The Tale of the Heike (Japanese: 平家物語, Heike monogatari) is an epic account of the struggle between the Minamoto and Taira clans for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century. Gathered from a collection of oral stories and transcribed in 1371, it is considered one of the great classics of medieval Japanese literature. It is a product of the biwa hoshi tradition of blind monks who travelled the countryside reciting epic poems while playing the shit lute. Minamoto (源) was an honorary surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan of the Heian Period to their sons and grandsons after accepting them as royal subjects. ... Taira (平) is a Japanese surname. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Events End of the reign of Emperor Go-Kogon of Japan, fourth of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders Start of the reign of Emperor Go-Enyu of Japan, fifth and last of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders Charterhouse Carthusian Monastery founded in Aldersgate, London. ... Japanese literature spans a period of almost two millennia of writing. ... Jump to: navigation, search For many outsiders, Japanese music is associated entirely with cheap, disposable bubblegum pop, of which there is plenty. ... Jump to: navigation, search The lute is a plucked string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep round back. ...

The central theme of the story is the fall of the prideful Taira, the samurai clan who defeat the imperial-backed Minamoto in 1161 but are so consumed by hatred that they sow the seeds of their own destruction and in the end are defeated by a revitalized Minamoto in 1185. This is a very Buddhist theme - a moral lesson about the results of attachment to worldly desires. Despite the complex and bloodthirsty nature of much of this epic, the over-riding theme lends credence to the view that the purpose of the work was for the expiation of the souls of those that died in the great battles described. Jump to: navigation, search Japanese samurai in armour, 1860 photograph. ... Minamoto (源) was an honorary surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan of the Heian Period to their sons and grandsons after accepting them as royal subjects. ... Jump to: navigation, search Events Bartholomew Iscanus becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... Jump to: navigation, search Events April 25 - Genpei War - Naval battle of Dan-no-ura leads to Minamoto victory in Japan Templars settle in London and begin the building of New Temple Church End of the Heian Period and beginning of the Kamakura period in Japan. ...

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 the bushido code of ethics, but it also includes a number of love stories which harken back to earlier Heian literature. EPIC might be an acronym or abbreviation for: Electronic Privacy Information Center Exchange Price Information Computer of the London Stock Exchange Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing Enhanced Programmable ircII Client - a chat client for Unix-like systems El Paso Intelligence Center End Poverty In California European Privatisation and Investment Corporation European... Jump to: navigation, search Bushido (Japanese: 武士道; bushidō, way of the warrior), is an ethical code of conduct, analogous to the European concept of Chivalry. ... The name Heian may mean: The Heian Period, an era of Japanese history. ...

The tale is roughly divided into three sections. The central figure of the first section is Taira no Kiyomori 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. After he dies the main figure of the third section is the great samurai, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a military genius who is falsely accused of treachery by his politically astute elder brother Minamoto no Yoritomo. Statue of Taira no Kiyomori, Miyajima, Hiroshima Prefecture Taira no Kiyomori (平 清盛 1118 - 1181) was a general of the late Heian period of Japan. ... Jump to: navigation, search Minamoto no Yoshinaka )(1154-1184) was a general of the late Heian Period of Japanese history. ... Yoshitsune and Benkei Viewing Cherry Blossoms, by Yoshitoshi Tsukioka, 1885 Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源 義経) (1159 - May 17, 1189) was a late Heian and early Kamakura period general of the Minamoto clan of Japan. ... Jump to: navigation, search Minamoto no Yoritomo (May 9, 1147 – February 9, 1199) was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura dynasty of Japan, who ruled from 1192 until 1199. ...

The Tale of the Heike has provided material for many later artistic works ranging from Noh plays to woodblock prints. Jump to: navigation, search Noh performance at Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima, Hiroshima Noh or No (Japanese: 能, nō) is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. ... Jump to: navigation, search Yuan dynasty woodblock edition of a Chinese play Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text or images used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China sometime between the mid-6th and late 9th centuries. ...

See also

• Genpei War
• Heiji Rebellion
• Kogo no Kyoku