太平記

The Taiheiki, or "Chronicle of Grand Pacification," is a 40-chapter Japanese war tale that describes five decades (1318-1367) of turmoil that included the overthrow of the Kamakura bakufu, the restoration of direct imperial rule under Emperor Go-Daigo, the establishment of the Muromachi bakufu under Ashikaga Takauji, and the ongoing civil war between the rival Northern and Southern courts.

The Taiheiki was completed in 1374, only seven years after the last events it describes, and thus is more creditable as a historical source than, say, the Tale of the Heike, although embellishment and exageration are still undoubtedly present throughout the text. The Taiheiki's composition is attributed to a Buddhist priest named Kojima, but was likely based on earlier stories and ballads crafted by numerous unknown authors.

As stylized and fictionalized as it is, the Taiheiki is our only source for much of what we know about such famous figures in Japanese history as Kusunoki Masashige, Go-Daigo, and Ashikaga Takauji.