Taira (平) is a Japanese clan name. In reference to Japanese history, along with Minamoto, Taira was a hereditary clan name bestowed by the emperors of the Heian Period to certain ex-members of the imperial family when they became subjects. The Taira clan is often referred to as Heishi (平氏, literally "Taira clan") or Heike (平家, literally House of Taira ), using the character's Chinese reading hei. Offshoots of the imperial dynasty, some grandsons of Emperor Kammu were first given the name Taira in 825 or later. Afterwards, descendants of Emperor Nimmyō, Emperor Montoku, and Emperor Kōkō were also given the surname. The specific hereditary lines from these emperors are referred to by the emperor's posthumous name followed by Heishi. i.e. Kammu Heishi. The Taira were one of the four important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period (794-1185) - the others were the Fujiwara, the Tachibana and the Minamoto. The Kammu Heishi line, founded in 889 by Taira no Takamochi (a great-grandson of the 50th Kammu tenno, reigned 781-806), proved to be the most strong and dominant line during the late Heian period with Taira no Kiyomori eventually forming the first samurai dominated government in the history of Japan. A great-grandson of Heishi Takamochi, Taira no Korihira, moved to Ise Province (now part of Mie Prefecture) and established a major daimyo dynasty. Masamori, his grandson; and Tadamori, great-grandson, became loyal supporters of the cloistered tennos Shirakawa and Toba, respectively. Taira no Kiyomori, son and heir of Tadamori, rose to the position of daijō daijin (great minister of state) following his victories in the Hōgen Disturbance (1156) and the Heiji Disturbance (1160). Kiyomori managed to enthrone his infant grandson as Emperor Antoku in 1180, an act which led to the Genpei War(1180-85), the Taira-Minamoto War. Kiyomori's sons, the last of the head family of the Kanmu Heishi line was eventually destroyed by the armies of Minamoto no Yoritomo at the Battle of Dan-no-ura, the last battle of the Genpei War. This story is told in the Heike Monogatari. This Kammu Heishi had many branch families including the Hōjō, Chiba, Miura and Hatakeyama. Another Kammu Heishi: Takamune-ō (804-867), the eldest son of Kazurahara-Shinnō (786-853) and a grandson of Emperor Kammu, received the kabane of Taira no Ason in 825. Thus there were two Kammu Heishi families, one descended from Takamune and the other from his nephew, Takamochi (son of Prince Takami). The Oda clan in the time of Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) claimed descent from the Taira, by Taira no Chikazane, a grandson of Taira no Shigemori (1138-1179). (more)
Genres: politics, buddhism, religious
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Genpei War:
The Genpei Wars (1180-1185) were a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans and in late-Heian period Japan. They resulted in the fall of the Taira clan and establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto Yoritomo in 1192. The name "Genpei
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The Tale of the Heike:
The Tale of the Heike (Heike monogatari, 平家物語) is an epic account of the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180-1185). Heike (平家) refers to the Taira (平) clan; "hei" b
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Taira no Shigemori:
Taira no Shigemori was the eldest son of the Taira clan patriarch, Taira no Kiyomori. He took part in the Hōgen and Heiji rebellions. He died of illness in 1179.
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Miura clan:
The Miura family was one of the branch families descended from the Taira clan. They held large fiefs, and great political influence. They were one of the primary opponents of the Hōjō family of regents, in the mid-13th century, and again at the begin
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Chiba clan:
The Chiba clan was a branch family of the Taira clan descended from Chiba no Suke, son of Taira no Tadatsune. Historically, they controlled the city of Chiba, outside Tokyo, and also an area called Soma which included the Grand Shrine of Ise. In the
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Taira no Chikazane:
Taira no Chikazane was the great-grandson to the reputed leader of Taira, Taira no Kiyomori, and son to Taira no Sukemori, a representory general beneath the command of Kiyomori during the Heian Period of the 12th century of Japan. As Chikazane unfor
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Minamoto clan:
Minamoto was one of the honorary surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan of the Heian Period (794–1185 AD) on those of their sons and grandsons who were not considered eligible for the throne. The Taira were another such offshoot of the imperial d
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Taira no Kiyomori:
was a general of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. After the death of his father Taira no Tadamori in 1153, Kiyomori assumed control of the Taira clan and amb
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Hatakeyama clan:
The Hatakeyama clan was a Japanese samurai clan. Originally a branch of the Taira clan, and descended from Taira no Takamochi, after 1205 the Hatakeyama came to be descendants of the Ashikaga clan, who were in turn descended from Emperor Seiwa (850-8
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Battle of Dan-no-ura:
The battle of Dan-no-ura was a major sea battle of the Genpei War, occurring at Dan-no-ura, in the Shimonoseki Strait off the southern tip of Honshū. On April 25 1185, the Genji (Minamoto) clan fleet, led by Minamoto no Yoshitsune, defeated the Heike
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Hōgen Rebellion:
The Hōgen Rebellion (保元の乱) was a Japanese civil war fought in 1156 over Japanese imperial succession and control of the Fujiwara clan of regents. However, it also succeeded in establishing the dominance of the samurai clans and eventually the first s
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Japanese name:
Japanese names in modern times usually consist of a family name (surname), followed by a given name. This naming order is common in countries that have long been part of the Chinese cultural sphere, including among the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese
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Samurai:
Samurai is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. The word samurai is derived from the archaic Japanese verb samorau, changed to saburau, meaning "to serve"; thus, a samurai is a servant, i.e. the servant of a lord.
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Heian period:
The Heian period is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It is the period in Japanese history when Confucianism and other Chinese influences were at their height. The Heian period is also considered the peak of t
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Oda Nobunaga:
Oda Nobunaga (June 23, 1534-June 21, 1582) was a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo (military governor) with land holdings in Owari province. Oda Nobunaga. Samurai Wiki.
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History of Japan:
The written history of Japan begins with brief references in the 1st century AD Twenty-Four Histories, a collection of Chinese historical texts. However, archaeological evidence indicates that people were living on the islands of Japan as early as th
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Fujiwara clan:
The Fujiwara clan (藤原氏 Fujiwara-shi), descending from the Nakatomi clan, was a powerful family of regents in Japan that monopolized the regent positions, Sesshō and Kampaku. The clan originated when the founder, Nakatomi no Kamatari (614-669), was gi
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Minamoto no Yoritomo:
was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199.
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Oda clan:
The Oda clan was a family of Japanese daimyo who were to become an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they had the climax of their fame under Oda Nobunaga and fell from the spotlight soon after, seve
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Hōjō clan:
. See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period. The Hōjō clan in the history of Japan was a family (shikken, officially a regent) of the Kamakura Shogunate. However, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial,
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Emperor Kammu:
Emperor Kammu (737-806) was the 50th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 781 through 806.
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Emperor Antoku:
Emperor Antoku (安徳天皇 Antoku-tennō) (December 22, 1178 - April 24, 1185) was the 81st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1180 through 1185.
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