Taira clan

Introduction to Chapter One: Atsumori, Ikuta, and Tsunemasa.

In the eleventh century two powerful clans, the Taira and the Minamoto, contended for mastery.

In 1181 Kiyomori, the chief of the Tairas, died, and from that time their fortunes declined.

In 1183 they were forced to flee from Kyoto, carrying with them the infant emperor.

After many hardships and wanderings they camped on the shores of Suma, where they were protected by their fleet.

Chorus: He bids the flowers of spring mount the treetop that men may raise their eyes and walk on upward paths.

He bids the moon in autumn waves be drowned in token that he visits laggard men and leads them out from valleys of despair.

Atsumori: Now the clan of Taira, building wall to wall, spread over the earth like the leafy branches of a great tree.

And for a while, a great time was had until two clans got a little bit too big for the britches.

The Taira and the Minamoto were the ones with the real power by the 1180s.

Basically, all of Japan was split into these two samurai clans.

Even if you weren't like blood related, you could still be considered a member through your alliances.

Tomoe was not simply described as a standalone out lone wolf fighter.

She was seemingly a great leader as well, taking mounted cavalry, Jesus Christ, cavalry, into battle at Tonamiyama in 1183, where she led 1,000 cavalry into victory.

And at the Battle of Uchidenohama, she led 300 against 6,000 Taira cavalry and was one of the five who survived the battle.

that woman had labia of steel and i don't know who we can contact in hollywood but that is a 300 movie that i would watch sparta i'm done i've had enough of them all right if anyone has zack schneider's number please let me know please let him know that he has an audience for that movie over literally any other historical movie coming out.

The violence and instability of the warring states period long predated his birth.

Its roots lay in the late 12th century conflict between rival noble clans, principally the Taira and the Minamoto.

In the year 1185, the Minamoto clan eliminated their Taira enemies and established the first shogunate, or military dictatorship, with Minamoto Yoritomo as its leader.

The shogunate system itself would last for 700 years.

The Daimyo Regional feudal lords swore loyalty to the emperor, who was largely a ceremonial and religious figure.

The story of Miminashi Hoichi by Lefkari O'Hearn.

More than 700 years ago, at Dano-Ora, in the Straits of Shimonoseki, was fought the last battle of the long contest between the Heike, or Taira clan, and the Genji, or Minamoto clan.

There, the Heike perished utterly, with their women and children, and their infant emperor likewise, now remembered as Antoku Teno, and that sea and shore have been haunted for 700 years.

Elsewhere I told you about the strange crabs found there, called Heike crabs, which have human faces on their backs and are said to be the spirits of the Heike warriors.

That's right, Genpei boy.

Okay, between the rival Minamoto, Genji, and Taira, which is the Heike? Am I saying that right? Samurai clans?

Yeah, yeah.

Okay, so two of the most common firefly species are literally named after these warlords.

I'm so sleepy.

The belligerents were the Minamoto clan and the Taira clan.

The Minamoto clan fielded 140 ships, 1,000 cavalry, and 30,000 horses.

And it is unknown what the Taira clan fielded.

In short, there's this bow shot.

Let me see.

And just as the nobles of Europe had a family coat of arms, so did the nobles of Japan adopt some flower or animal by which the members of their family or clan could be known.

The three principal clans at this time were the Fujiwara, whose emblem was the blue wisteria, the Minamoto, with the white gentian as emblem, and the Taira, whose coat of arms was a red butterfly.

The head of each clan was usually called by the clan name.

At first, the Fujiwara clan held the power behind the throne, and the head of this house was the man who for a long time selected the emperor or made him retire to a cloister, according to his docility in obeying the orders of the Fujiwara.

All the offices among the people were occupied by members of this clan, that is, all the civil offices, for the army was in command of two other clans.

The Minamoto clan was entrusted with the subduing of the independent tribes in the northern part of Hondo, and, after many years of fighting, succeeded.

The Taira were engaged in destroying the pirates who infested the inland sea, that is, the sea between Hondo, Shikoku, and Kyushu.

But after the pirates had disappeared and the whole of the island of Hondo had been brought under the rule of the Tenno, the Minamoto and Taira returned to the capital, and when they saw the influence and power of the Fujiwara, they became very jealous.

Atsumori Ikuta and Tsunemasa.

In the 11th century two powerful clans, the Taira and the Minamoto, contended for mastery.

In 1181 Kiyomori, the chief of the Tairas, died, and from that time their fortunes declined.

In 1183 they were forced to flee from Kyoto, carrying with them the infant emperor.

After many hardships and wanderings they camped on the shores of Suma, where they were protected by their fleet.

Chorus: He bids the flowers of spring mount the treetop that men may raise their eyes and walk on upward paths.

He bids the moon in autumn waves be drowned in token that he visits laggard men and leads them out from valleys of despair.

Atsumori: Now the clan of Taira, building wall to wall, spread over the earth like the leafy branches of a great tree.

He found his way north to Hiraizumi and the protection of a powerful regional lord named Fujiwara no Hidehira, and there he waited.

His moment came in 1180 when his older half-brother Yoritomo raised the Minamoto banners against the rival Taira clan in the conflict we now call the Genpei War.

Yoshitsune rode to join him, and what followed made his name.

At the Battle of Ichinotani in 1184, he supposedly led a cavalry charge straight down a cliff face the enemy thought impassable.

He repeated these daring acts numerous times over the course of the conflict and earned himself a reputation as a great commander who led from the front.

In 1185, in the narrow straits at Danno-Ura, he shattered the Taira fleet and ended the Genpei War outright.

He was hailed as a hero, and that's where the problems came for him, because winning on the battlefield turned out to be the easy part.

Yoshitsune's problem was his brother, the man he commanded forces under.

The Story of Miminashi-Hoichi by Lafcadio Hearn, read by Mark Nelson.

More than 700 years ago, at Dan-no-ura, in the Straits of Shimonoseki, was fought the last battle of the long contest between the Heike, or Taira clan, and the Genji, or Minamoto clan.

There the Heike perished utterly, with their women and children, and their infant emperor likewise, now remembered as Antoku Tenno.

And that sea and shore have been haunted for 700 years.