One of the jewels of the Japanese prose presented in this translation from the commonly accepted final version of Kakuichi.

There is probably no other work more influential in the Japanese literature than the one presented here. It is a must read book should you want to learn about the Japanese medieval history and mentality. This work is presented in it's original tale genre of monogatari 物語 (story telling) but in order to get the best of your reading pleasure it is important to understand that this work was conceived to be played along with an instrument called the Heike Biwa 平家琵琶 resembling what it could be ancient epic poems by minstrels in the medieval Europe.

The tale is about the struggle between the clans of Minamoto and Taira for the control of Japan during the XII century, in the Heian period (794-1185). A period where the samurai spirt, the bushidō, flourished.

This version of the Heike is superb and indeed reveals to English-language readers for the first time the full scope, grandeur, and literary richness of the work as a masterpiece of medieval writing.—Journal of Asian Studies

The Tale of Heike

Versión en español