This url has nice summaries of this series on Yoshitsune. http://www.sonic.net/~tabine/Heike/Heike_Yoshitsune_taiga_summaries.html
and this one a short blurb about the figure
http://www.samurai-archives.com/yoshitsune.html
Yoshitsune is a historical figure who generated a lot of fantasies and stories. He is the subject of Noh plays, Kabuki and old Akira Kurosawa movie, Tiger by the Tail. One of his vassals, Musashibo Benkei, the warrior monk, has generated a lot of stories also.
He lived in the mid 1100s in pre-Shogun Japan. In that time, being Emperor was boring business, and they tended to retire early and leave the title to an infant son. The Regents wielded the real power. The Hojo and Fujiwara families supplied the regents. In addition, because Emperors tended to have many sons, two other lines descended from his household, the Heike (Taira) and the Genji (Minamoto). Why they had two names, I don't know.
Yoshitsune himself had at least 3 names. He was born Ushiwaka, raised as Shanao, and then became Minamoto no Yoshitsune when he had his manhood rite.
The actor playing Yoshitsune is very handsome!!!
I look forward to this ongoing series.
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