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Chapter 2

[1] The Exile of the Tendai Abbot---The head of the Tendai temple complex of Mt. Hiei is exiled by Go-Shirakawa as punishment for attacking the Capital. It is the friend of Go-Shirakawa Saiko, and his sons, Morotaka and Morotsune, who have convinced Go-Shirakawa that the abbot is the one responsible for the attacks.

Major characters

Archbishop Meiun, a Tendai sect abbot

Go-Shirakawa

Saiko, father of the problematic Morotaka and Morotsune

Section summary

Meiun, the abbot of the Mt. Hiei temple complex is banished. The Enryakuji monks (rightly) blame Saiko and his sons Morotaka and Morotsune. At the end of the section we find them descending their mountain in anger.

Reading notes

<57> "first year of Jisho"---1177

[2] The Matter of Holy Teacher Yixing---This section describes the recovery by the Enryakuji monks for their abbot from his place of exile. It then tells an illustrative story of a Chinese monk, Yixing, who was also unfairly charged with crimes.

Major characters

Angry Enryakuji monks

Meiun, their exiled abbot who was greatly popular

Section summary

The Enryakuji monks travel to the provinces where their abbot Meiun is living in exile and bring him home to Mt. Hiei.

The tale of the Chinese monk Yixing who served an emperor and was unfairly punished for crimes he did not do is told.

[3] The Execution of Saiko---With this episode we turn our attention away from the troubles with the Mt. Hiei monks. Someone who was part of the secret meetings at Shishi-no-tani where plots against the Taira were being fashioned has defected to the Taira side and told Kiyomori the names of the many individuals scheming against him. Beginning with the episode, many of these men will be tracked down and executed.

Major characters

"the former Abbot" = Meiun of the above several sections

Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa

Saiko, a close confidant to Go-Shirakawa, and his sons Morotsune and Morotaka who had instigated the difficulties with the Buddhists by their actions at the provincial temple of Shirayama

Fujiwara no Narichika, an ally of Go-Shirakawa. We read about him in Chapter 1, Section [13] "Shishi-no-tani" as the man thrown off the temple grounds for praying for an imperial appointment he was barred from receiving. He is one of the plotters at Shishi-no-tani. A Fujiwara closely allied to Go-Shirakawa, he is associated with the Taira as well via marriage.

Taira no Kiyomori, head of the Taira clan and de facto ruler of the country

Shunkan, the Buddhist bishop who had provided the location for the secret Shishi-no-tani meetings.

Section summary

Go-Shirakawa is angry that Abbot Meiun has been returned to Mt. Hiei despite the imperial edict banishing him.

Go-Shirakawa and his cohorts such as Saiko and Narichika meet to discuss what to do.

One of their group, Yukitsuna [in earlier sections he should be listed as Yukitsuna], panics and betrays them to Kiyomori.

Based on the information from this defector, Kiyomori arrests many of the men plotting his downfall, including Saiko, Narichika and Bishop Shunkan who had provided the location for the meetings.

Saiko and his sons Morotsune and Morotaka, among others of his family, are executed.

[4] The Lesser Admonition---Narichika is imprisoned and at the point of execution by Kiyomori when Kiyomori's son intercedes on his behalf, thus the "lesser admonition"(or punishment) is administered. Kiyomori's hot-headedness is contrasted with his son's more politic mind in this section. The theme that the mighty fall is also underlined.

Major characters

Narichika, close associated of Go-Shirakawa and important to the plot against the Taira

Kiyomori, now retired from official public service but still wielding tremendous power, sometimes at odds to his son Shigemori

Shigemori, who is coming into his own as clan head. Also, he is married to Narichika's younger sister [marked as within the Taira clan because as a warrior's wife all her actions must show complete obedience to her husband regardless of personal feelings], one of the reasons he shows mercy in Narichika's case.

Koremori, Shigemori's son

Section summary

The captured Narichika is tortured by Kiyomori and nearing the moment of his execution when Shigemori arrives on the scene, cools Kiyomori down with his thoughtful take on the situation, and spares Narichika's life.

Narichika's wife and children, believing he will be executed, flee the family estate.

Reading notes

<67> "Novice Kiyomori"---Called "novice" because he has now taken Buddhist vows, having officially retired from public government service. This has not, however, not changed his real authority over the government.

[5] A Successful Plea for the Lesser Captain---Narichika's son is spared, again due to an intervention by a Taira who has marriage connections with the anti-Taira plotter

Major characters

"Lesser Captain" = Fujiwara no Naritsune, Narichika's son and designated heir, and in service to Go-Shirakawa and one of the plotters against the Taira

Norimori, Kiyomori's younger brother but also father-in-law of Naritsune.

Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa

Section summary

Naritsune is taken into custody. Norimori successfully pleas, by threatening to take Buddhist orders, with Kiyomori to save his life.

[6] The Admonition---In a classic Confucian scene of a loyal advisor speaking the hard truth to his lord, Shigemori, son of the extremely angered Kiyomori, makes considerable progress in convincing Kiyomori not to march against Go-Shirakawa.

Major characters

Kiyomori, now retired but still wielding considerable power

Shigemori, now a minister of state and a more compelling leader than his father both because of the morality of his actions, his wisdom, and the political reality that over the decades it will be him, not his father, to whom clan members will have to answer

Section summary

Shigemori tries to convince Kiyomori not to attempt to capture and put under house arrest Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa.

[7] The Matter of the Signal Fires-Shigemori, in a show of force, calls his supporters to arms. More than 10,000 warriors gather quickly at his request. The signal fires are part of a story told of a Chinese ruler who abused the use of signal fires to entertain his consort. Eventually the fires were needed in a real emergency but went ignored.

Section summary

Shigemori threatens to defend Go-Shirakawa against Kiyomori if necessary. In a show of force he calls on all who are loyal to him to bear arms. All side with Shigemori, not Kiyomori, making it clear who has full control of military options.

[8] The Exile of the Major Counselor---Narichika is exiled. This section is aligned with other sections such as "Gio" that focus on the sadness individuals with tragic fates feel.

Major characters

"Major Counselor" = Fujiwara no Narichika, who plotted with Go-Shirakawa against the Taira, but whose younger sister is also married to the powerful Taira no Shigemori.

Section summary

Narichika, who is still unsure whether he is to be killed, or exiled, laments leaving the Capital from which he has been banished. He departs.

[9] The Pine of Akoya---Naritsune is banished to the same province as his father Narichika, but they cannot meet.

Major characters

Fujiwara no Naritsune, Narichika's son and one of the anti-Taira plotters

Norimori, Kiyomori's younger brother but also father-in-law to Naritsune.

Section summary

Naritsune is banished by the Taira to a location near his father Narichika, but he is not allowed to see him.

[10] The Death of the Major Counselor---Narichika is finally executed in one of the cruelest ways were read of in this story.

Major characters

Shunkan, the bishop who provided the meeting place for the plotters

Naritsune, Narichika's son

Narichika, close advisor to Go-Shirakawa, and man of great rank

Narichika's wife, who fled when she heard of her husband's capture

Section summary

Narichika's wife successfully gets a letter to her husband and he is able to reply. This communication channel is established by an official so loyal to Narichika that he is willing to risk his life to carry the letters. Soon after this letter exchange, however, Narichika is executed, being pushed to his death over the edge of a cliff onto spikes below.

[11] The Matter of Tokudaiji---A discontent official, Sanesada, manages to gain favor with the Taira by honoring the shrine of the Taira clan. This story is told to contrast with the strategy of the discontent Narichika, whose rebellious choices led to his death. This section provides a transition for a while away from the various punishments of the anti-Taira plotters.

Major characters

Fujiwara no Sanesada, who, as mentioned in Chapter 1, Section [12] "Shishi-no-tani," has been passed over for an imperial appointment he expected

Section summary

Sanesada, following the clever advice of a colleague, gains a much desired political appointment by flattering Kiyomori in an indirect way and letting others inform Kiyomori of his actions.

[12] The Destruction of the Enryakuji: The Worker-Monk Battles---These next several sections take up once again the troubles with the Enryakuji monks. Miidera is an enormous temple complex different from, and in rivalry with, the Enryakuji complex at Mt. Hiei. It seems obvious from the drift of this section that the worker-monks are associated with Miidera and the scholar-monks with Enryakuji. It is true that Enryakuji was a major teaching institution. (Its sect, Tendai, claims to have the answers for where all different Buddhist sects, should be, etc.) In any event, Enryakuji is in trouble.

Major characters

Archbishop Koken of Miidera, a temple complex in rivalry with Enryakuji, whose monks are still angry with Go-Shirakawa

Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa, probably looking for allies among the Miidera monks

Section summary

Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa elects to have certain ceremonies at Miidera that have traditionally be done at Enryakuji, exacerbating the ill feelings these two temple complexes have for one another.

Fighting ensues between worker-monks (associated, I believe, with Miidera) and scholar-monks, associated with Enryakuji.

Though Kiyomori helps the Enryakuji monks, they still lose.

[13] The Destruction of the Enryakuji---Enryakuji falls into decline.

Section summary

Enryakuji's abandoned grounds are movingly described. Its decline is set in the context of the general decline of Buddhist law.

[14] The Burning of the Zenkoji---Another temple, Zenkoji, is destroyed by fire. This is not necessarily the result of arson as the English title might suggest. The point is that an important Buddhist statue has been lost to fire and perhaps all these troubles with Buddhist institutions portends trouble for the rulers of the day, the Heike. (In Chinese thought, good rulers receive the mandate from heave to rule and evil rulers do not, so natural disasters are blamed on bad rulers.)

Section summary

Zenkoji burns, taking with it a highly esteemed set of Buddhist statues. People wonder if this might foreshadow the fall of the Taira.

[15] Yasuyori's Prayer---We return now to the fate of those who Kiyomori captured and punished when he learned of the coup plot against him. Two of the anti-Taira plotters who have been exiled have turned to religion. This section is especially famous for something The Tale of Heike in its entirely is famous for, namely, grand description of natural scenes. The prayer quoted herein is also known for its particularly beautiful language.

Major characters

Yasuyori, an anti-Taira plotter who now takes tonsure

Naritsune, son of the cruelly executed Narichika (Chapter 2, Section [10])

Shunkan, a bishop who aided the plotters

*All the above individuals used to be colored as supporters of Go-Shirakawa, but they have given up their political agenda and turned to Buddhism.

Section summary

Yasuyori and Naritsune have turned to Buddhism.

Yasuyori beautifully describes his place of exile, and recites a moving prayer known for its excellent style.

[16] Stupas Cast Afloat---Yasuyori's deep religious devotion is again described with approval. Even Kiyomori is moved.

Major characters

Yasuyori, once an anti-Taira plotter, now a devout Buddhist

Section summary

Yasuyori's devotion as expressed by his making of Buddhist stupas is admired by many, including Go-Shirakawa and Kiyomori.

[17] Su Wu---Yasuyori's Buddhist devotion is approvingly associated with the devotion a Chinese subject, Su Wu, once showed to his ruler. Both men survived under the most challenging of circumstances.

Major characters

Yasuyori, once an anti-Taira plotter, now a devout Buddhist

Section summary

Yasuyori's stupas incredibly find their way to Kiyomori.

A tale from China about a general, Su Wu, who suffered greatly but somehow survives only to be fantastically rewarded for his unflagging devotion to his leader in the latters years of his life.