Taira no Kiyomori

Taira no Kiyomori 2012

7.80

Villain or hero, Taira no Kiyomori changed Japanese history forever 900 years ago. Without ever knowing his real father, Kiyomori was raised as a samurai. Together with his stepfather, he wiped out piracy along Japan's western coast, becoming a full-fledged warrior samurai. In an age when samurai were looked down on as members of the lower class, Kiyomori was skillful at winning the hearts and minds of the people. By rounding up surrendered pirates and achieving other successes, Kiyomori eventually became the de facto ruler of Japan.

2012

Kusa Moeru

Kusa Moeru 1979

7.00

The story chronicles the life of Hōjō Masako during the Kamakura Period.

1979

The Heike Story

The Heike Story 2022

7.50

A young orphan named Biwa is taken in by the powerful Taira Clan—also known as the Heike—after their leader witnesses her extraordinary psychic abilities. Unfortunately, what she predicts is a future of bloodshed, violence, and civil war. Inspired by the 12th-century epic tale Heike Monogatari.

2022

Historical Puppet Spectacle: The Tale of the Heike

Historical Puppet Spectacle: The Tale of the Heike 1993

10.00

A stop-motion animated TV series based on the novel by Eiji Yoshikawa, featuring puppet art by Kihachirō Kawamoto. This is a historical picture scroll depicting various human characters, breathtaking battles and political struggles from the rise to fall of the Heike clan.

1993

Shin Heike Monogatari

Shin Heike Monogatari 1972

10.00

Set at the end of the 12th century when several wars for control of Japan disrupted a long era of peace, this tale of "Heike" (another name for the Taira clan) focuses on Taira Kiyomori who fights alongside other members of his clan to at first successfully overcome the Minamoto clan and their bid for power. Battles and intrigue abound, as the puppet Emperor and Buddhist monks take sides in the power struggle. At issue is Kiyomori's parentage, not an unusual problem for the nobility in that era where clandestine liaisons among courtiers and the upper classes were common.

1972