|
|
Article: The tale of the Heike.(portraying military history of Japan)
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- January 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The Tale of the Heike is Japan's most famous war story. Composed during the 14th century, it is an account of the Genpei War (see pages 4-5), focusing on the fall of the Taira family. Although the conflict actually had many causes, the Tale of the Heike portrays the war as a heroic clash between two great warrior lineages, the Minamoto and the Taira.
The Tale of the Heike has been described as "Japan's epic," because it shares some characteristics with similar works of the Western world, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey by the ancient Greek poet Homer. Like the Iliad, the Tale of the Heike portrays a war and glorifies the actions of great warriors on the ...