Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature
- The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Contributors
- Book part
- A note on Romanization and conventions
- Glossary
- General introduction
- Part I The ancient period (beginnings to 794)
- Part II The Heian period (794–1185)
- Part III The medieval period (1185–1600)
- 21 Introduction to medieval literature
- 22 Japanese poetic thought, from earliest times to the thirteenth century
- 23 Shinkokin wakashū: The New Anthology of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poetry
- 24 Waka in the medieval period: patterns of practice and patronage
- 25 Hyakunin isshuand the popularization of classical poetry
- 26 Medieval recluse literature: Saigyō, Chōmei, and Kenkō
- 27 Medieval women’s diaries: fromTamakiwarutoTakemukigaki
- 28 Setsuwa (anecdotal) literature:Nihon ryōikitoKokon chomonjū
- 29 The rise of medieval warrior tales:Hōgen monogatariandHeiji monogatari
- 30 The Tales of the Heike
- 31 The late medieval warrior tales: fromSoga monogataritoTaiheiki
- 32 Literature of medieval Zen temples: Gozan (Five Mountains) and Ikkyū Sōjun
- 33 Renga (linked verse)
- 34 Noh drama
- 35 Noh drama theory from Zeami to Zenchiku
- 36 Kyōgen: comic plays that turn medieval society upside down
- 37 Late medieval popular fiction and narrated genres: otogizōshi, kōwakamai, sekkyō, and ko-jōruri
- Part IV The Edo period (1600–1867)
- Part V The modern period (1868 to present)
- Bibliography of English secondary sources and translations
- Index
29 - The rise of medieval warrior tales:Hōgen monogatariandHeiji monogatari
from Part III - The medieval period (1185–1600)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 January 2016
Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature
- The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Contributors
- Book part
- A note on Romanization and conventions
- Glossary
- General introduction
- Part I The ancient period (beginnings to 794)
- Part II The Heian period (794–1185)
- Part III The medieval period (1185–1600)
- 21 Introduction to medieval literature
- 22 Japanese poetic thought, from earliest times to the thirteenth century
- 23 Shinkokin wakashū: The New Anthology of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poetry
- 24 Waka in the medieval period: patterns of practice and patronage
- 25 Hyakunin isshuand the popularization of classical poetry
- 26 Medieval recluse literature: Saigyō, Chōmei, and Kenkō
- 27 Medieval women’s diaries: fromTamakiwarutoTakemukigaki
- 28 Setsuwa (anecdotal) literature:Nihon ryōikitoKokon chomonjū
- 29 The rise of medieval warrior tales:Hōgen monogatariandHeiji monogatari
- 30 The Tales of the Heike
- 31 The late medieval warrior tales: fromSoga monogataritoTaiheiki
- 32 Literature of medieval Zen temples: Gozan (Five Mountains) and Ikkyū Sōjun
- 33 Renga (linked verse)
- 34 Noh drama
- 35 Noh drama theory from Zeami to Zenchiku
- 36 Kyōgen: comic plays that turn medieval society upside down
- 37 Late medieval popular fiction and narrated genres: otogizōshi, kōwakamai, sekkyō, and ko-jōruri
- Part IV The Edo period (1600–1867)
- Part V The modern period (1868 to present)
- Bibliography of English secondary sources and translations
- Index
Summary
In general, war tales describe historical warfare and the lives of warriors and the people close to them. The main characters are heroic and often take on the hyperbolic dimensions. The earliest of the medieval war tales are the group describing the causes and effects of the Genpei War: Hogen monogatari, Heiji monogatari, and Heike monogatari. Together with Jokyuki, these tales concerning the formative years of the Kamakura period were sometimes considered as a four-part set that together narrates the consolidation of power under the Kamakura shogunate. Scholars often pair Hogen monogatari and Heiji monogatari because of their connected storylines, characters, and shared compositional and reception histories. Both tales consist of three chapters, and both seem to have been written after the Genpei War, as they open with statements pointing toward a shared endpoint and anticipate the events of the 1170s and 1180s as the destination of their narratives.
Keywords
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature , pp. 287 - 294Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2015