Battle at Dannoura

Catalog note / 解説

This print depicts another scene from the Tale of Heike, one that reflects both the prosperity and the downfall of the famed Taira family during the 12th century. The print portrays female members of the Taira family on a magnificent boat accompanying the young Emperor Antoku, whose mother was a daughter of Taira Kiyomori (1118 -1181), the most affluent Taira figure. After Yoshitsune’s sudden attack, the Taira clan commits suicide by leaping off the boat into the ocean, taking the child emperor with them. The central theme of the story is the Buddhist law of impermanence (mujö). The famous opening passage is an evocative statement of this philosophy: The sound of the Gion Shoja bells echoes…