What are Japanese War Tales?

Gunki monogatari, or Japanese war tales, are fictionalized accounts of battles of the Heian, Kamakura, and Muromachi periods that played a role in creating those attitudes amongst later generations of warriors.

Is the Heike Monogatari a real story?

The Heike Monogatari (known in English as the Tale of the Heike) belongs to the genre of Japanese war tales, which can be described as 'literary histories' that combined some factual information with much fiction.

When was the Heike Monogatari written?

The tale exists in many different versions. The most commonly used one dates from 1371, about 200 years after the events described in the story.

Japanese War Tales

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Definition

War tales (gunki monogatari) is a genre of historical writing that developed in Japan from the Heian Period (794-1185) to the Muromachi Period (1333-1573). They form an important element in the development of the Japanese literary tradition, as they provide information about the various wars in Japan and became an important source of stories that were reused and popularized by subsequent generations of writers and dramatists.

More about: Japanese War Tales

Timeline

794 - 1185
The Heian Period in ancient Japan.
1180 - 1185
The Genpei War in Japan between the Taira and Minamoto clans.
1185 - 1333
The Kamakura period in Japan.
c. 1218
The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari) is first published in Japan.
1333 - 1336
The Kenmu Restoration when the Japanese emperor Go-Daigo uses rebel warlords to oust the Kamakura Shogunate.
1333 - 1573
The Muromachi period of medieval Japan.