Gosannen War
Encyclopedia
The Gosannen War also known by the English translation Later Three-Year War, was fought during Japan's Heian period
in the province of Mutsu
at the far north of Japan's main island of Honshū
. Though some scholars date the war to the period of 1086 to 1089, others place it a few years earlier, lasting from 1083 to 1087. Like the Zenkunen War
that preceded it, and the various conflicts that were to follow, the Gosannen War was a struggle for power within the competing warrior clans of the time.
In this particular case, it was a series of quarrels within the Kiyohara clan (sometimes referred to as "Kiyowara"), resulting in large part from relationships of branches of the clan with other clans, many through marriage. These quarrels, and the associated disturbances, eventually reached the point that external interference became necessary. Minamoto no Yoshiie
, who became Governor of Mutsu province in 1083, sought to quell the fighting between Kiyohara no Masahira, Iehira
, and Narihira, the heads of the various branches of the family.
His early diplomatic efforts made some progress, but were not enough to stifle the fighting, and so Yoshiie brought in his own warriors. At first he supported Kiyohara no Iehira and his half-brother Fujiwara no Kiyohira
against Kiyohara no Sanehira, but after Sanehira's death, Yoshiie and Iehira turned on one another.
Yoshiie attacked Iehira in the fortress at Numa, but was unable to penetrate the defenses; Yoshiie lost many men to the cold and lack of supplies.
Iehira then established a warrior camp around Yoshiie's fortress at Kanezawa, along with the forces of his uncle Kiyohara no Takahira. After a period of inactivity and relative peace, Yoshiie launched a siege on this encampment, along with his brother Minamoto no Yoshimitsu
, who had arrived from Kyoto. Approaching the fortress, Yoshiie is said to have noticed a flock of cranes emerging hastily and disorderedly from the forest, indicating to him that an ambush had been set among the trees. The siege was drawn out for several months, but was eventually successful after an assault on the fortress with the aid of Fujiwara no Kiyohira.
Much of the war is depicted in an e-maki narrative handscroll, the Gosannen Kassen E-maki, owned today by the Watanabe Museum in Tottori city
, Japan
.
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
in the province of Mutsu
Mutsu Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...
at the far north of Japan's main island of Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
. Though some scholars date the war to the period of 1086 to 1089, others place it a few years earlier, lasting from 1083 to 1087. Like the Zenkunen War
Zenkunen War
The Zenkunen War , also known by the English translation Early Nine-Years War, was fought from 1051 to 1063, in Japan's Mutsu province, at the far north of the main island of Honshū...
that preceded it, and the various conflicts that were to follow, the Gosannen War was a struggle for power within the competing warrior clans of the time.
In this particular case, it was a series of quarrels within the Kiyohara clan (sometimes referred to as "Kiyowara"), resulting in large part from relationships of branches of the clan with other clans, many through marriage. These quarrels, and the associated disturbances, eventually reached the point that external interference became necessary. Minamoto no Yoshiie
Minamoto no Yoshiie
Minamoto no Yoshiie , also known as Hachimantarō, was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and Chinjufu shogun...
, who became Governor of Mutsu province in 1083, sought to quell the fighting between Kiyohara no Masahira, Iehira
Kiyohara no Iehira
Kiyohara no Iehira was a member of the Kiyohara clan, which wielded significant power in the Tohoku region from around 1063 to 1089, during Japan's Heian period; he was also a key participant in the Gosannen War which grew out of conflicts within the clan.In the early 1080s, a conflict developed...
, and Narihira, the heads of the various branches of the family.
His early diplomatic efforts made some progress, but were not enough to stifle the fighting, and so Yoshiie brought in his own warriors. At first he supported Kiyohara no Iehira and his half-brother Fujiwara no Kiyohira
Fujiwara no Kiyohira
was a samurai of mixed Japanese-Emishi parentage of the late Heian period , who was the founder of the Hiraizumi or Northern Fujiwara dynasty that ruled Northern Japan from about 1100 to 1189....
against Kiyohara no Sanehira, but after Sanehira's death, Yoshiie and Iehira turned on one another.
Yoshiie attacked Iehira in the fortress at Numa, but was unable to penetrate the defenses; Yoshiie lost many men to the cold and lack of supplies.
Iehira then established a warrior camp around Yoshiie's fortress at Kanezawa, along with the forces of his uncle Kiyohara no Takahira. After a period of inactivity and relative peace, Yoshiie launched a siege on this encampment, along with his brother Minamoto no Yoshimitsu
Minamoto no Yoshimitsu
, son of Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, was a Minamoto clan samurai during Japan's Heian Period. His brother was the famous Minamoto no Yoshiie. Minamoto no Yoshimitsu is credited as the ancient progenitor of the Japanese martial art, Daitō-ryū aiki-jūjutsu...
, who had arrived from Kyoto. Approaching the fortress, Yoshiie is said to have noticed a flock of cranes emerging hastily and disorderedly from the forest, indicating to him that an ambush had been set among the trees. The siege was drawn out for several months, but was eventually successful after an assault on the fortress with the aid of Fujiwara no Kiyohira.
Much of the war is depicted in an e-maki narrative handscroll, the Gosannen Kassen E-maki, owned today by the Watanabe Museum in Tottori city
Tottori, Tottori
is the capital city of Tottori Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan.As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 200,974 and a density of 262.48 persons per km². The total area is 765.66 km²....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.