Heike Monogatari – 10

Episode 10 of Heike Monogatari felt slightly more measured than last week’s blitz of character deaths, family reunions, and political/military developments, but upon closer inspection, the two installments have much in common.

The first and most obvious similarity between the current and previous episodes is their focus on significant deaths within the Taira family. Koremori, the “scaredy-cat” who struggled for so long under familial expectations, died this week in the same way as Kiyotsune. Both brothers had lost faith in the Heike’s chances of survival, and committed suicide by throwing themselves from their boats and drowning at sea. Koremori’s death was perhaps more impactful, as he was a more significant character, but I had always found his role in the story to be lacking in some respect. Several episodes around the middle of the series’ run limited his appearances to military engagements, failing to emphasize his state of mind in the lead-up to those battles. This oversight may have cast a larger shadow over the depiction of his death if not for Kiyotsune’s passing, which threw Koremori in a deep depression and likely served as the inspiration for his own suicide. Koremori went to great lengths to prepare himself for the act, forsaking his family and becoming a Buddhist monk before embarking on his final voyage – there were shades of Atsumori’s final moments in these scenes, I felt. Though the younger man never abandoned his belief in the Heike’s cause, he accepted his fate in much the same way Koremori did: with consideration for the dignity of his final moments on earth.

Whether Atsumori’s honor as a warrior or Koremori’s Buddhist vows leave an impact on modern audiences, 800 years removed from the era that informed them, will vary from person to person (though there is something to be said for presentation, and in that aspect, Atsumori’s death was unparalleled). As for Biwa, she was moved to record both of their stories in the Tale of the Heike, her authorship of which has been evident for some time, but is now “confirmed” in the way anime fans crave. Last week Biwa reunited with her mother, and this week she reunited with the Heike – another parallel between this episode and the last. Her encounter with Koremori before his death provided him with some encouragement, but his hands still shook in the instant before he plunged into the sea, which added another layer of sorrow to his passing. Her meeting with Sukemori was more hopeful by contrast, as she offered him a letter from his lover in the capital, and the opportunity to see Tokuko and the young Emperor Antoku was happier still. Notably, Biwa’s prior visions of their deaths in a great whirlpool did not reoccur here, indicating that she’s made peace with her inability to influence the future. That peace is what has enabled her to rejoin her second family as a witness to their destruction – it’s an incredible character arc on paper, so I’ll save my issues with its execution for the final post out of respect.

The last similarity between episodes 9 and 10 is an interpretive one: the continued sidelining of the Genji, whose distance from the main plot is bound to hurt the show’s portrayal of Dan-no-ura (the impending battle from this week’s cliffhanger). I get that we’re watching “Heike Monogatari” – emphasis on the “Heike” – but what little screen time is given to the Genji seems insufficient relative to their major role in the war. The haste with which the previous episode got rid of Yoshinaka was thankfully absent here, but there were some beats that warranted additional exploration. Perhaps the best example is Yoritomo’s plan to “choke the life out of the Heike,” which seemed to be out of step with former emperor Go-Shirakawa’s prioritization of the Three Sacred Treasures. The show presented Yoritomo’s goal of eliminating the Taira bloodline as a surprise to Go-Shirakawa, but neither man was given the opportunity to confer with the other.
And then there’s Yoshitsune, who hardly said a word in this episode. His most significant actions were a pair of glances at one of the shirabyoshi who saved Biwa several weeks ago – not the strongest setup for the series’ last battle. With only the finale to go, Heike Monogatari hasn’t created the firmest foundation on which to conclude a two-sided account of the war. This show has produced miracles in the past, however, so I’m hoping for another one next Wednesday!