The Tale of the Heike

"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 Genpei War (1180-1185). Heike (平家) refers to the Taira (平) clan; "hei" being an alternate reading of the kanji (character) for "Taira." In terms of the title of the Genpei War, "hei" can be alternatively read as "pei" again and the "gen" (源) is the same kanji used in the Minamoto (also known as Genji) clan's name.

The epic was retold in prose by famous historical novelist Eiji Yoshikawa, published in "Asahi Weekly" in 1950 with the title "New Tale of the Heike".

About the Authorship

The "Tale of the Heike" cannot be reduced to a single creator; rather, much like many now-famous classical Greek epic works, it comes as the result of the conglomeration of differing versions passed down through an oral tradition by biwa-playing bards known as "biwa hōshi".

The monk Yoshida Kenkō (1282-1350) offers a theory as to the authorship of the text, in his famous work "Essays in Idleness" ("Tsurezuregusa"), which he wrote in 1330. According to Kenkō, "Yukinaga wrote "Heike monogatari" and showed it to a blind man called Shōbutsu to chant it."He also confirms the biwa connection of that blind man, who "was natural from the eastern tract", and who was sent from Yukinaga to "recollect some information about samurai, about their bows, their horses and their war strategy. Yukinaga wrote it after that."One of the key points in this theory is that the book was written in a difficult combination of Chinese and Japanese ( "wakan konkō shō") only deliverable by an enlightened monk in that times, like Yukinaga.However, in the end, as the tale is the result of a long oral tradition, there is no single true author; Yukinaga is only one possibility of being the first to compile this masterpiece into a written form.Moreover, as it is true that there are frequent steps back, and that the style isn't the same throughout the composition, this cannot mean anything but that it is a collective work.

Classic military tale

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:

::祗園精舎の鐘の声、諸行無常の響きあり。娑羅双樹の花の色、盛者必衰の理をあらわす。::おごれる人も久しからず、唯春の夜の夢のごとし。たけき者も遂にはほろびぬ、偏に風の前の塵に同じ。

:

The sound of the Gion Shōja bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sāla 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, and is also referenced in modern works.

"Monogatari" historiography

The Japanese have developed a number of complementary strategies for capturing, preserving and disseminating the essential elements of their commonly-accepted national history – chronicles of sovereigns and events, biographies of eminent persons and personalities, and the military tale or "gunki monogatari". This last form evolved from an interest in recording the activities of military conflicts in the late 12th century. The major battles, the small skirmishes and the individual contests -- and the military figures who animate these accounts -- have all been passed from generation to generation in the narrative formats of the "Hōgen monogatari" (1156), [In the name "Tale of Hōgen"," the noun "Hōgen" refers to the "nengō" (Japanese era name) after "Kyūju" and before "Heiji"." In other words, the "Tale of Hōgen" occurred during "Hōgen", which was a time period spanning the years from 1156 through 1159."] the "Heiji monagatari" (1159-1160), [In the name "Tale of Heiji"," the noun "Heiji" refers to the "nengō" (Japanese era name) after "Hōgen" and before "Eiryaku"." In other words, the "Tale of Heiji" occurred during "Heiji", which was a time period spanning the years from 1159 through 1160.] and the "Heike monogatari" (1180-1185).

In each of these familiar "monogatari", the central figures are popularly well known, the major events are generally understood, and the stakes as they were understood at the time are conventionally accepted as elements in the foundation of Japanese culture. The accuracy of each of these historical records has become a compelling subject for further study; and some accounts have been shown to withstand close scrutiny, while other presumed “facts” have turned out to be inaccurate. [Brown "et al." (1979). "Gukanshō", p. 385-386.]

Extension

The Genpei Jōsuiki, also known as the Genpei Seisuiki (源平盛衰記?), is a 48-book extended version of the Heike Monogatari.

References

* Brown, Delmer and Ichiro Ishida, eds. (1979). [ Jien (1221)] , "Gukanshō; "The Future and the Past: a translation and study of the 'Gukanshō,' an interpretive history of Japan written in 1219" translated from the Japanese and edited by Delmer M. Brown & Ichirō Ishida." Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03460-0
* Kitagawa, Hiroshi and Bruce T. Tsuchida. (1975). "The Tale of the Heike." Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press. ISBN 0-86008-189-3
* McCullough, Helen Craig. (1988). "The Tale of the Heike." Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-1803-2
* Watson, Burton and Haruo Shirane. (2006). "The Tales of the Heike" (abridged). New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-13802-4

ee also

* Genpei War, 1180-1185

* Hōgen Rebellion, 1156
** Tale of Hōgen or Hōgen monogatari

* Heiji Rebellion, 1159-1160
** Tale of Heiji or Heiji monogatari

* Kogo no Kyoku
* Heikegani

External links

* [http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/heike/heike.html Heike monogatari (in Japanese)]