The Taira clan insignia or kamon.
The Taira clan are a noble clan of many great heroes as well as tyrants and are generally believed to be extinct throughout all of Japan. Few are aware that this clan, long-since disgraced in history, continues to secretly live on in very small pockets of the land.
Clan History
The Taira clan (平氏) and Minamoto clan (源) - bitter rivals - cannot be fully understood without mention of the other; they both rose to power in the Heian period of Japan and quarreled over the imperial throne, domineered by the Fujiwara clan (藤原氏). Both the forefathers of the Taira clan and Minamoto clan are descended from the 50th Emperor of Japan, Kammu and therein lied the reason for constant opposition between the two. The Taira clan established the first Samurai-dominated government of Japan but it was a Minamoto who ultimately became Shogun of Japan.
The reason for the Taira clan being painted as villains in the history of Japan is due in no small part to Taira no Kiyomori, who ruthlessly held the reins over the Empire and commited atrocious acts the likes of which had him haunted by all those tormented dead that Kiyomori was responsible for having killed in life - which numbered in the millions. Taira no Kiyomori's reign did not end in his lifetime, as a matter of fact he reigned supreme for the duration of his time dominating the imperial court. After he inevitably met his end, the Taira clan became fat and content with the thousands of manors and the massive treasury their clan jealously relied upon. It was in this moment of weakness that Minamoto no Yoshitsune rose up and combated the corrupt Taira clan. The final battle was called the Great Sea Battle of Dannoura and the Minamoto overcame the Taira clan and sunk each and every one of their ships. The Minamoto intended to take the young Emperor Antoku captive and return him to his seat on the throne [or not], however, ministers of the Taira clan had him gather an Imperial Treasure, the mysterious fourth treasure, Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, and leap overboard with the Emperor in their arms. They all drowned along with the rest of their kinsmen and the fourth treasure was lost forever in the depths of the strait between Kyushu and Honshu.
Though the family is considered extinct now, there were in fact very few survivors but they would never meet with one another. These few survivors lost their wealth and even their family's once proud name, covering themselves in mud and avoiding the court's and the Minamoto's attention throughout the tides of history. From then on, the clan of lords and warriors became a broken clan of depraved farmers, merchants and fishermen. Overtime, most Taira would wholly forget or not care to remember who they were and where they came from. Farming became their way of life and so it has remained to this day.
Bloodline Trait
All sentient life has within themselves a reflection of the universe, but only few members of the Taira clan have the ability to tap into it. It's called Kosumosu (コスモス) and isn't restricted by one's physical or mental condition as are other sources of power, but instead can expand infinitely, however it is somewhat limited by just how much Kosumosu the Taira clansman is able to burn within himself - which matures over time with rigorous training.
The power of Kosumosu serves as a gateway to the forces of the Universe. They can generate stellar winds, solar flares, cosmic storms and invoke meteor showers. Galaxian explosions, photon beams, stardust sublimation, etc... are also varying techniques utilized by members of the Taira clan who have focused on their clan's disciplines.
The user doesn't usually actually summon a planet/celestial object or control and manipulate its movement (as that would result it being obliterated), but they can summon and control its energy.
Interestingly enough, the Kosumosu of those few clansmen who can awaken it manifests differently in each of them. When a clansman abuses his/her inherent powers they are harassed by Mekurabe; thousands of skulls with begrudging eyes that haunt the Taira that had commited so many atrocities in his/her lifetime.
The duality between Taira and Minamoto is said to predate written history and is believed to have first been established during the Big Bang - inscribed in the cosmos. This belief comes from the fact that at their prime, more Taira and more Minamoto could use their bloodline trait: Taira, being able to manipulate Space (Kūkan; 空間) and Minamoto, being able to manipulate Time (Jikan; 時間).
Lastly, every Taira clansmen who has awakened to his Kosumosu is able to call upon a Heike no Cuross, a suit of armor that corresponds with a certain constellation unique to the wearer. They allow for superhuman durability and help the Taira clansmen burn his/her Kosumosu at a much higher rate allowing for a more devastating offense and defense. The Cuross is especially important among the Taira because it's the best way to defend against somebody else's Kosumosu, since every Taira still has a Human body that can be easily pummeled by great power. The Cuross commonly covers all parts of the user's body; less advanced Cuross of inexperienced Taira however, do not fully cover the entire body, only the more experienced Taira can fully use the Cuross to his complete advantage.
Clan Members
- Taira no Gomei
- Taira no Mū
Members of the Taira clan throughout history. (Far left) Taira no Mu, (Uppermost center) Taira no Kiyomori, (Far right w/ cape) Taira no Gomei