Japanese Classical Literature

Francis Yamamoto

Tale of the Heike

Tale of the Heike was compiled in 1240 by an unknown author from a collection of oral stories composed and recited by traveling monks, who chanted them with a BIWA (Japanese lute).

BIWA HOUSHI (traveling monk with BIWA)

A part of picture scroll of eTale of the Heikef (17th centur y)

Outline of Heike
Tale of the Heike is an epic account of the struggle between the Taira (Heike)and Min amoto(Genji) clans for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180-1185).
Note: You have already known eTale of Genjif, story of HIKARU GENJIcs love. But he do not have any rela tionship to the Genji clain.He is a fictional character. But eTale of the Heikef is based on historical facts.

Tale of the Heike is composed by 12 chapters and 1 additional chapter. 1 : Prologue 2- 6 : Chronicle of the rise of Heike clain. 7-12: Chronicle of the fall of Heike clain. add : A sequel to the epic.(epilogue)

Main characters
HEIKE GENJI

KIYOMORI TADAMORI SHIGEMORI KOREMORI MUNEMORI TOMOMORI ATSUMORI YORIMORI TSUNEMORI and others

vs

YORITOMO YOSHITSUNE YOSHITAKA(KISO) NORIYORI TAMEYOSHI KAZIWARA-GENTA SASAKI-SHIROU KUMAGAI-JIRO KUMAGAI-KOJIRO IMAI-SHIROU and others

Chapter 1 prologue eGION-SHOUJAf(The opening lines)

The pealing of the bells of the Jetavana temple ring with the sound of the impermanence of all material things. The color of the paired Sala trees gives witness to the truth that all who flourish must necessarily perish. Those who flaunt their pleasures are not long for the world; they are as brief as the dream of a Spring night. And the brave ones are vanquished in the end; they are merely as specks of dust before the wind.

"MUJOU"(
eMUJOUfor evanescence is the main aesthetic of Tale of The Heike. Nothing has eternity, Everything fades away . We can see this thought clearly in the prologue. All the story is consistent in this thought. Altough thought of MUJOU came from the buddhism, it depends on the days of war and it has penetrated all over Japan.
I

ATSUMORI called back to shore by KUMAGAI 17th centuries painting

ARMOR AND HELMET

National treasure eKIKU ICHIMONJ If

SWORD, BOW AND ARROW

National treasure eDOUZI GIR If

Japanese bow is the biggest bow in the world.

BOOKS

eThe Tale of the Heikef translated by Helen McCllough Stanford Univ Pr.

eGenji & Heikef selection from The Tale of Genji and The Tale of the Heike translated by Helen McCllough Stanford Univ Pr.