In 1161, the retired Emperor Sutoku, who has been exiled to Sanuki where he is now living a quiet life, writes a hand-copied sutra for the former Emperor Go-Shirakawa with hopes to express apology. However, the sutra he sent to Go-Shirakawa is torn up and returned back to Sutoku. Also, triggered by the sudden death of his son, Prince Shigehito, Sutoku finally explodes with fury. Learning Sutoku's deeply-seated grudges, Kiyomori decides to dedicate sutras, known as "The Heike Nokyo Sutras," to Itsukushima Shrine in order to pray for the prosperity of the Taira family.