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.

Genres

Cast

Tatsuya Nakadai

Taira no Kiyomori

Michiyo Aratama

Gion no Nyogo

Ayako Wakao

Tokiwa Gozen

Osamu Takizawa

Shirakawa-in / Go-Shirakawa

Tamao Nakamura

Taira no Tokiko

Yoshiko Sakuma

Taira no Tokuko