The Tale of Hōgen
Japanese war chronicle or military tale (gunki monogatari) relating the events and prominent figures of the Hōgen Rebellion
The Tale of Hōgen (保元物語, Hōgen monogatari) is a Japanese war chronicle or military tale (gunki monogatari) which relates the events and prominent figures of the Hōgen Rebellion. This literary and historical classic is believed to have been completed in the Kamakura period ca. 1320. Its author or authors remain unknown. The events which are recounted in the Hōgen story become a prelude to the story which unfolds in Tale of Heiji.
Rivalries
As in the Heiji story, multi-level and inter-related rivalries lead to war; and the main characters are presented in traditional status order: Emperors and former Emperors first, Fujiwara ministers second, and Minamoto clan warriors third.
1st level rivalry—a conflict amongst emperors:
Cloistered Emperor Emperor Toba (鳥羽天皇), 1103-1156
Cloistered Emperor Emperor Sutoku (崇徳天皇), 1119-1164
Reigning Emperor Go-Shirakawa (後白河天皇), 1127-1192
2nd level rivalry—a conflict amongst kuge aristocrats, between sons of Fujiwara no Tadazane (藤原 忠実), 1078-1162
Fujiwara no Tadamichi (藤原忠通), 1097-1164
Fujiwara no Yorinaga (藤原頼長), 1120-1156
3rd level rivalry—a conflict amongst (and within) warrior clans, amongst sons of Minamoto no Tameyoshi (源為義), 1096-1156
Tameyoshi's older sons support Go-Shirakawa
Tameyoshi and his younger sons support Sutoku.
As in the Heiji story, the narrative structure is divided in three segments:
Part 1 introduces the characters and their rivalries.
Part 2 relates course of the conflicts.
Part 3 explains the tragic consequences.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “The Tale of Hōgen” as japanese war chronicle or military tale (gunki monogatari) relating the events and prominent figures of the Hōgen Rebellion. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the history & society register because the source frames it as japanese war chronicle or military tale (gunki monogatari) relating the events and prominent figures of the Hōgen Rebellion. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Contemporary correspondence, administrative files and participant testimony can test how later narratives organized the event or institution. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 22, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q3007721. The first chronological checks are 1320, 1103, 1156 and 1119.
Official terminology may obscure informal participation, dissent or communities documented only indirectly. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Compare institutional narratives with records created by participants and affected communities. Dates and formal titles are useful anchors, but not substitutes for context.
- Event chronology
- Institutional context
- Locating named record creators
Contemporary correspondence, government or organizational records, oral histories and cited historical scholarship.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “The Tale of Hōgen”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow The Tale of Hōgen primary sources, The Tale of Hōgen archive and Tale research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “The Tale of Hōgen”?
- Who created the surviving record, and for what administrative purpose?
- Which voices are present, absent or mediated by the institution?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “The Tale of Hōgen” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.