A Glimpse at the Heiji monogatari emaki
The late Heian period saw a gradual weakening of the court aristocracy who became increasingly dependent upon warrior families to back them in their political struggles. Two main clans, the Taira, also known as the Heike, and the Minamoto, also known as the Genji, became aligned with different imperial court factions and emerged as main contenders for power in their own right amid the civil wars that broke out in the mid-twelfth century. A review of the handout "The Political Line-up in Kyoto, 1156-1160" is helpful to get the main players of these factions straight.
Beginning with the Hôgen Conflict (1156)--which actually pitted the father and son of the Minamoto clan against each other--and continuing through the Heiji Conflict (1159-60) and finally the Genpei War (1180-1185), the Taira and the Minamoto and their respective allies engaged in a struggle that resulted in a significant change in how power and governance would be organized throughout Japan's medieval period. This would be an age dominated by bushi, men-at-arms.
While The Tale of the Heike tells of the Taira defeat to the Minamoto in the Genpei War, The Tale of the Heiji War and the scroll painting based on it narrate the earlier victory of Taira Kiyomori, leader of the Heike. Emaki, or scroll painting, was a major art form in medieval Japan. It was ideal in depicting the flow of a story by linking scenes together in long scrolls that unrolled from left to right. The section of the Heiji monogatari emaki that you will now view is from the scene "The Burning of Sanjô Palace," in which the rebel leader, Minamoto Yoshitomo captures the retired emperor Go-Shirakawa before Taira Kiyomori returns to Kyoto to defeat him.