PARIS -- More than 800 years ago a feud between two powerful clans closed the most glorious period of refined court culture in Japan. The downfall of the Heike clan was considered equal to bringing an end to the Heian Period (794-1185). The stories of the rise and fall of this family, whose leading members were closely related to the Imperial family, were disseminated even at an early stage by blind biwa (lute) performers.

In the 14th century a standardized version of the epics became the model of the so-called heikyoku which is handed down to the present day by only a small group of performers.

This long tradition in the hands of highly educated musicians inspired many arts. We find Heike stories in the theater genres of noh, kabuki and bunraku; in all kinds of poetry, in painting and in practically every other form of Japanese representative or performing art, down to 20th-century film and TV drama.

A most recent reflection of these epoch-making events can be admired now in Paris at the Maison de la Culture du Japon. This institute, located in a building in the vicinity of the Eiffel Tower, representing the best in modern Japan-influenced architecture, opened an exhibition Feb. 22 (until May 13) with 250 paper figurines by Japanese sculptor Kiyoharu Uchiumi.

The sculptures, made of white washi (Japanese handmade paper), render scenes from the Heike epic in a unique way. Unique, because these are not just papier mache dolls illustrating famous stories known to everyone. No, we, the viewers, are facing a materialization of bad dreams, haunting memories of human suffering, the tragedy of war, the fearful glory of abusive power.

Though the figures average about 30 cm in height, they show a vivid expressiveness in gesture and facial expression. Eschewing a folkloristic, handicraftlike touch, Uchiumi seems to be reading the Heike epic with the full consciousness of its 800-year tradition.

This temporal perspective was strongly enhanced by two well-received biwa recitals Feb. 22 and 24 in the concert hall at the Maison. The two musicians, Tsutomu Imai and Kyokusen Tanaka, represent two ends of the long span of biwa singing tradition. Imai is the last professional blind Heike biwa performer. His art dates back to the oldest standard version of the epic. A specialist might notice some traces of 19th-century aesthetics modeling his vocals, but in general his performing style fits well what we know of the music of the Muromachi Period.

The lovely Kyokusen Tanaka, on the other hand, is one of the best exponents of modern Chikuzen-style biwa. The Chikuzen school was founded by Chijo Tachibana in the mid-Meiji Era (1868-1912) on the basis of older Kyushu folk biwa styles, and reflects more familiar tastes in traditional Japanese music.

The recitals were organized by Japanese musicologist Haruko Komoda, who had both musicians perform the opening lines from the Heike epic, "Gion Shoja," lines known to every Japanese as poetry but nowadays seldom heard as music. The contrast between Middle Ages and Modern Times in Japanese music could not have been more obvious in the comparison of the monumentally slow tempo of the Heike biwa with the minutely embellished melodies of the Chikuzen biwa.

During the rest of the recital -- including the chapter "Suzuki," sung by Imai, and "Nasu no Yoichi" and the climactic battle scene "Dan no Ura" sung by Tanaka -- the charm of both styles could be appreciated. The warm applause from the capacity audiences showed once more that Westerners are often more interested and receptive to Japanese performing arts than the Japanese at home, who tend to disdain their own music and art as "old-fashioned," while chasing the latest fad from the West.

Between the two biwa recitals a round-table discussion on the Heike epic was held Feb. 23, featuring Tezukayama University Professor Seigo Matsuoka, artist Uchiumi and French scholar F. Lachaud.