The Tales Of The Heike (translations From The Asian Classics)

THE TALES OF THE HEIKE translations from the asian classics THE TALES OF THE HEIKE Translated by Burton Watson Edited, with an Introduction, by Haruo Shirane columbia university press new york Columbia University Press Publishers Since 1893 New York Chichester, West Sussex Copyright © 2006 Columbia University Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Heike monogatari. English. Selections. The tales of the Heike/translated by Burton Watson ; edited, with an introduction, by Haruo Shirane. p. cm. — ( Translations from the Asian classics) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-231-13802-4 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Taira family—Fiction. I. Watson, Burton. PL790.H42 ISBN 0-231-51083-7 (electronic) 2. Japan—History—Gempei Wars, 1180–1185—Fiction. II. Shirane, Haruo. III. Title. IV. Series. 2006 895.6'32—dc22 2005034245 Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper. Printed in the United States of America Designed by Chang Jae Lee c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS Preface and Acknowledgments INTRODUCTION BOOK ONE ix 1 9 The Bells of Gion Monastery 9 Night Attack at Courtiers’ Hall 10 The Sea Bass 14 Page-Boy Cuts 15 Kiyomori’s Flowering Fortunes 15 Gio¯ 16 B O O K T WO 28 The Admonition 29 Signal Fires 33 The Death of the Senior Counselor Yasuyori’s Prayer 35 BOOK THREE 37 The Pardon 37 The Foot-Drumming 40 Ario¯ 43 The Death of Shunkan 47 34 vi contents BOOK FOUR 51 The Battle at the Bridge BOOK FIVE 58 The Burning of Nara BOOK SIX 58 65 The Death of Kiyomori BOOK SEVEN 51 65 72 Sanemori 72 Tadanori Leaves the Capital 75 The Flight from Fukuhara 77 BOOK EIGHT BOOK NINE 82 83 The Death of Lord Kiso 83 The Old Horse 89 The Attack from the Cliff 93 The Death of Tadanori 95 The Capture of Shigehira 97 The Death of Atsumori 98 BOOK TEN 101 Regarding the Precepts 101 Senju-no-mae 105 Yokobue 109 Koremori Becomes a Monk 113 Koremori Drowns Himself 117 BOOK ELEVEN 122 The Death of Tsuginobu 122 Nasu no Yoichi 126 The Lost Bow 130 The Cockfights and the Battle of Dan-no-ura 133 contents Far-Flying Arrows 137 The Drowning of the Former Emperor B O O K T W E LV E 144 The Execution of Rokudai T H E I N I T I AT E S ’ B O O K 144 148 The Imperial Lady Becomes a Nun 148 ¯ hara 151 The Move to O ¯ hara 153 The Retired Emperor Visits O The Six Paths of Existence 160 The Death of the Imperial Lady 165 Glossary of Characters Bibliography 195 171 141 vii P R E FA C E A N D A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S The Tales of the Heike is one of the great literary classics of Japan, the subject of countless plays, narratives, and films, but it has not been as popular outside Japan as have such works as The Tale of Genji. One reason for the lack of attention is the difficulty in following the text, which is long and highly episodic and contains hundreds of names, places, and events. We hope to have overcome these hurdles with this abridged edition, concentrating on the most important and famous episodes while also linking them in such a way as to give the reader an overall vision of the extended narrative. The glossary, compiled by Michael Watson, should help identify the many minor and major characters and their relati