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The 2012 NHK Taiga drama is "Taira no Kiyomori." I understand that this period is less well known compared to the Sengoku and end of the Edo period, but it seems that there are people who have never heard of Taira no Kiyomori, and frankly, I'm a little shocked. In this Taiga drama, Taira no Kiyomori will be portrayed as the first samurai to rise to the top of the nation and a hero who tried to carve out a new era. Of course, it is fiction based on historical facts and documents, and when such historical dramas are produced, various historical books and literary works are used as references. In the case of this "Taira no Kiyomori," it can be said that "The Tale of the Heike" is a major reference.

Everyone has probably heard or read the opening verse, "The sound of the bell at Gion-shoja Temple echoes the impermanence of all things." The Tale of the Heike begins with this verse and is a story that explores the theme of why the Heike clan, who had once reached the height of their glory, fell to ruin. The first six volumes explain why the Heike clan fell to Kiyomori's evil deeds, and the latter half describes how the Heike clan fell and the results of their downfall.
The presence of Emperor Goshirakawa has a major influence on the entire story. There are not many scenes in which Emperor Goshirakawa is directly depicted, but the story unfolds around his relationship with the Emperor, and the side that is closer to Goshirakawa is the "righteous" side. Kiyomori and Goshirakawa had a good relationship until the middle of the story, but by the late 1170s, when the story begins, their relationship had rapidly deteriorated. If we take this into consideration and interpret "Kiyomori's misdeeds," we can see his misdeeds simply from the perspective of "whether he was closer to Goshirakawa or not." For example, in his imprisonment of Goshirakawa (The Emperor is Exiled: Volume 3), he did indeed imprison him, but he did not harm him, and in his relocation of the capital to Fukuhara (The Capital Move: Volume 4), as Professor Masaaki Takahashi, who is researching the historical accuracy of the taiga drama, says, "He had a big dream of Japan-Song trade, and moved the capital to open up a new, prosperous era."
Setting aside the issue of historical fact, The Tale of the Heike certainly portrays Kiyomori as a "villain," but it does not simply speak ill of him; it portrays him as a gigantic, "mysterious person" whose existence is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. So let me introduce The Tale of the Heike, which depicts the events up to the downfall of the Heike clan.

If we count carefully, there are as many as a thousand characters who appear in "The Tale of the Heike," and each character shows a different way of life. First, let's introduce the main characters in "The Tale of the Heike." Please see the table below. It will be easier to understand if we focus on these eight characters and organize their relationships with the other characters.

Let's start by looking at the first half. The first half describes how Taira no Kiyomori rose to the height of glory of the Taira clan, which led to him being hated from all sides, and his death from a fever. In the first half, many of Kiyomori's evil deeds are told, but some of them are fictional.

"Kiyomori's grandson (Shigemori's second son), Sukemori, encountered the procession of the regent Fujiwara no Motofusa and, failing to dismount properly, was dragged off his horse and humiliated. Enraged, Kiyomori ambushed Fujiwara no Motofusa and his entourage and exacted revenge." (Tenga no Noriai: Volume 1)

Kiyomori seems very tyrannical, but historical records clearly show that it was Shigemori, not Kiyomori, who exacted revenge. The Shigemori described in "The Tale of the Heike" is said to have been very moral, to have judged things correctly, and to have acted as a brake on his father, and that Shigemori's early death was the beginning of his father's rampage. However, when you learn that he retaliated in this way out of concern for face, your image of Shigemori changes.

It could be said that Kiyomori's actions depicted in "The Tale of the Heike" were based on his human feelings of caring for his grandson, but speaking of human feelings, there is also this story.

"When a conspiracy was discovered, Shunkan, who was a close aide to Goshirakawa and in charge of a large temple called Hossho-ji, was exiled to the island of Kikai by Kiyomori. Left alone on the island, Shunkan thrashed his arms and legs like a baby trying to make a fuss, cried bitterly, and begged not to be left alone" (Ashizuri: Volume 3)

At the time, Shunkan was the head of a top-class temple and was respected by everyone, but in this extreme situation of being alone on a deserted island, facing immediate death, Shunkan reveals the powerlessness of a human being, whining and crying. His appearance is extremely pitiful, but perhaps this is what humans are really like. Don't you think it's interesting how the film portrays the human element by highlighting human weakness in this way?

In fact, many of the famous episodes in The Tale of the Heike are found in the latter half, which describes how the Heike clan fell into decline after Kiyomori's death.

"As the Taira army was in a complete collapse and retreating, a warrior of the Minamoto clan, Kumagai Naozane, called back a young warrior who had fled into the sea. He pinned him down and tried to decapitate him, but the moment he saw his enemy's face, he was unable to kill him. He was about the same age as his son and a very elegant nobleman. However, before the Minamoto clan forces could descend upon him, he wept and decided to cut off the man's head himself as a memorial. The young warrior was Taira no Atsumori, the youngest son of Kiyomori's younger brother, Tsunemori." (The Last Days of Atsumori: Volume 9)

I think there are few descriptions in classic war literature from around the world where a person hesitates to kill someone like this, and is unable to kill the enemy for a moment. The original text's depiction of the scene where "the moment he sees the face, he is unable to kill" is truly magnificent. I think we can be proud of the fact that Japan has a work in its time called "The Tale of the Heike," which so accurately depicts how inhumane killing and war are.

Even people who are not familiar with "The Tale of the Heike" have probably heard the following scene.

"The Battle of Dannoura. With the defeat of the Taira clan becoming certain, Tokiko resigned to the fact that this was the end. In tears, she embraced her 8-year-old grandson Emperor Antoku, told him, 'Even at the bottom of the waves there is a capital,' and threw herself into the sea." (The Former Emperor's Suicide: Volume 11)

It is generally believed that Tokiko told Emperor Antoku, "There is a capital under the waves," before drowning herself, but that is not necessarily the case. From Tokiko's perspective, Gotoba ascended to the throne in Heian-kyo without the Three Sacred Treasures, but he was a false king, and Emperor Antoku was the true emperor, and wherever Emperor Antoku was, was the capital. Therefore, from now on, the bottom of the sea, where we were going, would become the capital. At the very least, Tokiko died claiming that hers was the legitimate government.

After the downfall of the Heike clan, a huge earthquake occurred (Great Earthquake: Volume 12). It was said that Kiyomori turned into a dragon and caused this. People at the time were terrified, thinking that the Heike clan had survived in Ryugu-jo Castle under the sea and were targeting society on the surface. The Tale of the Heike describes the events leading up to the downfall of the Heike clan, but it is sympathetic to most of the Heike clan members other than Kiyomori, and it can be seen as trying to comfort their souls. It probably speaks to the surviving people and the souls of the deceased Heike clan, telling them, "The downfall of the Heike clan was due to the evil causes created by Kiyomori, and the rest of the people are unfortunate victims."

It is believed that "The Tale of the Heike" was written by the 1230s, after the downfall of the Taira clan in the 1180s. The Genpei War had been of interest to the public since then, and it is said that the "biwa hoshi," a media figure of the time, was popular as they would travel around telling stories while playing the biwa. Meanwhile, aristocratic society created something like diaries related to the Genpei War, and "The Tale of the Heike" was created by compiling various such stories and documents. For this reason, the style and rhythm of the writing differs from scene to scene, each story is self-contained, and each story has its own unique appeal, which is what makes it interesting.
The Tale of the Heike has been of great interest since the Genpei period, but it has since transcended the boundaries of medieval literature and has been featured in a wide variety of media. For example, it has been adapted into Noh and Kabuki plays, TV dramas, movies, anime, and manga, and there are many other versions of the Tale of the Heike.
Oda Nobunaga, a warlord in the Sengoku period, was particularly fond of the dance "Kowakamai," which is accompanied by a narration. In a piece based on the story of "Atsumori's Last Days" (volume 9), there is a passage in which Kumagai Naozane, who has become a monk and regrets having killed Atsumori, becomes disillusioned with the world.

"A human life of fifty years is like a dream compared to the life of heaven (fifty years in the human world is equivalent to only one day in the world of heavenly beings)."

This quote is widely known, and some may think it was spoken by Oda Nobunaga, but it is actually a passage from a work derived from the Tale of the Heike.
Other than that, in the Edo period, the Joruri and Kabuki plays "Heike Nyogojima" were created with Shunkan, who appears in "Ashizuri" (volume 3), as the main character, and modern literary writers Ryunosuke Akutagawa and Kan Kikuchi also wrote works with the title "Shunkan." What's interesting is that while Shunkan is portrayed as an extremely miserable person in "The Tale of the Heike," he is portrayed as a very honorable man in the Kabuki plays and by Akutagawa and Kikuchi. In this way, characters often change from work to work, and it is very interesting to see the thoughts and feelings of each era.
I hope that you have become at least a little interested in "The Tale of the Heike," which has developed in various ways for over 800 years and has had a huge impact on Japanese culture. As I mentioned earlier, each episode is self-contained, so you can start reading from the part that interests you. Please read it little by little and experience the charm of "The Tale of the Heike," a long-running hit, in your heart.

(Published in 2012)