The first episode describes the death of Retired Emperor Takakura, who has been suffering because of the terrible things happening in the realm: the burning of the temples in Nara (Book 5, episode 14), the moving of the capital (Book 5, episodes 1and 13), and the exile of his father Go-Shirakawa. Takakura passes away at the age of twenty-one and is mourned by all.
Episode Two starts a succession of eulogistic stories about Takakura and characterize him as an exemplary ruler and good man. Autumn Leaves tells two stories illustrating his charity. In the first, instead of chastizing groundsmen for clearing away a lovely blanket of autumn leaves in his garden, he praises them for enacting a famous Chinese poem. In the second, he provides clothing to a serving girl who has been robbed.
This episode describes the Emperor's unusually tender love for Aoi, a maid in service to one of Kenreimon-in's gentlewomen. Because of Aoi's low status, rumors circulated, and Emperor Takakura, sensitive to his duties as ruler, stopped summoning her to service. Heartbroken, Aoi confines herself to her bed and dies shortly thereafter.
In the final episode that is related to the life and death of Retired Emperor Takakura, we read the story of Kogō, another significant woman in Takakura's life. Shortly after Aoi was dismissed, Takakura was feeling forlorn so his wife sent him Kogo to console him. Kiyomori was anxious about the pairing, because both Takakura and his other son-in-law, Takafusa, were smitten by her and neglecting his daughters, whose status he needed to maintain his power. Kogō hears that Kiyomori seeks to push her out of service, so she runs away without telling Takakura where she was headed.
This deeply distresses Takakura, and so sends out the young official Nakakuni to look for her. Nakakuni finds her one lovely evening when he hears her unmistakable koto playing coming from a lonely house in the countryside. He knocks at her gate, announcing that Takakura misses her fondly and wishes her to return. He convinces her to go back to Takakura, so she and Takakura reunite until Kiyomori discovers she has returned. He then seizes her, forces her to become a nun, and sends her back to Saga, causing Takakura to once again fall into despair.
This episode is one of the tale's best known. A noh play as well as several musical pieces are based on it.
Episode 5 marks the official start of the Minamoto aggression with the call to arms via the circular letter. Both Yoshinaka and Yoritomo raised rebellions and conquered provinces previously controlled by the Taira. This was also the start of the rivalary between Yoshinaka and Yoritomo.
See the "Maps of the Uprising" for the approximate location of the provinces conquered by both Yoshinaka and Yoritomo.
This episode is a continuation of the fifth, and describes that more people and provinces change from supporting the Taira to the Minamoto. Kyushu as a whole also allied themselves with the Minamoto, to the dismay of Kiyomori and the rest of the Taira.
The seventh episode describes the dramatic death of Kiyomori. Kiyomori is stricken with an intense fever that made him so hot that o water turned to steam upon contact with his skin. Kiyomori's wife, Lady Nii, had a dream that the deity of the underworld, King Enma, sent a demon-drawn carriage to come and take away Kiyomori.
On his deathbed, Kiyomori was still full of anger, his imminent end gave him no feelings of guilt or desires for repentance. Instead, his final words are an order those loyal to him to cut off the head of Yoritomo and put it on his grave, a sinful wish. He then dies in agony, is cremated, and his remains are buried on Kyo-no-shima Island.
Episodes 8-10 are eulogistic episodes concerning Kiyomori as a man of great destiny. Episode 8 relates Kiyomori's building of Kyo-no-shima Island, also known as Sutra Island. Sutra Island was built off Fukuhara. When there were problems with the construction of the island, a recommendation was made to make human sacrifice of burying someone alive inside the foundation. This idea was rejected, and the text of sutras were written on the building stones instead.
Easily one of the more confusing episodes of Book Six, this episode relates a dream that the Buddhist monk Jishinbō Son'e had regarding the true identity of Kiyomori. Son'e had a dream in which he was given a personal summons by Lord Enma, and had no option but to follow it. Once he was in the presence of the ruler of the underworld, it was revealed to Son'e that Kiyomori was actually the reincarnation of the great monk Jie, and that he would strengthen the Tendai teachings by serving as a living antithesis.
This episode contains a number of stories related to Kiyomori illustrating his unusual fate. The first story that Kiyomori may have actually been the son of the emperor Shirakawa (not to be confused with Go-Shirakawa). Shirakawa was on his way to visit his favorite consort in Gion, when he and some of his attendants were surprised by what they think is a supernatural intruder. Tadamori, Kiyomori's actual father and in service to Shirakawa, prudently avoids killing the intruder, who turns out to be a monk. Shirakawa rewards Tadamori the pregnant Gion Consort, urging him to raise the child as his own if it should be a boy.
The episode further describes Kiyomori's early life and fast rise to power despite the protests of other nobles and officials. The episode ends by bringing the audience back to the present, detailing a new confrontation between the Minamoto and Taira at the Owari River.
Buddhist deities appear to be on the side of the Minamoto, for when Jo no Taro Sukenaga goes to engage Kiso no Yoshinaka in battle, a dark storm appears in the sky and after it clears a loud voice roars a warning to Sukenaga and his men. Sukenaga disregards the voice and rides onward, but a dark cloud appears in the sky, knocks him from his horse and he died.
Portents continue, but the Taira continue to rise: Kiyomori's daughter is given the courtesy title Kenreimon-in, and her male relatives continue to be promoted, despite uprisings in the provinces. The Taira confront Kiso no Yoshinaga at the Yokota River; Yoshinaka wins in part through trickery. The tide has now turned against the Taira.