Minamoto Yoshitsune
Minamoto Yoshitsune (c. 1159–1189) was a prominent figure in the late Heian period of Japan, known for his military prowess during the Genpei War (1180–1185). He was the younger half-brother of Minamoto Yoritomo, the clan leader who ultimately established the Kamakura shogunate. Despite his significant contributions to the Minamoto clan's victories against the Taira, including key battles at Ichinotani and Dannoura, Yoshitsune was given little recognition by Yoritomo, who may have viewed him as a rival. This perceived betrayal led to Yoshitsune being outlawed, culminating in a tragic end to his life at the age of thirty. His story, intertwined with that of his loyal companion, the warrior monk Benkei, has elevated him to the status of a cultural hero in Japan. Yoshitsune's legacy endures in folklore and literature, symbolizing the themes of loyalty, heroism, and the complexities of familial relationships in feudal Japan.
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Minamoto Yoshitsune
General
- Born: 1159
- Birthplace: Japan
- Died: June 15, 1189
- Place of death: Fort Koromogawa, Hiraizumi, Japan
Also known as: Ushiwaka
Born: 1159; Japan
Died: June 15, 1189; Fort Koromogawa, Hiraizumi, Japan
Principal war: Gempei War
Principal battles: Uji (1184), Ichinotani (1184), Yashima (1185), Dannoura (1185)
Military significance: Yoshitsune destroyed the rival Taira clan, helping establish the shogunate, which imposed warrior rule on Japan for seven centuries.
Minamoto Yoshitsune and his older half-brother Minamoto Yoritomo were sons of Minamoto Yoshitomo, who helped Taira Kiyomori gain power but later died attempting a coup. A second Minamoto rebellion started the Gempei War (1180–1185). Clan leader Yoritomo’s cousin Minamoto Yoshinaka captured Kyoto but proved untrustworthy and was crushed in 1184 at Uji (March 5) and Ōmi by Yoshitsune and another half-brother, Minamoto Noriyori. The Minamoto then attacked the Taira base at Ichinotani (March 20). Yoshitsune’s surprise descent down a steep ravine with a small band brought confusion and defeat to the Taira, who fled by sea to Yashima. The following year, Yoshitsune crossed in a violent storm to Shikoku and marched overnight to attack Yashima (March 2, 1185) at dawn from the landward side, frightening the Taira to their ships before they grasped his modest numbers. A month later, he engaged them at Dannoura (April 25) in the straits between Kyushu and Honshu. Closing only when treacherous tides turned favorable, he used archers to decimate their seamen, then boarded and annihilated his foe.
Yoritomo gave Yoshitsune scant reward for these brilliant victories that established Minamoto hegemony. Perhaps jealous or threatened by Yoshitsune’s military genius and friendship with the imperial court, Yoritomo outlawed his brother, hounding him to death at age thirty. This tragic fate evoked enduring sympathy. Yoshitsune, along with his companion, the loyal fighting monk Benkei, lives in legend as one of Japan’s most beloved warrior heroes.
Bibliography
McCullough, Helen. Yoshitsune. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1971.
Morris, Ivan. Nobility of Failure. New York: Noonday Press, 1988.
Sansom, George. A History of Japan to 1334. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1958.
Sugawara Makoto. “Bushido.” The East 17-18 (1981–1982).