is a Japanese war chronicle or military tale ('' gunki monogatari'') which relates the events and prominent figures of the Hōgen Rebellion. This literary and historical classic is believed to have been completed in the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle betwee ...

ca. 1320. Its author or authors remain unknown. The events which are recounted in the ''Hōgen'' story become a prelude to the story which unfolds in ''

Tale of Heiji is a Japanese war epic ('' gunki monogatari'') detailing the events of the Heiji Rebellion of 1159–1160, in which samurai clan head Minamoto no Yoshitomo attacked and besieged Kyoto, as part of an Imperial succession dispute, in which he was ...

''.

Rivalries

As in the ''Heiji'' story, multi-level and inter-related rivalries lead to war; and the main characters are presented in traditional status order: Emperors and former Emperors first, Fujiwara ministers second, and Minamoto clan warriors third. * 1st level rivalry—a conflict amongst emperors: ** Cloistered Emperor , 1103-1156 ** Cloistered Emperor , 1119-1164 ** Reigning , 1127-1192Brown, p. 386. *2nd level rivalry—a conflict amongst ''

kuge The was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese Imperial Court in Kyoto. The ''kuge'' were important from the establishment of Kyoto as the capital during the Heian period in the late 8th century until the rise of the Kamakur ...

'' aristocrats, between sons of , 1078-1162 ** , 1097-1164 ** , 1120-1156 * 3rd level rivalry—a conflict amongst (and within) warrior clans, amongst sons of , 1096-1156 ** Tameyoshi's older sons support Go-Shirakawa ** Tameyoshi and his younger sons support Sutoku. As in the ''Heiji'' story, the narrative structure is divided in three segments: * Part 1 introduces the characters and their rivalries. * Part 2 relates course of the conflicts. * Part 3 explains the tragic consequences.

''Monogatari'' historiography

The Japanese have developed a number of complementary strategies for capturing, preserving and disseminating the essential elements of their commonly accepted national history – chronicles of sovereigns and events, biographies of eminent persons and personalities, and the military tale or ''gunki monogatari''. This last form evolved from an interest in recording the activities of military conflicts in the late 12th century. The major battles, the small skirmishes and the individual contests—and the military figures who animate these accounts—have all been passed from generation to generation in the narrative formats of the ''Hōgen monogatari'' (1156), the '' Heiji monagatari'' (1159–1160), and the '' Heike monogatari'' (1180–1185). In each of these familiar ''monogatari'', the central figures are popularly well known, the major events are generally understood, and the stakes as they were understood at the time are conventionally accepted as elements in the foundation of Japanese culture. The accuracy of each of these historical records has become a compelling subject for further study; and some accounts have been shown to withstand close scrutiny, while other presumed “facts” have turned out to be inaccurate.Brown, pp. 385-386.

Notes

References

* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979)
''Gukanshō: The Future and the Past.''
Berkeley: University of California Press.
OCLC 251325323
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tale of Hogen, The Hogen Monogatari Monogatari 14th-century history books Japanese chronicles Gunki monogatari

Rivalries

''Monogatari'' historiography

See also

Notes

References