The Tale of the Heike
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The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari, 平家物語) is an epic account of the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Gempei War (1180-1185). Heike (平家) refers to the Taira (平) clan; hei being an alternate reading of the kanji (character) for Taira.
The story of the Heike was compiled from a collection of oral stories recited by traveling monks who chanted to the accompaniment of the biwa, an instrument reminiscent of the lute. The most widely read version of the Heike monogatari was compiled by a blind monk named Kakuichi in 1371. The Heike is considered one of the great classics of medieval Japanese literature.
The central theme of the story is the Buddhist law of impermanence. The theme of impermanence (mujō) is captured in the famous opening passage:
The sound of the Gion Shôja bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sâla flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night; the mighty fall at last, they are as dust before the wind.
Chapter 1.1, Helen Craig McCullough's translation
The fall of the powerful Taira – the samurai clan who defeated the imperial-backed Minamoto in 1161 – symbolizes the theme of impermanence in the Heike. The Taira warrior family sowed the seeds of their own destruction with acts of arrogance and pride that led to their defeat in 1185 at the hands of the revitalized Minamoto.
The story is episodic in nature and designed to be told in a series of nightly installments. It is primarily a samurai epic focusing on warrior culture – an ideology that ultimately laid the groundwork for bushido (the way of the warrior). The Heike also includes a number of love stories, which harkens back to earlier Heian literature.
The story is roughly divided into three sections. The central figure of the first section is Taira no Kiyomori (平清盛) who is described as arrogant, evil, ruthless and so consumed by the fires of hatred that even in death his feverish body does not cool when immersed in water. The main figure of the second section is the Minamoto general Minamoto no Yoshinaka (源義仲). After he dies the main figure of the third section is the great samurai, Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源義経), a military genius who is falsely accused of treachery by his politically astute elder brother Minamoto no Yoritomo (源頼朝).
The Tale of the Heike has provided material for many later artistic works ranging from Noh plays to woodblock prints.
[edit] See also
- Genpei War
- Heiji Rebellion
- Kogo no Kyoku
- Heikegani
[edit] External links
- Heike monogatari (in Japanese)
- Trans. Burton Watson and Haruo Shirane (2006). The Tales of the Heike (abridged). Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-13802-4.
- Trans. Helen Craig McCullough (1988). The Tale of the Heike. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-1803-2.
- Trans. Hiroshi Kitagawa and Bruce T. Tsuchida (1975). The Tale of the Heike, Volumes 1 and 2. Tokyo University Press. ISBN 0-86008-189-3.
