Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
The Genpei War was a legendary conflict fought between various warrior houses in 12th century Japan. It would serve to finally bring an end to the power of the imperial court while giving rise to a new warrior government in the east. This full documentary seeks to cover the rise of the Taira family through the Hogen and Heiji rebellions of 1156-1160, and then later, the outbreak of the Genpei War itself in 1180, spearheaded by a resurgent Minamoto clan, finally concluding with the end of the war and the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate.
If you want to learn more about this turbulent time period in Japanese history, check out the updated "Setting the Stage" series: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrlMflnRScAL3pSsBBGR4SirHKoEg4HOz
Timestamps
0:00 Prelude to War: The Hogen and Heiji Rebellions
19:26 The Outbreak of War
40:31 The End of the War and the Rise of Legends
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Sources Used:
"A History of Japan" by RHP Mason and JG Caiger
"A History of the Samurai" by Jonathan López-Vera
"Future and the Past: A Translation and Study of the Gukansho" by Delmer Brown and Ichiro Ishida
"Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Japan" by Karl Friday
"Legends of the Samurai" by Hiroaki Sato
"Samurai and the Warrior Culture of Japan, 471-1877" by Thomas Conlan
"Samurai Battles" by Michael Sharpe
"Samurai Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan" by Karl Friday
"The Tale of the Heike" translated by Royall Tyler
"Warriors of Japan As Portrayed in the War Tales" by Paul Varley
Additional information found through the Japanese Wiki Corpus
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Music from:
"The Inner Sound" by Jesse Gallagher
"Clan Matsumae" from the Ghost of Yotei Official Soundtrack
"Arctic Forest" by Akira Ifukube
"Japanese Suite for Orchestra" by Akira Ifukube
"Fire of Prometheus III - Joy of Fire" by Akira Ifukube
"Shaka" by Akira Ifukube
Artwork:
Classical art, which in most cases can be considered public domain.
Art from Osprey Publications
Other modern artist renditions and photos as well as photos from Wikipedia, if you see your work in this video please contact me so that I can give you proper credit!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Social Media:
Facebook: facebook.com/theshogunateyoutube
X: twitter.com/ShogunateThe
Support the channel on Patreon! patreon.com/theshogunateyt?fan_landing=true
The Genpei War was a legendary conflict fought between various warrior houses in 12th century Japan. It would serve to finally bring an end to the power of the imperial court while giving rise to a new warrior government in the east. This full documentary seeks to cover the rise of the Taira family through the Hogen and Heiji rebellions of 1156-1160, and then later, the outbreak of the Genpei War itself in 1180, spearheaded by a resurgent Minamoto clan, finally concluding with the end of the war and the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate.
If you want to learn more about this turbulent time period in Japanese history, check out the updated "Setting the Stage" series: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrlMflnRScAL3pSsBBGR4SirHKoEg4HOz
Timestamps
0:00 Prelude to War: The Hogen and Heiji Rebellions
19:26 The Outbreak of War
40:31 The End of the War and the Rise of Legends
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources Used:
"A History of Japan" by RHP Mason and JG Caiger
"A History of the Samurai" by Jonathan López-Vera
"Future and the Past: A Translation and Study of the Gukansho" by Delmer Brown and Ichiro Ishida
"Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Japan" by Karl Friday
"Legends of the Samurai" by Hiroaki Sato
"Samurai and the Warrior Culture of Japan, 471-1877" by Thomas Conlan
"Samurai Battles" by Michael Sharpe
"Samurai Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan" by Karl Friday
"The Tale of the Heike" translated by Royall Tyler
"Warriors of Japan As Portrayed in the War Tales" by Paul Varley
Additional information found through the Japanese Wiki Corpus
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music from:
"The Inner Sound" by Jesse Gallagher
"Clan Matsumae" from the Ghost of Yotei Official Soundtrack
"Arctic Forest" by Akira Ifukube
"Japanese Suite for Orchestra" by Akira Ifukube
"Fire of Prometheus III - Joy of Fire" by Akira Ifukube
"Shaka" by Akira Ifukube
Artwork:
Classical art, which in most cases can be considered public domain.
Art from Osprey Publications
Other modern artist renditions and photos as well as photos from Wikipedia, if you see your work in this video please contact me so that I can give you proper credit!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Social Media:
Facebook: facebook.com/theshogunateyoutube
X: twitter.com/ShogunateThe
Support the channel on Patreon! patreon.com/theshogunateyt?fan_landing=true
