Prince Masahito ascends the throne and becomes Emperor Go-Shirakawa, which throws the Imperial Court into chaos. Meanwhile, a dispute arises among the Minamoto family and the relation between Tameyoshi and Yoshitomo becomes worse. Emperor Go-Shirakawa goes into a frantic rampage after receiving a poem from the former Emperor Sutoku at his enthronement celebration. The retired Emperor Toba, who has fallen ill, hands Kiyomori a hand-copied sutra he wrote for Sutoku expressing apology. Kiyomori goes to deliver the sutra to Sutoku.
