Introduction
To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the NHK Taiga Drama series, we will present the story of the life of TAIRA-no-Kiyomori, the first samurai to grasp political power and a man ‘who challenged his times’.
Approximately nine hundred years ago, as the Heian period was drawing to an end and the power of the court nobles was waning, TAIRA-no-Kiyomori suppressed the pirates in the Inland Sea, establishing himself as a samurai leader and eventually rising to the rank of Grand Minister. He ordered the construction of the magnificent Itsukushima Shrine that appears to float on the surface of the sea, and dedicated the ‘Heike Nokyo Sutra’ to it as a prayer for the future prosperity of the Heike clan. In addition, he promoted trade with Song dynasty China, striving to create a new state with stronger links to East Asia.
This exhibition will attempt to create a better understanding of the actual man, TAIRA-no-Kiyomori, through numerous exhibits relating to him and the Heike clan of which he was the leader. Starting with rich treasures that have been handed down through the Itsukushima Shrine, itself a World Heritage Site, it will also include portraits and handwritings by the people who lived at that time, pictures of the major battles that took place between Heike and their rivals, the Genji, and a variety of works of art and craft featuring the culture of the late Heian Period.
In closing, we would like to offer our sincere gratitude to everybody who was generous enough to lend us the priceless exhibits on display here and to all those through whose cooperation and kind offices this exhibition was made possible.
The Organizers 2012
Dates and Times
*Opening hours and programs may vary depending on the electricity supply-demand situation.
Please refer to the website of each facility for details.
| Dates |
Jan 2 (Mon, holiday) - Feb 5 (Sun), 2012.
|
| Venue |
1st Floor Special Exhibition Gallery, Edo-Tokyo Museum
(1-4-1 Yokoami, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0015)
Tel. 03-3626-9974
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| Opening Hours |
9:30 - 17:30, Saturdays 9:30 - 19:30
(last admission 30 mins. before closing)
|
Closed |
Jan 23 (Mon), Jan 30 (Mon)
|
Admission
| Admission Fee |
Special Exhibition |
Special/Permanent Exhibition |
Special Exhibition Advance Ticket |
|
Adults |
\1,300 (\1,040) |
\1,520 (\1,210) |
\1,100 |
College and vocational school students
|
\1,040 (\830) |
\1,210 (\960) |
\840 |
| Elementary,
junior high and high school students, and seniors (65 and over) |
\650 (\520) |
\760 (\600) |
\450 |
| |
*
Prices in parenthesis are for groups of 20 or more.
*
Combination tickets for special/permanent exhibitions are only available at the
museum
*
Advance tickets on sale Nov 1 - Jan 1, 2012
*
Primary school students and children living in, or attending primary and junior high schools
in the Tokyo area are admitted to the permanent exhibition free of charge so no
combination tickets are available.
*
Admission is free for the following people: children below school age, people with a
disability certificate proving they are eligible for state or city welfare benefits together with
up to two carers.
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Section One: The Rise of the Heike
TAIRA-no-Kiyomori is rumored to have been the illegitimate son of Emperor Shirakawa but he was raised as heir to the leader of the Heike clan. He first made his name by vanquishing the pirates who infested the Inland Sea, then after the Hogen and Heiji Rebellions, the Heike established itself as the most powerful samurai clan in the nation, Kiyomori gradually rising through the ranks at court until he reached the top and grasped political power for himself. He arranged for his daughter to marry the Emperor, laying the foundations of his clan’s future prosperity, then joined the priesthood and ostensibly took up a life of seclusion at Fukuhara (Kobe) while controlling the government behind the scenes and reaching the pinnacle of power. In 1179 he had the cloistered Emperor, Go-Shirakawa, confined to his palace and the following year ordered the capital to be moved to Fukuhara, raising his power to a new level, but simultaneously encountering strong resistance from numerous directions. This section traces the various events and incidents that took place during this period and traces the rise of the Heike clan.
Section Two: The People Surrounding Kiyomori
The large numbers of highly individualistic people who surrounded Kiyomori serve to enrichen our image of history. Emperor Go-Shirakawa, who loved Imayo songs but gradually began to oppose Kiyomori, Saigyo Hoshi, an Imperial Court Guard like Kiyomori, who later entered the priesthood and traveled the country…all kinds of people who contributed to this rich human drama.
In this section we will use portraits, etc., to explore the character of these people further. It will also introduce materials that have been excavated from the sites of Toba Rikyu Palace and Hojujidono Temple, where the cloistered Emperor, Go-Shirakawa, lived.
Section Three: The Tutelary Shrine of the Heike, Itsukushima
The Heike clan moved to the Inland Sea to fight the pirates there, and when he was named Governor of the province of Aki, Kiyomori declared that the god of sailors, housed in Itsukushima Shrine, would become the tutelary deity of the clan and he worshiped there fervently. Kiyomori was joined by the cloistered Emperor, Go-Shirakawa, and many others in this worship, rebuilding the shrine and providing it with lands and treasures. This section will present the gorgeously decorated, four-scroll ‘Heike Nokyo Sutra’ that Kiyomori dedicated to the shrine in 1164 as a prayer for the prosperity of the Heike clan, and also numerous other treasures that speak of the splendor of the Heike clan.
Section Four: The Heike Period and the New Culture it Spawned
The period when Kiyomori was active saw the development of creation of many magnificent works of art, like the ‘Heike Nokyo Sutra’, that demonstrated a delicate, elegant aesthetic. Kiyomori also promoted trade with Song dynasty China, introducing its advanced civilization that was to have a powerful influence on the domestic culture of the time. This section will introduce characteristics of this culture as seen through Buddhist art, while also presenting other materials that are associated with the Heike clan. In addition it will include a celadon teabowl that was said to have been presented to Kiyomori by the Chinese court and other Chinese porcelains that have been excavated from historical sites in Hakata, Kobe and Kyoto, which were all involved in the China trade, illustrating the interchange that took place at this time.
Section Five: The World of the Heike Monogatari (The Tale of the Heike)
Rebellion was rife throughout the country when, in the second month of 1181, the sixty-four-year-old Kiyomori collapsed with a high fever, bringing an end to a valorous life. According to the ‘Tale of the Heike’ his final command was to place the head of his rival, MINAMOTO-no-Yoritomo, before his grave. The ‘Tale of the Heike’ records the various battles and human dramas that took place during the rise and fall of the Heike clan, its fame was spread by blind, biwa-playing minstrels, and it was to provide the material for many later works. This section will present pictures and other works illustrating the fate of the Heike after Kiyomori’s death when, pursued by KISO Yoshinaka and the Genji clan under the leadership of MINAMOTO-no-Yoritomo, they were defeated at Ichinotani and Yashima before finally being annihilated in the sea battle at Dan-no-ura.
The excitement of battle overflows from the picture. (Kobe City Museum)
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The excitement of battle overflows from the picture. (Kobe City Museum)
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Attack Emperor Sutokuin and the others who have barricaded themselves in!(Equine Museum of Japan)
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A celadon bowl said to have belonged to
TAIRA-no-Shigemori.
(Tokyo National Museum)
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Yoshihira’s troops attack the house in Rokuhara but are driven back to Sanjogawara by Kiyomori.
(ＭＩＨＯ ＭＵＳＥＵＭ)
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Portrait of the priest, Saigyo, who despaired of the world during the Genji-Heike wars.
(ＭＯＡ MUSEUM OF ART)
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Overflowing with the aesthetics
of the Emperor Toba.
(Kyoto National Museum)
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