The Tale of The Heike

Author: Unknown

Written: Unknown

Translated by: Helen Craig McCullough

Publisher: Stanford University Press (1988 Edition)

Bought from: Book Depository

Introduction

The Tale of the Heike or Heike Monogatari is set in the Genpei War which took place in Japan in the 12th century AD. It chronicles the power struggle between 2 samurai families, the Taira (or Heike) and Minamoto (or Genji) clans. The Tale of the Heike is considered one of the great classics of medieval Japanese literature.

Scholars believe The Tale of the Heike is a collection of oral stories originally recited by travelling monks (or laymen in monk’s robes) accompanied by an instrument called a biwa. It is not known who first compiled the stories into written form or when. There are various extant versions of The Tale of the Heike but the most widely read version was compiled by a blind monk named Kakuichi in 1371.

So what is it about?

The main character in the first third of the story is Taira no Kiyomori. His clan helps Emperor Go-Shirakawa suppress two separate rebellions. The Taira clan eventually come to dominate the imperial court in Kyoto to such an extent that Kiyomori installs his grandson as the Emperor and exiles Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa.

In Chapter 5, the next major character emerges. He is Minamoto no Yoritomo, based in Kamakura. He is persuaded to lead the uprising against the Taira clan on behalf of Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa. He is assisted by his cousin Minamoto no Yoshinaka. Yoshinaka drives the Taira out of Kyoto and returns Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa to Kyoto. However, Yoshinaka turns on the imperial court.

Tomb of Yoritomo in Kamakura

Yoritomo’s half-brother Minamoto Yoshitsune takes center stage from Chapter 8. He is arguably the major character in the last third of the story. He leads Yoritomo’s soldiers against Yoshinaka and the what is left of the Taira forces. Yoshinaka is killed in 1184 (Chapter 9) and the Taira clan is finally vanquished in the decisive naval battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185 (Chapter 11). A jealous Minamoto commander convinces Yoritomo to turn against Yoshitsune who eventually flees north to save his own life. The story ends with the Minamoto clan led by Yoritomo firmly in power with the execution of the last male heir of the Taira clan. Yoritomo is officially awarded the title of Shogun in 1192 and this marks the start of the Kamukara shogunate.

It is interesting to note that the shogunate system, under which political power rests in the samurai caste, was to last for some 700 years.


Themes

The main theme is signaled in the opening paragraph: “The sound of he Gion Shoja bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. The proud do not endure, they are like dreams on a spring night; the mighty fall at last, they are as dust before the wind.”

The idea of impermanence is considered in Buddhism as one of the three marks of existence (along with suffering and non-self). The Tale of the Heike is a narrative of the rise and the inevitable fall of Taira no Kiyomori and his clan.


What about the book?

There are several unabridged English translations. I found the McCullough translation easy to read. There is a list of the principal characters in the front and family trees at the end of the book. There are also several illustrations of key episodes of the story.

Finally ...

Recommended.