Thursday -- The Tale of Heike and Sengoku

Historical and Poltical context: the fall of the Heian era

The decline of the heian aristocracy

1. the heian period (794- 1185) was dominated by the fujiwara clan

   1. fujiwara clan controlled imperial court through mariage poltics

2. poltical stagnation led to

   1. economc decentralization

      1. imperial tax system broke down

      2. large private estates (shōen) emerged

   2. rise of warrior clans

      1. local military figures became the de facto ruler of japans provinces

   3. imperial weakness

      1. the emperor became symbolic figure

      2. real power rested with retired emperor and regents

the rise of warrior classa

1. two dominant miltary clans emerge

   1. taira (heike) clan

      1. based in kyoto

      2. grew wealthy from trade with china

   2. minamoto (genji) clan

      1. controlled by eastern provinces— specfically the kanto region

2. these clans crashed over influence that culminated in the genpei war

The Genpei war and the tales historical foundation

Causes of the Genpei War

tensions at court

1. taira no kiyomori

   1. first samurai to hold real poltical power

   2. dominated the imperial court

2. he securted his power marrying his daughter (kenreimon’in) to emperor takakura

   1. he placed his infact grandson (emperor antoku) on the throne

The prince mochihito rebellion

1. minamoto no yoriomo and his allies

   1. includes prince mochihito opposed taira rule

2. the rebellion failed

   1. set of widespread resistance against the heike

The major battles

Battle of Uji 1180

1. the opening battle of genpei war

2. minamoto forces has inital setback

battle of ichi no tani 1184

1. minamoto no yoshitsune led a surprise attack on a taira

2. taira no astumori

   1. young noble

   2. slained by kumagi naozane in one of the tales most famous episode

Battle of Yashima 1185

1. yoshitsune’s attacked the taira on shikoku island

2. the fan incident

   1. a minamoto archers shot an arrow through a fan held by a taira noblewoman

   2. demonstrated the precision and skill of the samuari

battle of dan-no-ura 1185

1. the climatic battle

2. the taira was defeated

   1. emperor antoku and his grandmother drowned — symbolized the end of thier dynasty

3. survivors were executed or exiled

   1. minamoto no yorimoto established the kamakura shongunate

Themes and Literary signifgance

Buddhist ideas of impermance (mujo)

1. the opening lines of the tale of the Heike demonstrates the central theme

   1. the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that the prosperus must decline

2. buddhist philsophy spread throughout the text

   1. reinforces the idea that power and wealth are fleeting

The fall of the mighty

1. the heike downfall is sjown as tragic but also inevitable

2. even at the peak the tairas excess foreshadows thier demise

3. kiyomori arrogance and poltical overeach alineate allies, hastening thier downfall

warrior ethos and bushido code

1. the tale romanticizes samuari values

   1. loyalty

   2. honor in battle

   3. bravery in the face of death

2. the death of figures like Taira no Atsumori highlights the tragic dignity of the warrior classs

fate and supernatural

1. the story is filled with omens, prophetic dreams, supernatural occuerences

   1. the ghost of taira no kiyomori is said to haunt the capital

   2. the heike believes the sea gods conspire against them at dan-no-ura

   3. the notion that karma determines the fate of people and familes is a recurring theme

Key Characters

the culutral legancy of the tale of the heike

influence of japanese literature

1. the tale of the heike established the gunki monogatari (war tale) genre

2. inspired other works

Influence on Performing arts

nō Drama and Kabuki

1. thier are many episodes

   1. particuarly about atsumori death

2. became a classsic Nō plays

biwa hoshi recitation

1. the tale was traditonally performed by blind lute priests

   1. recited verses to an audience

Samurari Code and Modern Japanese Identity

1. idealized the image of honor, sacrfice and duty

   1. the tale of heike contributed to development of bushido

2. story contines to referenced popular culture