Taira no Kiyomori ( 1118 - 1181) was a master general of the late Heian period of Japan who established the first samurai dominated admintristrative government in Japanese history.

After his father Tadamori's death in 1153, Kiyomori assumed control of the Taira clan and ambitiously entered the political realm in which he had previously only held a minor post.

In 1156, with aid from Minamoto no Yoshitomo, head of the Minamoto clan; Kiyomori suppressed the Hogen Rebellion, establishing the Taira and Minamoto samurai clans as the top political powers in Kyoto.

Their new strength led the allies to become bitter rivals, culminating three years later in the Heiji Rebellion in 1159.

Kiyomori emerged victorious, routing the Minamoto and exiling Yoshitomo's three youngest sons Yoritomo, Noriyori, and Yoshitsune.

In 1167, Kiyomori was the first samurai to be appointed Daijyo Daijin, effectively Prime Minister.

Though he relinquished the position later in the year and gave up his leadership of the clan, he continued to orchestrate government policy and successfully placed his family members and allies in most of the government posts and as magistrates of half of the provinces of Japan, even going as far as forcing a marriage between emperor Takakura and his daughter Tokuko in 1171.

Their first son, Prince Tokihito was born in 1178.

The next year, in 1179, Kiyomori staged a military coup forcing the resignation of his rivals from all government posts and subsequently banishing them and filling the open government positions with more of his allies and relatives, and imprisoning emperor Go-Shirakawa.

Finally, in 1180 Kiyomori forced emperor Takakura to abdicate and gave his grandson, Prince Tokuhito, the throne, becoming the emperor Antoku.

As a result of his manoeuvrings many of his allies, most of the provincial samurai, and even members of his own clan turned against him.

Prince Mochihito, brother of emperor Takakura, called on Kiyomori's old rivals of the Minamoto clan to rise against the Taira beginning the Gempei War in the middle of 1180.

Kiyomori died early in the next year from sickness, leaving his sons with the downfall and destruction of the Taira at the hands of the Minamoto.

The remaining samurai of the Taira clan were beaten back into the sea.

Fishermen in Japan today often find crabs (Heike crabs) in their nets with curious indentations on their backs that appear to be the faces of samurai warriors, these are said to be the souls of the slaughtered Taira.

So why Kiyomori?

Adam: A devious, ruthless, power hungry tyrant who did everything in his power to make himself the ruler of Japan, only to see it all begin to fall apart on the eve of his death.

I see some parallels with the story of Macbeth.

Samurai originally meant 'those who serve', and Macbeth was a loyal servant of Duncan's before he murdered him, beginning a mad quest for power.

We chose Kiyomori as a name for the band initially because it sounded good! We decided to keep it when a search on the Internet turned up the Kabalarian Philosophy of Names site, where it said that Kiyomori was a name that would bring good fortune in music and the arts.

I am fast becoming a total Japanophile too! Sushi is easily my favourite food, I love Manga (Akira, Ghost in the Shell) and I've been getting into Japanese film (Audition, Old Boy, the original Ring films).

I've written about the Hikikomori in song before.

I've been fascinated by medieval history since I was a child and the history of feudal Japan is full of beauty, mystery and intrigue.

Kiyomori's story has me hooked; we just have to hope our fans don't find it too hard to spell!!!!

Kiyomori (Brighton based rock band)

Biog