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Battle of Dan-no-ura

 

 
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Battle of Dan-no-ura
 
 
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The was a major sea battle of the Genpei WarGenpei War

The were a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans in late-Heian period Japan....
, occurring at Dan-no-uraShimonoseki, Yamaguchi

is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan....
, in the Shimonoseki Strait off the southern tip of HonshuHonshu Summary

Honshu listen is the largest island of Japan, called the Mainland; it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait,...
. On April 25 1185, the Genji clan fleet, led by Minamoto no YoshitsuneMinamoto no Yoshitsune

* Seiwa GenjiExternal links* ...
, defeated the Heike clan fleet, during a half-day engagement.

The Taira were outnumbered, but some sources say that they had the advantage over the Minamoto in understanding the tides of that particular area, as well as naval combat tactics in general. The Taira split their fleet into three squadrons, while their enemy arrived en masse, their ships abreast, and archers ready. The beginning of the battle consisted mainly of a long-range archery exchange, before the Taira took the initiative, using the tides to help them try to surround the enemy ships.






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Timeline

1185   Genpei War - Naval battle of Dan-no-ura leads to Minamoto victory in Japan.






Encyclopedia


The was a major sea battle of the Genpei WarGenpei War

The were a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans in late-Heian period Japan....
, occurring at Dan-no-uraShimonoseki, Yamaguchi

is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan....
, in the Shimonoseki Strait off the southern tip of HonshuHonshu Summary

Honshu listen is the largest island of Japan, called the Mainland; it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait,...
. On April 25 1185, the Genji clan fleet, led by Minamoto no YoshitsuneMinamoto no Yoshitsune

* Seiwa GenjiExternal links* ...
, defeated the Heike clan fleet, during a half-day engagement.

The Taira were outnumbered, but some sources say that they had the advantage over the Minamoto in understanding the tides of that particular area, as well as naval combat tactics in general. The Taira split their fleet into three squadrons, while their enemy arrived en masse, their ships abreast, and archers ready. The beginning of the battle consisted mainly of a long-range archery exchange, before the Taira took the initiative, using the tides to help them try to surround the enemy ships. They engaged the Minamoto, and the archery from a distance eventually gave way to hand-to-hand combatHand-to-Hand Combat

Hand-to-Hand Combat is the twentieth episode...
 with swords and daggers after the crews of the ships boardedBoarding (attack)

Boarding, in its simplest sense, refers to the insertion onto a ship's deck of people....
 each other. However, the tide changed, and the advantage was given back to the Minamoto.

One of the crucial factors that allowed the Minamoto to win the battle was that a Taira general by the name of Taguchi Shigeyoshi defected, and revealed to the Minamoto which ship the six-year-old EmperorEmperor of Japan

According to the Japanese Constitution, the Emperor is a symbol of the Japanese nation and the unity of its people....
 AntokuEmperor Antoku

Emperor Antoku was the 81st imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession....
 was on. Their archers turned their attention to the helmsmen and rowers of the Emperor's ship, as well as the rest of their enemy's fleet, sending their ships out of control. Many of the Taira warriors, as they saw the battle turn against them, threw themselves overboard, committing suicide rather than having to face defeat at the hands of the Minamoto. Among those who perished this way were Antoku and his grandmother, the widow of Taira no KiyomoriTaira no Kiyomori Summary

Taira no Kiyomori was a general of the late Heian period of Japan....
, head of the clan. To this day, the Heike CrabsHeikegani

Heikegani is a species of crab native to Japan, with a shell that bears a pattern resembling a human face....
 found in the Straits of Shimonoseki are considered by the JapaneseJapanese people

The are the people having identity as a Japanese....
 to hold the spirits of the Taira warriors.

The Taira attempted to toss the crown jewelsImperial Regalia of Japan

The , also known as the Three Sacred Treasures, consist of the sword, Kusanagi, the jewel or necklace of jewels, Yasakani no...
 off the ship but only managed to get the swordKusanagi

Kusanagi-no-tsurugi is a legendary Japanese sword as important to Japan's history as Excalibur is to Britain's....
 and mirrorYata no kagami

the sacred mirror, is part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan....
 into the water before the ship holding the jewels was captured. The mirror was recovered by divers; many presume the sword to have been lost at this time, though it is officially said to have been recovered and enshrined at Atsuta ShrineAtsuta Shrine

is a Japanese Shinto shrine in Atsuta-ku, Nagoya....
.

This decisive defeat of the Taira forces led to the end of the Taira bid for control of JapanFacts About Japan

is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea, and Russia, stretching from...
. Minamoto Yoritomo, the elder half-brother of Minamoto Yoshitsune, became the first ShogunFacts About Shogun

is a military rank and historical title in Japan....
, establishing his military government in KamakuraKamakura, Kanagawa

Kamakura is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan, about 50 km south-south-west of Tokyo ....
.

In Popular Culture

In 1965 a dramatized version of the battle appeared as part of the movie KwaidanKwaidan (film)

is a 1965 Japanese anthology film directed by Masaki Kobayashi....
.

In his book and television series , Carl SaganFacts About Carl Sagan

Dr. Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrobiologist, and highly successful science popularizer....
 presents a brief, dramatic account of the battle in chapter/episode 2; "One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue". Sagan then uses the Heike crabsHeikegani

Heikegani is a species of crab native to Japan, with a shell that bears a pattern resembling a human face....
 as examples of artificial selectionArtificial selection

In evolution, artificial selection is the process of intentional or unintentional modification of a species through human ac...
.

In the japanese remake of the Spaghetti Western movie, DjangoDjango

Django is a Romany term meaning "I awake"....
, , this battle has a main focus within the plot.