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QINGDAO TODAY
在线翻译:
szdaily -> Speak Shenzhen -> 
The Tale of the Heike
    2020-01-02  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

James Baquet

One of Japan’s most famous epics is the “Heike Monogatari,” or “Tale of the Heike,” which tells of the struggle between the Minimoto (Genji) and Taira (or Heike) clans. When one takes the first syllable of each name, the conflict is called the Genpei War (1180-1185), “pei” being another pronunciation of “hei.” (The name of the war is also sometimes spelled “Gempei.”)

The story has been compared to “The Iliad,” though this is a very rough comparison. For one thing, the source material of the Heike story is strictly historical, where the Iliad’s Trojan War is shrouded in legend.

The Genpei War was a civil war between two ruling powers, which ended with the victory of the Minamoto and the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate, which lasted from 1185 to 1333. A shogun is a military ruler who reigns in place of the emperor. The Kamakura Shogunate was followed by the Ashikaga Shogunate (1336-1573) and the renowned Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1868), which was based in Edo (now Tokyo).

In 1180, a lord named Taira no Kiyomori put his 2-year-old grandson Antoku on the throne as emperor, after Emperor Takakura had abdicated. Mochihito, son of another former emperor, felt cheated of his rightful place and allied with Minamoto no Yorimasa in an effort to retake the throne. Alas, Mochihito and Yorimasa both died in the attempt.

But another Minamoto, Yoritomo, stepped in and continued the effort to unseat the Taira candidate. The war sputtered off and on for a couple of years, until in 1183, the Taira found themselves besieged in Kyoto. As Minamoto armies approached from both the north and the east, the Taira fled to the west. The cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa (Mochihito’s father), who though he had abdicated still wielded great power, took the side of the Minamoto.

Meanwhile, there was infighting amongst the Minamoto for who would ultimately be in control. This squabble continued as they pursued the Taira. Nevertheless, Kyoto came under Minamoto control. In the final battle, a naval engagement at Dan-no-Ura in the straits between Honshu and Kyushu, the Minamoto vanquished the Taira.

If the Taira/Heike lost, why is the epic named after them? Well, the Japanese always did love a good tragedy.

Vocabulary:

Which word above means:

1. hidden

2. remove from office

3. beat once and for all

4. proceeded sporadically

5. famous

6. extended family

7. gave up power

8. absolutely, 100 percent

9. piece of a word

10. rivalry within a group

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