Episode 615 – I am Legend, Part 2

February 13, 2026

This week, the Yoshitsune legend finds its legs with Heike Monogatari–one of the most epic works in Japanese history. Except that while Yoshitsune is a bigger deal here than he is in Azuma Kagami, he’s still far from the main character….so where does he show up, what changes does Heike make from the Azuma Kagami version, and what’s still missing from our hero’s story?

Sources

Tyler, Royall. The Take of the Heike

McCullough, Helen Craig. The Tale of the Heike

McCullough, Helen Craig. Yoshitsune: A 15th Century Japanese Epic

Images

The Battle of Ichinotani (the one with the downhill charge) of 1184, as depicted by Kano School painters 400 years later.
Lady Shizuka (depicted here in the attire of a shirabyoshi) appears for the first time in Heike.
The battle of Dannoura, Yoshitsune’s final triumph over the Taira–and the start of his downfall.
Yoshitsune’s men race across the Uji river. By Utagawa Kuniyoshi.