The Tale of Heiji

[2] As is the case with most other monogatari, the text has been rewritten and revised many times over the years, and developed into an oral tradition as well.

[7] The Heiji story moves beyond from the comparatively simple narration template of the Hōgen monogatari towards a more complicated focus which suggests a need for more nuanced principles and more flexible policies which become more appropriate to desperate times.

[11] Meanwhile, the Minamoto fall, but would eventually rise, setting the story up as a counterpart of the Tale of Heike.

[14] 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.

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.