Tale of the Heike The

Product Description

'Tadamori went to the palace, a large dagger thrust loosely beneath his robes, faced the room's shadowy depths, softly drew it and held it to his sidelocks. It gleamed like ice. Every gentleman present stared, wide-eyed.'

The Tale of the Heike is the epic story of the warring Heike and Genji clans. Assembled from scattered oral poems in early-fourteenth-century Japan, it portrays magnificent battles, aristocratic society and street life, as well as giving universal insights into love, loss and loyalty. Royall Tyler's new translation is the first to capture the way The Tale of the Heike was originally performed, re-creating this oral work in its full operatic form. With woodcut illustrations, character guides, genealogies and rich annotation, this is a landmark edition of Japan's great martial epic.

Newly translated with an introduction and notes by Royall Tyler