Taira no Kiyomori (1118-1181) è un noto samurai del XII secolo, che negli ultimi anni del periodo Heian (794-1185) dominò la scena politica giapponese alla guida di un potente clan militare dell'epoca, i Taira . Suo padre Tadamori (1096-1153) aveva servito la Corte imperiale in 1129 Pirates of subduing the South East, and he had also allowed the rise of the Taira in the Capital from a strange incident while serving on guard at the palace, stopped an old lamplighter that he had alarmed the emperor, in so doing, Tadamori ingratiates it was who gave him his favorite concubine as a sign of gratitude for having calmed. Kiyomori was born from the union with the lady, who, once grown, would have boasted of his imperial blood in his veins.
Tadamori Following the death, which occurred in 1153, Kiyomori succeeded in driving the clan and took steps to further strengthen the power of the Taira. To this end, took advantage of disorders caused by certain sects of Buddhism like Tendai, whose legions of warrior-monks ( Sohei ), armed with naginata , threatened the capital. It was practically a monastic congregation, which became very powerful through the acquisition of private property ( Shoen ), were constantly fighting among themselves to increase land and prestige, not hesitating to make their religious and military strength at the same Court. To propitiate the favor of the Emperor, Kiyomori thought well then take action against them: in 1164, he attacked the monks who were causing disturbances with an arrow and hit the big shrine mobile they were carrying. They were joined by other attacks on religious institutions (such as Todaji Nara), which were by him destroyed and looted. With such an appeal to the despotism and violence Kiyomori could receive respect and charges and the ability to deal with the internal politics of the Emperor and the government.
In this way, but Kiyomori came in contrast to the Fujiwara family (then quite influential in the Court) and with the Minamoto clan military that supported it. Political opposition eventually lead, in 1156, in the civil war known as Hogen no ran , that turned Hogen era (1156-1158) begun as a dispute over the succession between the 'Emperor retired Sutoku el' reigning Emperor Go Shirakawa . It was the first clash between the Taira and Mianmoto respectively supporters and Shirakawa Sutoku; eventually Kiyomori came out the winner, thanks in particular to the support of Yoshitomo, a leading member of Mianamoto who had passed on his side. However, Yoshitomo, following the death of his father and his brother, fighting in the ranks opposed, could not help but follow the moral norm that "a man can not live under the same roof as the killers of his father": in 1159, then led the Minamoto and Fujiwara survivors against the troops of the Taira gathered in the capital ( Rivolta Heijo ), but was defeated and killed in 1160. There followed many executions that decimated the Minamoto clan, although Kiyomori, in contrast to his cruelty and customs of the time, saved the whole offspring of Yoshitomo, probably prompted by the pleas of a concubine of a rebel, Tokiwa . emerged victorious by Hogen rebellion and the Heijo, Kiyomori exercised undisputed dominion on the court for about two decades that Rokuhara period (1160-1180), which takes its name from the residence, home to the headquarters of the Taira capital. In this period, Taira replaced the Fujiwara in the role of imperial rulers, taking up the hierarchy of the court and being charged and allocated land in the provinces. As they had done before him Fujiwara, Kiyomori wanted to establish a close link with the imperial dynasty through political marriage, for example by marrying his daughter to a member of the royal family in the hope that an emperor was born Taira. Thus, in 1180 put his grandson on the throne only two years Antoku (1178-1185). But unlike the Fujiwara, the Taira were a family of civil aviation (the kuge ) dedicated to the pomp and ceremony of Court, but were part of the provincial warrior aristocracy (the buke ) were short a clan of samurai, who based his power on the use of force and respect for "Way of the Horse and the Arc" , a sort of moral code of ethics of the warrior.
However, settling in Heianko and forming in effect a new group of courtiers, Kiyomori ended up losing the military support of the provinces and moved away from the martial tradition of the countryside, in addition the despotism which was used to defend position arrived at court, gave rise to general discontent, even among those who were initially allies. It was so easy for Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199), a son of Yoshitomo escaped death after Heijo the revolt, support the cause of the rebel prince Mochihito , and become the leader of a broad coalition anti-Taira samurai who led against Kiyomori from the eastern provinces. War broke out as the Genpei (1180-1185) ended with the expulsion of the Taira from the capital, and their destruction in the naval battle of Dannoura (among others there lost his life the Emperor Antoku child). Went down like this forever Kiyomori of the clan, who died of fever in 1181 just one year after the outbreak of the conflict. 
