The Tale of the Heike

The Tale of the Heike (平家物語, Heike Monogatari) is a classic Japanese martial epic that recounts the conflict between the Taira (Heike) and Minamoto (Genji) clans in the late 12th century, a civil war known as the Genpei War (1180–1185). It is a masterpiece of Japanese literature, comparable in cultural impact to The Iliad, and explores profound Buddhist themes of impermanence, karmic justice, and the fall of the mighty.