was the brother of clan head Taira no Kiyomori

Taira no Kiyomori

was a general of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan.After the death of his father Taira no Tadamori in 1153, Kiyomori assumed control of the Taira clan and ambitiously entered the political realm in which he...

, and one of his generals in the Genpei War

Genpei War

The was a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late-Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the fall of the Taira clan and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto Yoritomo in 1192....

 against the Minamoto.

Tadanori also took part in the Battle of Fujigawa

Battle of Fujigawa

The was a battle of the Genpei War of the Heian period of Japanese history. It took place in 1180, in what is now Shizuoka Prefecture.Attempting to recover quickly from his exile, and to rebuild his army, Minamoto no Yoritomo sent out messengers to recruit other families...

, and in fighting Minamoto no Yoshinaka

Minamoto no Yoshinaka

was a general of the late Heian Period of Japanese history. A member of the Minamoto samurai clan, Minamoto no Yoritomo was his cousin and rival during the Genpei War between the Minamoto and the Taira clans....

. He was killed in the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani

Battle of Ichi-no-Tani

' was a Taira fortress at Suma, to the west of present-day Kobe. It sat on a very narrow strip of shore, between mountains on the north, and the sea to the south. This made it quite defensible, but also made it difficult to maneuver troops inside the fortress. Minamoto no Yoshitsune split his force...

. Tadanori had a son named Taira no Tadayuki.

Tadanori also features as the titular character in a Noh

Noh

, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...

 play by Zeami; in the play, his spirit returns to the mortal world to plead for recognition for having authored a well-known poem. According to the Heike Monogatari, a poem was found in his quiver after his death. The poem reads: "Were I, still traveling as night falls, to make a sheltering tree my inn, then would my host tonight be the blossoms themselves?" In reference to this, Zeami designates a cherry tree as Tadanori's grave marker, and makes it the site of his play.