Villain or hero, Taira no Kiyomori changed Japanese history forever 900 years ago. Without ever knowing his real father, Kiyomori was raised as a samurai. Together with his stepfather, he wiped out piracy along Japan's western coast, becoming a full-fledged warrior samurai. In an age when samurai were looked down on as members of the lower class, Kiyomori was skillful at winning the hearts and minds of the people. By rounding up surrendered pirates and achieving other successes, Kiyomori eventually became the de facto ruler of Japan.

Una giovane orfana di nome Biwa viene accolta dal potente clan Taira, noto anche come Heike, dopo che il loro capo ha assistito alle sue straordinarie capacità psichiche. Sfortunatamente, ciò che prevede è un futuro di spargimenti di sangue, violenza e guerra civile. Ispirato al racconto epico del XII secolo Heike Monogatari.

The story chronicles the life of Hōjō Masako during the Kamakura Period.

A stop-motion animated TV series based on the novel by Eiji Yoshikawa, featuring puppet art by Kihachirō Kawamoto. This is a historical picture scroll depicting various human characters, breathtaking battles and political struggles from the rise to fall of the Heike clan.

Set at the end of the 12th century when several wars for control of Japan disrupted a long era of peace, this tale of "Heike" (another name for the Taira clan) focuses on Taira Kiyomori who fights alongside other members of his clan to at first successfully overcome the Minamoto clan and their bid for power. Battles and intrigue abound, as the puppet Emperor and Buddhist monks take sides in the power struggle. At issue is Kiyomori's parentage, not an unusual problem for the nobility in that era where clandestine liaisons among courtiers and the upper classes were common.