Tales Of The Taira Clan (Shin Heike Monogatari)
Dir. by Kenji Mizoguchi
1955. 108 min. 16 mm. Color.

In Japanese, with English subtitles.

This lavish, sweeping, historical epic is set at the end of the 12th century, when a long period of peace was disrupted by several wars for control of Japan. The film is centered around Kiyomori Taira (Raizo Ichikawa), an ambitious warrior who fights alongside other members of his clan to overcome the Minamoto clan and their bid for power. Conflict erupts as the puppet Emperor and insurgent Buddhist monks take sides in the power struggle. Epic action and emotional potency are equally relevant in the themes of class, injustice and family legacies which run throughout the film.

Print courtesy of The Japan Foundation Library.

Part of the series Of Ghosts, Samurai and War: A Series of Classic Japanese Film, held in conjunction with the exhibition Kamakura: Realism and Spirituality in the Sculpture of Japan, on view at Asia Society Museum from February 9 to May 8, 2016.