Heike Monogatari

Author: Unknown, Japan (JP)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-12-01
Features: Heike Monogatari is a long historical novel from the Kamakura period of Japan in the 13th century. It depicts the struggle for power between the two major samurai groups, the Minamoto and the Taira, from 1156 to 1185. Because it reflects the historical transition of Japanese society from slavery to feudalism, records significant historical events, and is vividly written with both refined and popular appeal, it was widely sung by performers playing the shamisen. Later, theater forms such as Noh, Bunraku, and Kabuki often adapted stories from it for their scripts. As a result, this work became extremely popular, with its main characters nearly household names.