Since its compilation roughly 700 years ago, the Heike Monogatari has inspired countless works of literature and art, such as noh and kabuki plays, hand scrolls, and ukiyo-e prints. With such widespread influence throughout Japanese history, it is no surprise that these accounts of the Genpei War have permeated more than just these deep-rooted art forms of Japanese culture, but contemporary ones as well. Media such as anime, manga, and video games have seen influence from Heike Monogatari in various ways, from the use of its historical figures to references to its occasionally fictional plot. One of the clearest examples of Heike Monogatari in a contemporary medium comes in the form of a short video game series titled Genji, the first game being named Dawn of the Samurai, and its sequel being Days of the Blade.
Genji: Dawn of the Samurai, originally released on Sony’s PlayStation 2 in 2005, is distributed by developer Game Republic. Its plot, written by Toshiya Shibano, is loosely based on the Heike Monogatari. The story is told from the perspective of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who is on a quest to defeat the Heishi (an alternate name for the Taira clan) and avenge his father, Minamoto no Yoshitomo. Towards the beginning of his journey, Yoshitsune receives aid from the Tamayoribito clan in the form of powerful magic jewels known as Amahagane. Along with his lover, Shizuka Gozen (known in the game as Lady Shizuka), and Musashibō Benkei, his most loyal retainer, Yoshitsune travels through Japan, defeating Heishi soldiers and collecting their Amahagane. After recovering from a defeat at the hands of Taira no Kagekiyo, Yoshitsune returns to Kyoto with Benkei in order to save the now captured Lady Shizuka, where they are confronted by Taira no Kiyomori, who has combined his Amahagane with Kagekiyo’s in order to kill the two Genji soldiers. In the end, Kagekiyo betrays Kiyomori by stealing the jewel, and killing him. With Kiyomori dead, Minamoto no Yoritomo is able to attack the capital and push the Heishi westward. At the end of the game, Yoshitsune, Benkei, and Shizuka are all seen vowing to start a new journey to protect the Amahagane.
The next game in the series, Days of the Blade, was released on the PlayStation 3 worldwide between 2006 and 2007. Its writer, Hideyuki Ishizeki, continues the previously established fictional narrative of the Genpei War three years after the first game ended. Unlike Dawn of the Samurai, however, the second game in the Genji series dials down its references to Heike Monogatari, sticking mostly to the use of its characters and nothing more. The game starts with the Heishi returning, with the Genji suffering an early defeat due to their enemy’s use of the Mashogane, jewels that surpass the power of the previously established Amahagane. After defeating powerful foes such as Taira no Noritsune and Taira no Atsumori (who in this story is actually a woman). Eventually, Yoshitsune, Benkei, and Shizuka are sent to place known as the Netherworld, where they discover their main enemy; a powerful old woman named Kuyo, who was seen much earlier in the game. After Kuyo is defeated, the Heishi are finally no more, and Yoritomo is seen peacefully leading the Genji clan while Yoshitsune and Shizuka ride off to start a life together.
Despite the two Genji games only very roughly sticking to the story originally written in Heike Monogatari, the parallels to the Genpei War are clearly still there, particularly in Dawn of the Samurai. As seen, many characters from the game are taken directly from Heike Monogatari, such as Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Minamoto no Yoritomo, Taira no Kiyomori, and Taira no Kagekiyo. The Taira’s removal from the capital and their fleeing to the west are also seen in Heike Monogatari. However, when in comes to the finer details of events, the similarities start to end there. Despite many of the characters coming straight from Heike Monogatari, and their relationships within the games story generally making sense, there were many liberties taken with the plot. Most recognizably, there is no mention of Kiso no Yoshinaka anywhere in the game, even in the removal of the Heike from Kyoto. Another difference is Kiyomori’s death, which in the Genji series is at the hands of Taira no Kagekiyo. The plot becomes less and less like Heike Monogatari starting in Days of the Blade, where the only references to it are characters, who are sometimes changed like in Atsumori’s case, as well as the continuation of the Genpei War.
Overall, despite the two games of the Genji series not being incredibly faithful to the plot of Heike Monogatari, the changes were clearly made to make the game more fun and exciting to play. The writers of each game knew that much of the original story’s focus on things like political affairs would not translate well into a video game, and the plot was therefore twisted to be more dramatic and include magical elements. There are, of course, other video games that reference or draw influence from Heike Monogatari, but there are very few that base the core of their plot around the tale in the unique way that Genji series does.