After 'The Tale of Genji' (c.1000), the greatest work of classical Japanese literature is the historical narrative 'The Tale of the Heike' (13th-14th centuries). In addition to opening up fresh perspectives on the Heike narratives, this study draws attention to a range of problems centred on the interrelationship between narrative, ritual space, and Japan's changing views of China as they bear on depictions of the emperor's authority, warriors, and marginal population going all the way back to the Nara period.