The Battle at Ichinotani, Scenes from The Tale of the Heike. Artist: Tosa School. Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 68 3/4 x 133 1/4 in. (174.6 x 338.5 cm). Date: 17th century.The victory of the Minamoto over the Taira, which left the samurai class in power in Japan for more than seven centuries, was assured by this battle fought off the shores of western Japan in the second month of the year 1184. Around the Minamoto stronghold at Ichinotani, scores of warriors are shown in the dramatic confrontations recounted in the ninth section of the Heike monogatari. In the middle of the two left panels is the poignant encounter between the young Taira Atsumori, fleeing on horseback into the water, and the veteran Genji warrior Kumagai Naozane, who rides toward shore, war fan in hand, calling the young man to return to fight. The tragic denouement, so well known it goes undepicted here, underscores the Buddhist theme of the saga: Naozane, discovering that his foe is only a youth who reminds him of his