Haruo Minami -- Kiyomori Tenka wo Iru (清盛天下を射る)

The Heike Monogatari (The Tale of Heike) when compared to Japanese literary classics like the Chushingura (The 47 Ronin) and Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji), seems to be lesser known internationally. In Japan, however, it seems just as popular, having spawned multiple book, movie and TV adaptations for the longest time. I, for one, had invested in Eiji Yoshikawa's rendition (English translated) earlier this year. The Tale of Heike is basically about the power struggle and drama between two warring clans, the Heike (A.K.A Taira) and the Genji (A.K.A Minamoto), which culminated into the decisive Genpei War during the Heian era about a thousand years ago. I believe it's borderline non-fiction, but the intricacies of how certain events turned out are probably fictional. I'm not too sure on this and I could be wrong.

On the note of characters, there are many. SO MANY. One of the prominent figures, however, is Taira no Kiyomori (平清盛), or Kiyomori of the Heike... I'll call him just Kiyomori. He was a warrior of the Heike who managed to claw up the ranks of the imperial court, became too powerful for his own good, and his family had to pay for it. Interpretations often depict him as evil - *ahem* and a mad arsonist - but I'd consider him an anti-hero of sorts, which I'll go into a bit more soon.

Anyways, quite some time ago I actually had no inkling as to what this story was about and who Kiyomori dono was until my beloved folk history teacher Haruo Minami brought "Kiyomori Tenka wo Iru" to the table when I was searching for more of his kayo-rokyoku. 

Admittedly, what drew me to it first was its short length; clocking in at less than 6 minutes, it was markedly shorter than Haru-san's other kayo-rokyoku. But then that dramatic melody hit. The blare of the trumpets and the rolling drums created an air of dignity while the muscular strings and buzz of the electric guitar added a brazen, youthful edge. How abrupt it sounds at times also seem to convey a feeling of urgency. It was love at first listen. From the kanji in the lyrics and Minami's accompanying gestures, I surmised that he was relating a story of some heroic archer/soldier named Kiyomori fending off baddies from Kyoto. Some research and reading the novel much, much later proved that that were the case in a sense, and where Kiyomori had one of his "hero" moments.

To summarise what went down, a 30 year-old Kiyomori, then one of the captains of the Imperial army in Kyoto, had a showdown with a bunch of rogue warrior monks making a scene in the capital because the Emperor hadn't given in to their demands. Sick of their behaviour he boldly faced them head on with just his bow and arrow, showing off his renowned archery skills by shooting an arrow directly at the holy mikoshi the monks had been parading around. It was also to rub in the fact that the thin veil of religion the monks had been using as an excuse to cause chaos was nothing but a farce. As with his other works, Haru-san stepped into the soldier's sandals for a moment to deliver that defiant message prior to his act of heresy. 

Yokku miyo, san-sen no souhei-dono, (Behold, all three thousand of you warrior monks,)

Ise no Hei-shi no yumi-ya no chikara wo! (the might of the Heike of Ise's bow and arrow!)

Minami didn't end it in a crazed, out of character roar as he often did with his other rokyoku songs, and yet it's easily one of my favourite serifu because of how - *cue 17 year-old me* - cool it sounded. It was of no surprise that "Kiyomori Tenka wo Iru" very quickly became one of by go-to Minami tunes; and the Heike Monogatari and its characters were really intriguing in it of itself, so I found myself glomming on to it more than the other folk tales Haru-san had introduced me to.

"Kiyomori Tenka wo Iru" was actually part of the biggest project Minami embarked on simply titled as "Heike Monogatari" (平家物語) where he turned the entire story into a giant work of kayo-rokyoku with the hopes of keeping Japanese folk history alive and emphasizing the need for peace. It took him 10 years of planning and 6 years of writing to come up with a 2 hour plus compilation of the happenings in this epic, and was released in July 1994 to commemorate his 55 years in showbiz. An apt way to celebrate, but it wasn't without its trials it seemed. Aside from nearly two decades of relentless working, apparently penning down the horrors of war so very prevalent throughout the story triggered his wartime trauma, which caused the poor fellow to break down multiple times... That's some dedication. (Oh, Haru-san, why do you do this to yourself? :')) But, one can't deny that he succeeded in his goal. 

If you're keen on tuning in to the whole collection, it's actually available on Spotify - Kiyomori's Kobe venture and Minamoto Yoshitsune's (源義経) battle rally are pretty awesome too, so I recommend them should you check the collection out.

To round things off, here is Miyuki Minami (三波美夕紀) doing a buyo (Japanese traditional dance) routine to her father's song. Thank you, Ms. Minami for allowing so many of Minami Senior's stuff to be available online.

P.S. And to think, all the kerfuffle that ended in the disastrous Dan-no-Ura wouldn't have happened if Kiyomori were more ruthless.