Heike Monogatari

The story is recounted from the viewpoint of Biwa, a young girl and wandering biwa minstrel, and is set during the Genpei War (1180-1185), a horrific civil war that divided Japan. Biwa encounters Taira no Shigemori, the heir of the formidable Taira clan that is engaged in a war for dominance, after the passing of her blind father. Shigemori also possesses the ability to see ghosts, and he can see them with one of his eyes. He can see how his clan contributed to the death of Biwa's father thanks to this ability, and when Biwa tells him of a prophecy foretelling the demise of the Taira clan, he assumes she possesses a similar talent. Inviting Biwa to live with him and his family so that she can be a playmate and companion for his kids, the gentle, sensible, and responsible Shigemori also believes that she can use her influence to stop the demise of the Taira clan. Biwa consents to being housed but declines to use her influence to aid the clan that killed her father. She serves as a record of the occasions that brought about the Taira clan's rise and collapse.