The Tale of the Heike (Penguin Classics)

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In 1181, Retired Emperor Takakura dies, troubled by the events of the last several years. Kiso no Yoshinaka (cousin of Minamoto no Yoritomo in the northwestern provinces) plans a rebellion against the Taira and raises an army. Messengers bring news of anti-Taira forces gathering under the Minamoto leadership in the eastern provinces, Kyūshū, Shikoku. The Taira have trouble dealing with all the rebellions.

This is the Japanese version of Homer. We don't really know the original author, but we know the stories had been told by traveling storytellers, often to the tune of biwa (lute). (Like this) As such, the original text is polished over the years and has beautiful tension.

Meanwhile, the Taira regain their strength and assemble a strong army. Yoshinaka sends forces against them, but this time the Taira are victorious in the battle of Mizushima. Their influence grows even more after the victory at the Battle of Muroyama.

Coats, Cayla; Cardine, Kyle; Luster, Joe; Burke, Carolyn; Vaca, Sergio; Sassi, José; Höpfler, Melanie; Ghrenassia, Guillaume; Ali, Nada; Ventura, Francesco; Zabolotskaya, Asya (January 6, 2022). "FEATURE: Crunchyroll Editorial Staff's Top Anime Of 2021". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022 . Retrieved February 20, 2022. The Actor Ichikawa Ebizo II as Imperial Guard Watanabe Kiso in the four-act play Onna moji Heike monogatari. The Tale of the Heike is an epic poem that is a conglomeration of many different versions of the story that have been passed down through the oral traditions of the biwa hoshi, blind travelling performers of ritualistic precision. This translation by Royall Tyler contains passages of poetry, prose and oration to portray the various methods used in the different performances. The second religious concept evident in the Tale of the Heike is another Buddhist idea, karma. The concept of karma says that every action has consequences that become apparent later in life. Thus, karma helps to deal with the problem of both moral and natural evil. Evil acts in life will bring about an inevitable suffering later in life. This can be seen clearly with the treatment of Kiyomori in The Tale of the Heike, who is cruel throughout his life, and later falls into a painful illness that kills him. [9] Focus, divisions and influence [ edit ] Knife handle (kozuka) from matching seven-piece set of sword fittings with scenes from The Tale of Heike Watson, Burton and Haruo Shirane. The Tales of the Heike (abridged). Columbia University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-231-13802-4

The Tale of the Heike” recounts the rise of the Taira to absolute power under the arrogant lord Kiyomori — and their fall in a revolt precipitated by his brutality and naked ambition. The war ended with the destruction of the Heike forces by the Genji in the sea battle of Dan-no-Ura in 1185.