Heike Monogatari

Author: Zhou Zuoren
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-01-01
Features: The "Bitter Rain Studio Translation Series" reflects the main achievements of translator Zhou Zuoren. It should also be noted that most of the works in this series (except for "The Greek Elegies," "The God of Wealth," "Iones," "Electra," and "The Phoenician Women," which only survive in printed form) were published based on the translators' manuscripts, restoring parts that were deleted in previous printings. Only on this basis can one truly discuss Zhou Zuoren's translation achievements.
Zhou Zuoren was a writer, thinker, and also a translator. For the audience (whether critics or readers) to accept all these identities at once is probably not an easy task. As a result, the thinker Zhou Zuoren is overshadowed by the writer Zhou Zuoren, and the translator Zhou Zuoren is further overshadowed by the writer and thinker Zhou Zuoren. To date, "Translator Zhou Zuoren" has only recently caught the attention of scholars, and what has been discussed still seems superficial. Zhou Zuoren's translations account for nearly half of his total works, and they should not be taken lightly. Although most of them are classical, they are not easily appreciated in modern times. If one wishes to study them, the requirements for researchers are higher than for other types of studies—at the very least, they must be proficient in two foreign languages: Greek and Japanese. As for us launching this "Bitter Rain Studio Translation Series," it is merely to provide some convenience for those who wish to read and plan to study these works. Yet, that is enough for our aspirations.
"The Tale of the Heike" is a representative work of Japanese war chronicles.
The book narrates the struggle for power between the two major samurai clans, the Minamoto and the Taira, from 1156 to 1185, with the complete destruction of the Taira clan as the ultimate outcome.