One of the only two films Kenji Mizoguchi shot in color, the other being Yôkihi (1955). Mizoguchi was not very pleased by the technical result: the studio Daiei imposed their own colouring process, which turned out to be somewhat faded and yellowish. Nevertheless, Mizoguchi masterly uses colours for an artistic effect.
The original title "Shin Heike monogatari" means "The New Tale of the Heike". "Heike" refers to Taira, the name of the clan depicted in the movie, since "hei" is an alternate reading of the first kanji (character) of Taira. The story is based on the historical novel of the same name by Eiji Yoshikawa, published in 1950. The latter was inspired by the epic account "Heike monogatari" ("The Tale of the Heike"), a renowned Japanese classic written in the 13th century.
Most events in the movie are fictionalised but overall it relies on a true phenomenon: the rise of the samurais in the 12th century (even though it does not show the fights between the different samurai clans). Samurais will eventually triumph and reign on Japan for 7 centuries until the end of the 19th (the Shoguns).