Heike Monogatari

Synopsis

Biwa visits the temple where Gio's sister tells her that Gio and Hotoke-Gozen have died although a former shirabyoshi with similar eyes to Biwa was seen in Echigo. Biwa travels there only to find the woman has returned to the capital. After hearing of the defeat of Yorimoto at Sunomatagawa at the hands of the Taira, Yoshinaka joins him to fight against the Heike. Koremori fears an attack by the combined Genji allies and moves against Yoshinaka. However, Yoshinaka mounts a surprise night attack, outmaneuvering Koremori and his troops who are unfamiliar with the landscape, trapping them in Kurikara Valley where most of the 70,000 Taira troops are slaughtered. The loss prompts the Heike to abandon the capital and move to Fukuhara although Koremori chooses to remain, ashamed by his loss at Kurikara. The Taira find Fukuhara run-down and in ruins so Munemori suggests they abandon the site, burning it to the ground as they set sail on for Dazaifu hoping to meet up with Heike allies. Meanwhile, Yoshinaka triumphantly marches into the capital.

(Source: Wikipedia)