope your channel continues to gather momentum. All hail the algorithm

[@springfield6097]

Excellent presentation. Yes, more like this are most hoped for.

[@jeffzeiler346]

Very, very cool content. Loved this story, and really enjoyed the accompanying art. This is top shelf stuff: thanks for putting out this kind of quality. Will definitely check out more of this creators content.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Thanks for the kind words! I’m honored to have your viewership!

[@lilithchick]

this was a great story. thanks for sharing.

[@cl.3614]

Great stuff as always

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Thank you!

[@AtamiskxIx]

Absolutely fascinating! I love legends and ancient stories such as these and would absolutely love to hear some more! Thank you for the great video!

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! The reaction has been positive so far, so I think I will definitely do some more!

[@gabrielflecha9719]

I think the overall lesson is that although vengeance is a terrible thing that can lead to a viscous cycle of violence and should not be the path to follow given the price is always too high. Despite this it doesn't make people who go down that path bad people. We must remember that people can be led astray when overcome with emotions and fully admiring or vilifiying those actions can prevent us from learning and reflecting on those situations and ironically make us more prone to that same folly

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Very, very well put 👏

[@Itsjustavy]

Great video!

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Thanks for watching!

[@vichoffmeister1525]

Great video! I would indeed like to see more of this type of story. I think they would be a nice complement to your chronological period videos.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

That's what I was thinking as well. I'm glad you feel the same way! Thanks as always for watching!

[@isrisentoday]

Fantastic story telling. I was riveted.

[@rjs4780]

Really wonderful video!

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jimbossemi-customs3129]

I just found your channel from The Shogunate video, and I'm certainly glad I did. I've been a fan of Korean and Chinese history for many years and recently started learning more about Japan. This first video of yours I watched was fantastic! I look forward to going through your channel and watching all your stuff. I feel like a kid in a candy store. Subbed and the bell on!!🤜🤛 Edit- I forgot to mention the Legend style video, it was very good but looking forward to seeing your historical videos even more.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Thanks for making your way over to the channel! More historical videos are on their way!

[@Lordof956]

Awesome story 😎

[@jpossollo]

As far as I can understand, Japan has always been in state of war or semi-war. I am now watching video 12 of the other series. BRgds

[@davidcoleman2796]

It is a good story . Thank you .

[@ruthradford897]

great overview of the Soga Brothers, so now watching the kabuki play will be much easier for me!

[@corvaxblackfeather6529]

I enjoyed this Story a lot, the fact that even a shrine was created for the brother is a real cool thing ^^ I wouldn't mind hearing you tell more storys from Japans history that are not as much known to the greater world itself

[@kennethflores-hv7uf]

Great story

[@professorrshaldjianmorriso1474]

answer to your question at the end of the video: absolutely! very much enjoyed this one! well translated, well executed!

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Thank you so much! I will continue to be on the lookout for more legends to make similar videos about!

[@orthoff123]

Wow very very good story

[@jaquaviuspeterson8785]

こんにちはAdamさんこの動画は面白かったそれもイントロがすごかった This was great the intro was great and it’s was good to it wast interesting to learn the history of the story and I would definitely watch more videos like this i also like the pictures you used they were really great visual for the story 相変わらずすごい動画をつくっていたお疲れ様でした次の動画を楽しみしています

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Thank you as always for watching! 楽しんでいただけて嬉しいです！And thank you for the feedback re: more videos like this.

[@DaveLopez575]

Epic

[@alexspalding6377]

Yes!

[@raynnaf7272]

Nice

[@tariz32]

This is goat! Please do the Igagoe vendetta next ありがとう

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Ooh I hadn't thought about that one. I will put it on the list!

[@strawberrycheesecake5502]

I'm very much interested in more legends! My highlights of this one are how the brothers kick the pillow away from their target, like that just adds insult to injury and the lord only declaring judgement once he realizes he'd have an endless string of murders on his hands otherwise.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

I'm hoping to get another one out this month for Halloween! (Don't be mad at me if I'm late though!😅)

[@strawberrycheesecake5502]

@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory that's good to know. I won't be mad, no worries! 😁

[@OasisTypeZaku]

"Revenge of the Soga Brothers" sounds like a bada-- spin-off of Double Dragon.❤

[@allgoo1990]

The brothers spent their short lives doing nothing but focusing on killing somebody.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Pretty much! It's depressing from a modern viewpoint, but it sheds a clear and interesting light on the value differences between then and now.

[@martinevans9757]

Marvelous retelling of this classic tale. Does anyone know if the story has ever been adapted to film?

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

There is a Japanese film titled "Soga Monogatari: Fuji no Yashuu" ("Tale of the Soga Brothers: The Night Attack on Fuji") that was released in 1956, but I'm not sure if it has ever made its way out of Japan. The story was also included in the most recent Taiga Drama TV series!

[@martinevans9757]

@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory thank you! I will see if I can find these.

[@juliuslopez1747]

Please also a video about the 47 ronin.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Someday, without a doubt!

[@ningenJMK]

Can I get a link of your hip hop music at the beginning of every episode?

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIizqYGwjK2Jm68

[@bradlaise6085]

Two wrongs never make it right. A wasted life filled with hate and revenge. To homer the two fools is a foolish endeavor. That was the heart of a samara’s life

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

I am inclined to agree

[@randomanonymousperson7582]

Is there any translation in English on the Tale of the Soga Brothers?

[@Igorfun]

👍

[@quarantinedarcher4348]

jeez muscles

[@1290Li]

Tying ones kimono sleeves is known as tasukigake たすき掛け

[@walhallberserker610]

What song are you using in the intro?

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

It's a beat that I made sampling an old song from the Lone Wolf and Cub movies called Tetego-bashi (ててご橋)

[@alextorres1038]

Any link to the Kodansha Soga Brothers picture book ? I am looking for it like crazy.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

If you check the final item in the "image sources" section of the video description, I've got a link to the Twitter profile of the guy who uploaded hq scans of the whole thing! If you go through his uploaded images they should be in there.

[@alextorres1038]

@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory thanks for reply! actually yesterday I check all his twitter and cannot find lol

[@alextorres1038]

@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory Found! thanks!

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

@@alextorres1038 Glad you could find it!

[@alextorres1038]

@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory Collecting books for my daughter!

[@elgatto3133]

I think the mother's desire for revenge decreased as time went on. People do tend to lash out in grief after all.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

That's kind of how I was inclined to interpret it too. By the time the boys were grown up, she'd had a lot of time to come to terms with her husband's murder.

[@hobokoala2623]

How about a dive in to Minamoto no Tametomo and the plague spirit and why a screen print of their meeting is on a CDC document about small pox

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Wow, really? I’ll need to look into that, that’s surprising.

[@hobokoala2623]

@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory I think the short of it was the island he as exiled to missed a small pox outbreak that was getting everyone else.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

@@hobokoala2623 Interesting. I really need to read up on the legend of Tametomo in more detail. I only know the very broad strokes. He's another guy for whom a ton of premodern imagery exists, so he'd potentially be very easy to make a video on.

[@1290Li]

Haruo Minami sang a song about the vengeance.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Ooh interesting, I will check that out.

[@doyoulikeduckmeat]

As people interested in Japanese history, being confused occasionally is something we just have to get used to. I don't know that I have heard it summed up this well as a broad stroke answer for explaining Japanese history. I wonder what the perspective of the Japanese people is? Unfortunately I have never had the opportunity to visit the country. Nor do I personally know anyone who is Japanese, at least at this point in my life.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

I think a lot of Japanese people feel the same. My wife is Japanese and very much *not* a history buff, and whenever I start explaining history to her, she calls it "Rekishual Harassment" ("Rekishi" is the Japanese word for history). That being said, growing up in Japan would certainly help you to at least have a better understanding of some of the cultural context of historical events and historical figures' behavior, etc.

[@doyoulikeduckmeat]

@Buyuuden Japanese History my wife is the same way. She is not into history at all. But most people aren't. I don't know about Japan but the US public education system is a horrible example of making history engaging and interesting. But you have a good point about the cultural advantage. I didn't live in the US in the 18th century obviously, but I can put myself in that time and view the events from the cultural mindset of the era to an extent.

[@watewate8343]

私は日本人でこの動画見てるけどこの話は知らなかったｗ

[@silvergalaxie]

so in the strange case of these stern young men ya couldn't say"man,your mom is ugly!"

[@farhanatashiga3721]

Well from what's presented here i can excuse their mother changing her mind about revenge, she originally Stoked them with it out of initial grieve from losing her husband. As time pass and she came to her senses she probably realised that this was not a very good idea for her children, of course at that point it's already too late.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Yeah that's kind of how I've chosen to interpret it too. It's a fairly natural progression when you think about it, I suppose.

[@y11971alex]

No relation to Soga no Umako? 😅

[@christosvoskresye]

The American version, of course, is Patti Monogatari: kzbin.info/www/bejne/paqrdYCBpKuSsKs.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Yippee aye ay, Sukenari!

[@vaidus]

Missing some crucial details in the story

[@Hilversumborn]

Maybe this story has become less known because of 47 samurai?

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

In a lot of the early 20th century pre-war books that I looked at, both stories were often in there together, so it seems that they were kind of on the same footing. If anything, I wonder what has caused the 47 ronin story to maintain its popularity in the modern era (especially in the west). I'd love to look into it sometime.

[@iandownes3130]

Blue eyed Samurai?!

[@springfield6097]

A shop in Israel is selling the book "new" for $148.00 USD.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

It seems to be quite a rare book indeed!

[@Lordof956]

Hey man you should get in touch with a KZbin channel called the shogunate so you can gain more subscribers!

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

We have actually been in touch recently! I do not want to say more than I am supposed to but there may be a collab on the horizon.

[@odanobunagafan4964]

@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory Ooh nice, a collaboration between my two favourite KZbinrs would be amazing.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

@@odanobunagafan4964 I am honored to be one of those two!

[@viz8746]

Great narration and translation of a beautiful story - the last few minutes of of the video seeking a “didactic purpose” are clumsy, contrived, cheesily moralistic within a Judeo-Christian Western idiom, and ultimately a waste of time. Like seeking “morality” in the Iliad. It is a tale of heroism and valor, not a Japanese Aesop fable.

[@berniestaples1748]

🤗 ｐｒｏｍｏｓｍ