The or ''Chronicle of Yoshitsune'' is a Japanese

gunki monogatari , or "war tales", is a category of Japanese literature written primarily in the Kamakura period, Kamakura and Muromachi periods that focus on wars and conflicts, especially the civil wars that took place between 1156 and 1568. Examples of this ge ...

("war-tale") that focuses on the legends of

Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian period, Heian and early Kamakura period, Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles that toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-br ...

and his followers. It is the oldest extant collection of stories concerning Yoshitune's boyhood and fugitive years and the single most important source for the Yoshitune legend which is written about how a legend is born and how a folk hero is shaped. It seems clearly to have intended to supplement Heike Monogatari and other tales of the war. Thought to have been written during the

Nanboku-chō period The , also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period, was a period in Japanese history between 1336-1392 CE, during the formative years of the Ashikaga shogunate, Muromachi (Ashikaga) shogunate. Ideologically, the two courts fought for 50 ...

, from the perspective of literature, it has provided inspiration to numerous

Noh is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. It is Japan's oldest major theater art that is still regularly performed today. Noh is often based on tales from traditional literature featuri ...

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

and

bunraku is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or (puppeteers), the (chanters) ...

plays. Much of the image that people today have of Yoshitsune and those associated with him ( Saitō no Musashibō Benkei and

Shizuka Gozen Shizuka GozenNote: ''Gozen'' is not a name, but rather an honorific title, usually translated as "Lady", though the title was bestowed upon men on rare occasions as well. (静御前) (1165–1211), or Lady Shizuka, one of the most famous women in ...

, for example) is considered to have been influenced by the ''Gikeiki''. It is also thought that this work is being compared with "Soga Brothers Monogatari", a work from the same period.

History

The word "Gikeiki" literally means "The Record of Yoshitsune", but the ''

on-yomi , or the Sino-Japanese reading, is the reading of a kanji based on the historical Chinese pronunciation of the character. A single kanji might have multiple ''on'yomi'' pronunciations, reflecting the Chinese pronunciations of different period ...

'' of the

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

for his name are used in reading it aloud – "yoshi" () is read as "''gi''", and "tsune" () is read "''kei''". The final part "ki" means record. All previous texts of Gikeiki are essentially the same, there are no major variations. These fall into three categories: # Manuscripts - These include texts with titles such as Hogan Monogatari and Yoshitsune Monogatari. # Woodblock editions - The major woodblock printings were made in 1633, 1635, 1640, 1645, 1659, 1670, 1673, 1689, 1698, 1708, and 1724. # Movable wooden print editions - There are four movable print editions ranging from 1600 to 1633.

Critical reception

Gikeiki depicts the tragic events of

Yoshitsune Yoshitsune may refer to: * Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159–1189) ** ''Gikeiki'', a Japanese chronicle, sometimes known in English by Helen Craig McCullough's translated title ''Yoshitsune'' ** ''Yoshitsune'' (TV series), a 2005 Japanese television ...

and is written in such a way that the people around

help and support him. This depiction gives the reader a sense of sympathy.

was built on the sacrifices and dedication of others and reigned in popular legend as a symbolic presence. It has been analyzed that the reason why Gikeiki has been incorporated into literary works more than the

Tale of the Heike is an epic account compiled prior to 1330 of the struggle between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185). It has been translated into English at least five times. ...

is because Gikeiki is a story that is empathetic, popular, and tragic.Ikuyo Ueyama. "The Charm of the Legend of

as seen in 'Gikeiki”. 1986. YoshikazuTengu

Translations

* *

References

External links

''Gikeiki''
(Japanese) {{Authority control Japanese chronicles Late Middle Japanese texts Monogatari 14th-century history books Works about Minamoto no Yoshitsune Gunki monogatari

History

Critical reception

Translations

See also

References

External links