Three Stages in the Development of the Miritary Organization of the Taira Clan

Abstract

In this essay the author attempts to examine the political hegemony of the Taira clan from the military point of view. He gives careful consideration to the relations between the Taira and indigenous warrior clans in Eastern Provinces, an area where the Taira has been estimated to have weak influence, and points out the importance of the firm hold of the Taira on military and policing authority in these Provinces. According to the process of the growth of this military and policing authority, the development of the military organization of the Taira is divided into three distinct stages. Stage one, the period from 1167 (Nin-an 2) to 1177 (Jisho 1), is characterized by the firm establishment and expansion of the military organization of the Taira under the influence of the retired emperor. Stage two, from l177 to 1180 (Jisho 4), marks the military organization of the Taira as that of the state. Stage three, the period after 1180, is a period of the rise of regional military powers.