Although TAIRA no Kiyomori was widely understood to be an upstart tyrant because he was portrayed as being atrocious, inhuman, and cold-hearted in "Heike Monogatari," some claim that Kiyomori actually was a gentle and compassionate person.
『平家物語』における悪虐、非道、非情の描写から、平清盛は古来成り上がり者の暴君、という評価が定着していたが、一方で実際の清盛の人物像は温厚で情け深いものだったともいわれている。