The Taiheiki is a chronicle (gunki monogatari) detailing events in medieval Japan. Although around forty chapters long, only the first twelve chapters have been translated into English. (They have also been abridged, because according to the translator, there was a lot of extraneous local history) Anyway, the record opens during the Kamakura period. As in much of Japanese history, the emperor is a puppet controlled by a powerful clan, in this case, the Hojo family, descendants of the Taira, who are based out of Kamakura, meaning it’s quite a commute from there to the capital. Go-Daigo, the emperor, is tired of this, and with the help of his son, the Tendai abbot, loyal retainers, and various opportunists, attempts to strike down the Hojo shogun and take up the reins of the state. After quite a few setbacks, he succeeds in restoring himself to the throne. But, this is only the first twelve chapters. Much of the later story, involving the activity of Ashigaka, a Minamoto descendant who betrays the Hojo to aid the emperor, then turns against the emperor, initiating a split of the Imperial house into Northern and Southern Courts, is missing. In many ways, the story is difficult to follow for those who are not well versed in the history of this time, and unless you’re a Japanese history major, that’s probably you. It’s certainly me.

The Taiheiki was probably compiled by a Buddhist monk, and indeed, the text shows a strong Buddhist influence. During the time, the Buddhist temples wielded vast influence, not only because of the respect for Buddhism or the belief that if you pissed off Buddhist monks they might curse you or send you to Buddhist hell, but because they had vast lands, and therefore a lot of cash. And in those troubled times, they used that cash to support hordes of warrior monks. Everyone was afraid of the monks of Mount Hiei. Anyway, within the narrative, there are many references to acts of Buddhist piety by the warriors, references to Buddhist philosophy, and Buddhist interpretations of events; for example, as a warrior commits suicide in the face of certain defeat, after his children and wife have also committed suicide by jumping into a pool of water, the text says that he went to a Buddhist hell because of his inability to separate himself from his attachment to his family.

The story is generally very episodic, and vast numbers of characters pop in and out of the foreground. We are treated to many scenes where samurai rush to be the first into battle, so they may perish leaving their names forever. Although warfare is often conducted in a pragmatic manner (Kusunoki, one of the heroes of the tale, actually intelligently fakes his own suicide and that of his retainers so that he may escape a seige and live to fight another day), we also have many cases of warriors “not cherishing life” (a phrase oft repeated throughout the text. It’s a positive thing in the culture of the time, BTW) and rushing off alone into enemy lines simply for the purpose of dying gloriously, or burning down temples in order to restore them. The story is also loaded with interesting anecdotes, such as tales from the Chinese classics, such as the story of the king Gou Jian, who lived through disgrace for the sake of vengeance, or more contemporary Japanese examples, such as the story of the god of the Tenmangu Jingu, Michizane, who after his death in unjust exile, continued to harass the emperor in many frightening ways, even after he apologized and attempted to propitiate him, until the emperor posthumously promoted him.

There’s only one translation available, and I’m not really competent to judge it, given that I can’t read medieval Japanese. I must say, though, certain archaic phrases (probably chosen in order to give that impression?) are repeated at great length throughout the text, to the point where I wondered what the phrase they were a translation of was in Japanese. There are also copious and helpful footnotes. In general, though, if you want Japanese war epics, I would advise you to read the Heike Monogatari instead. The Genpei (Taira (or Heike) vs. Genji (or Minamoto)) wars are better known and less confusing, as well as having much more literary influence. I would say that the atmosphere and beauty of the Heike Monogatari is much stronger, too. Also, if you dislike the rather disjointed narrative of these texts, however, I’d advise you to read the more novelistic Romance of the Three Kingdoms.