Synopses & Reviews
The Tales of the Heike is one of the most important works in Japanese literature, second only to The Tale of Genji in its influence. Originally written in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, it re-creates the story of the epic civil war that changed the course of Japanese history. This new, abridged translation of The Tales of the Heike includes the work's most memorable episodes. Burton Watson, a renowned translator of Japanese literature, offers a remarkably clear and gripping rendering of the text.
The Tales of the Heike focuses on the lives of the samurai warriors who fought for two great twelfth-century Japanese clans: the Heike ( Taira) and the Genji ( Minamoto). It takes the reader from the fury of the battlefields to the intrigue of the imperial court. A cast of vivid characters fills the pages of The Tales of the Heike, including enlightened soldiers, ambitious clan leaders, and a retired emperor who continues to wield his influence. The narrative also recounts the stories of women, Buddhists priests, and other non-samurai characters. Although a military epic, The Tales of the Heike has strong Buddhist overtones and offers explorations of the impermanence of time, the sin of pride, and other philosophical issues that have dominated the Japanese imagination.
Without sacrificing attention to the nuances of the work, Watson provides a version of The Tales of the Heike that is far more accessible to the general reader than previous translations. This edition also contains a critical introduction, mini-introductions to the book's sections, woodblock illustrations, and a character glossary.
Synopsis
The Tales of the Heike is one of the most influential works in Japanese literature and culture, remaining even today a crucial source for fiction, drama, and popular media. Originally written in the mid-thirteenth century, it features a cast of vivid characters and chronicles the epic Genpei war, a civil conflict that marked the end of the power of the Heike and changed the course of Japanese history.
The Tales of the Heike focuses on the lives of both the samurai warriors who fought for two powerful twelfth-century Japanese clans-the Heike (Taira) and the Genji (Minamoto)-and the women with whom they were intimately connected.
The Tales of the Heike provides a dramatic window onto the emerging world of the medieval samurai and recounts in absorbing detail the chaos of the battlefield, the intrigue of the imperial court, and the gradual loss of a courtly tradition. The book is also highly religious and Buddhist in its orientation, taking up such issues as impermanence, karmic retribution, attachment, and renunciation, which dominated the Japanese imagination in the medieval period.
In this new, abridged translation, Burton Watson offers a gripping rendering of the work's most memorable episodes. Particular to this translation are the introduction by Haruo Shirane, the woodblock illustrations, a glossary of characters, and an extended bibliography.
Synopsis
Originally written in the mid-thirteenth century, "The Tales of the Heike" chronicles the epic Genpei war, a civil conflict that marked the end of the power of the Heike clan and changed the course of Japanese history. Featuring a vivid cast of characters, the book depicts the emerging world of the medieval samurai and recounts in absorbing detail the chaos of the battlefield, the intrigue of the imperial court, and the gradual loss of courtly tradition. This new, abridged translation presents the work's most gripping episodes and includes woodblock illustrations, a glossary of characters, and an extended bibliography.