Honor-Shame Code in The Tale of the Heike Essay - 1395 Words

11/28/12 HIST485 Honor-Shame Code in The Tale of Heike In The Tale of Heike, the way in which the Japanese viewed defeat and dying is revealed to the reader through various incidents covered during the time of the novel. To be defeated was shameful but to prevail was a way to gain respect and honor. The accounts in Heike tell us that one could defeat an opponent by exiling him, insulting him, or even taking revenge upon him. Because being defeated was shameful, warriors would kill themselves before being killed by the opponent. If a warrior failed in his duty, suicide would be the necessary measure taken to regain honor. Not only could suicide be a way to gain honor, it could also be a way to shame someone. If you prohibit your enemy†¦show more content†¦Munetaka was ordered by Yoshitsune to shoot the fan â€Å"right square in the middle (420),† but Munetaka hesitated to accept the order saying, â€Å"if I missed, we’d never outlive the disgrace (420).† Not able to refus e the angered Yoshitsune, Munetaka preparing to shoot closed his eyes in silent prayer saying, â€Å"Let me hit the center of that fan! If I miss, I’ll smash my bow and kill myself’ I’ll never show my face again (420).† Munetaka knew that his failure would disgrace the Genji and his suicide would be the only way of recompense. Heike also reveals that another way to defeat your enemy and another way to be shamed by your enemy was through humiliation. Kiyomori often humiliated his enemies. He exiled Naritsune, Yasuyori, and Shunkan to Kikai-ga-shima, a faraway island, because they were conspiring against the Taira. Later, only Naritsune and Yasuyori were pardoned but Shunkan was not. This was Kiyomori’s revenge on Shunkan because Kiyomori had given Shunkan his job and still had the nerve to betray him (290-291). Through exile, Kiyomori shamed Naritsune, Yasuyori, and Shunkan by denying them the opportunity to commit suicide but sentencing them to dea th by starvation. Insults were another way to shame your enemy. Nakatsuma passive aggressively denies Munemori the chance to ride Konoshita, his horse, by saying the horse was tired from having been overridden (306). When Munemori found out that was a lie, he had been humiliated. To take revenge he seized Konoshita,Show MoreRelated The Way of The Warrior in The Tale of The Heike Essay1312 Words   |  6 PagesThe Way of The Warrior in The Tale of The Heike Heike Monogatari, with its multitude of battles and skirmishes, provides a wonderful chance to analyze the way of the warrior in ancient Japan. There arent a great number of surviving works from this period that show in such great detail both the brute and the compassion of the Japanese warriors. They followed carefully a distinct set of principles which made up the well-rounded warrior. Loyalty to ones master, bravery and glory in any situation