ABSTRACT
This tale of the twelfth-century conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans is historical fiction that first circulated as vocal literature with the purpose of pacifying the angry spirits of the defeated Taira warriors. The chapter covers the years, beginning with the Taira clan chieftain Tadamori, who allied himself with the powerful retired emperor Toba and was able to raise his clan above its provincial warrior origins and gain entry to the aristocracy. It focuses on resistance to Taira rule in the 1170s and the armed conflict against them that lasted from 1180 to 1185. The chapter concludes with the peaceful death of Kiyomori's daughter, who spent her final years mourning her young son, Emperor Antoku. One of the major motifs in the tale is that the Taira had taken up aristocratic pastimes such as poetry and music while the Minamoto were rough and tough, closer to their military roots.
