The Tale of the Heike is a "historical document," not a novel. The author, who has overturned numerous accepted theories, takes a multifaceted approach to portraying the humanity of the late Heian period. He presents a new way of reading the Tale of the Heike and explores the truth hidden behind it.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Rise and Fall of the Taira Clan
The Rise of the Taira Clan
The Power of the Taira Clan
The Wealth of the Taira Clan
The Taira Clan and the Seto Inland Sea
Chapter 2: Human Profiles in the Genpei Period
Taira no Kiyomori
Taira no Shigemori
Gion and Taira no Munemori
The Life of Minamoto no Yoritomo
Yoritomo as Depicted in the Tale of the Heike
Genpei Warlords
Kajiwara no Kagetoki
Kojiro in Action
The "Benkei Envoy" and the Benkei Legend
Inoue Yasushi's "Go-Shirakawa-in"
Chapter 3: The World of the Tale of the Heike
The Truth and Fiction of the Tale of the Heike
The Change of Aristocrats and Samurai
Military Tales and Historical Facts
Kuroita Katsumi's "The Legend of Yoshitsune"
Genpei Historical Sites in Kyoto
Chapter 4: The Genpei War and Regional History
The Genpei War in Omi
The Genpei War and the Seto Inland Sea
The Genpei War and Kishu
List of First Publications
