Who Is Taira no Tadamori?
Kiyomori's father, who outwitted a night ambush
Taira no Tadamori was the father of Taira no Kiyomori and the first warrior allowed to enter the courtiers' hall (the Tenjō no Ma of the Seiryōden) in the imperial palace. He laid the foundation for the rise of the Heike.
In the chapter "The Night Attack at Court," he is granted the right to enter the hall as a reward for building the temple Tokuchōju-in and presenting it to Retired Emperor Toba. Jealous nobles plot to ambush him in the dark on the night of a banquet. Tadamori scares them off by drawing his sword where they can see it, and keeps his retainer Iesada waiting in the garden, so no one dares to attack. The next day he is accused of bringing a sword into the palace, but it turns out to be a wooden sword covered with silver foil. Retired Emperor Toba praises his foresight in protecting himself from shame without committing any crime.
Book Six of the tale also tells a story that Kiyomori was really the son of Retired Emperor Shirakawa, but this is only one account.
Episodes featuring this character3
NEWEpisode 1
First Victory of a Clan Doomed to the SeaThe Night Attack at Court (Tenjō no Yamiuchi)
Episode 1 of the series. Taira no Tadamori becomes the first samurai ever allowed into the emperor's inner hall, and jealous court nobles plot to ambush him in the dark on a festival night. With his son Taira no Kiyomori watching, Tadamori never swings a blade. A "sword" that gleams in the dark and his loyal retainer Taira no Iesada are all he needs to silence the men who looked down on him.
19 pages
NEWEpisode 11
Under the Helmet, a Boy His Son's AgeThe Death of Atsumori
After the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani, Kumagai no Naozane is still hungry for glory. He waves his fan at a young warrior fleeing into the sea, calls him back, and pins him down. Under the helmet is the face of a boy about his own son's age. Then Naozane sees the flute at the boy's hip and remembers the music he heard before dawn.
19 pages
NEWEpisode 14
He Doomed Her ClanThen Came to Visit — The Imperial Visit to Ōhara (Kenreimon-in)
the series finale. Kenreimon-in was the only one of her clan pulled alive from the sea at Dan-no-Ura. Now she spends her days in prayer at a mountain hermitage in Ōhara. One early summer, Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa, the man who ordered the war that destroyed her family, comes to see her in secret. She tells him to his face how much she has resented him. Then she begins to tell her life story as a journey through six realms.
19 pages