Book 1, episode 6 recounts the fate of Giō, a shirabyōshi, a type of female performer that flourished during the late 12th century and enjoyed the patronage of high-ranking men including Go-Shirakawa and Kiyomori. The account in Heike is almost certainly fictional and added at a late stage in the development of the Heike. It most likely originated as a hosshin-setsuwa, or “awakening tale,” a didactic genre aimed at illustrating the benefits of coming to understanding the Buddhist truth and devoting one’s life to religious devotion. Such stories were very common during the late classical and medieval periods in Japan.
Although no record of Giō and her family exists outside the Heike, groups of shirabyōshi organized in matrilineal kin groups like the one described here were the norm, as was the patronage of high-ranking noblemen. The shirabyōshi are depicted as alluring women who both danced and sang. They were said to dress in men’s tunics and hats and to carry swords when they danced, thereby adding an additional layer of interest to their performance. Hotoke, Giō’s rival in this episode, bears a name that means “a Buddha.” In Giō’s final dance before Kiyomori and Hotoke, she plays on this meaning. And as an awakening tale, Hotoke (=Buddha) serving as a motivating force for a beautiful and talented young woman to discard worldly affairs and take the tonsure is surely intentional.