The Capital Move

The capital move in Book 5 is significant to the Tale of the Heike for several reasons. Lord Kiyomori wanted to move the capital to Fukuhara to open up trade by boat. Having a large port where where the capital of Japan is located would have brought in much revenue for the Court and would have secured Lord Kiyomori's power. In addition to increasing trade, the capital move was to Kiyomori's advantage because The Taira clan held more power to the southwest than they did the northeast.

The capital move was very significant in this chapter was because of precedence. While the capital was moved a lot during the early days of Japan, the capital had not moved from Heian-kyō since 794 when it was established as a "final" capital by Emperor Kanmu. Moving the capital with such reluctance from the Royal Court seemed to be the Heike's "biggest outrage yet" (252). The capital is moved back to Heian-kyō from Fukuhara later in the chapter (before 1180 is over), where it remained the capital uninterrupted until the Meiji Era in 1868.

Activity: Have the class discuss the implications of an entire capital being moved. Focus in on how this impacted the power of the Imperial lineage. Does the short life span of the new capital draw upon themes of impermanence?