Heike Monogatari
The Heike Monogatari ( Japanese 平 家 物語 , German stories from the Heike ) are an epic testimony to the struggle of the Minamoto and the Taira (Heike) for supremacy in Japan at the end of the 12th century.
The Kakuichi version, now considered the standard text, was written in 1371 on the basis of a collection of orally transmitted stories and is considered one of the greatest classics of medieval Japanese literature . It is a result of the Biwa-hōshi tradition of blind monks who traveled the country and recited epic poems while accompanying themselves on the biwa , a lute . The literary form of the monogatari is also passed down through other important works of Japanese literature.
The central theme of the story is the fall of the proud Taira , the samurai clan, who defeated the Minamoto , supported by the imperial court, in 1161 . However, they were so blinded in their hatred that they planted the seeds of their own doom and were finally defeated in 1185 by the revived Minamoto.
This is a very Buddhist theme - a moral lesson on the consequences of clinging to worldly desires.
Despite the complex and at times bloodthirsty nature of much of the epic, the overarching theme suggests that the work served in atonement for the souls of those who died in the great battles described.
The story consists of episodes that are designed to be told in a series of nightly events. It is mainly a samurai epic based on the ethics of Bushidō . However, it also contains some love stories that date back to older literature from the Heian period .
The work can be roughly divided into 3 parts. The main character of the first part is Taira no Kiyomori , who is described as arrogant, angry and reckless. He is so consumed by the fire of hatred that even in death his feverish body does not cool down when submerged in water.
The main character of the second part is the general Minamoto no Yoshinaka . After he dies, the main character of the third part is the great samurai Minamoto no Yoshitsune , a military genius who is falsely accused of treason by his politically more skilled older brother Minamoto no Yoritomo .
The Heike monogatari were the basis for many later works of art from Nō plays to block prints .
expenditure
There is no German translation.
- Helen Craig McCullough: The Tale of the Heike . Annotated edition. Stanford University Press, Stanford 1988. ISBN 0-8047-1418-5
See also
Web links
- Copies of various versions (Japanese)