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The was fought between rival subjects of the cloistered
Cloistered rule

The Insei system , or cloistered rule, was a specific form of government in Japan, in which the Tenno abdicated, but kept exerting power and influence....
 Emperor Go-Shirakawa
Emperor Go-Shirakawa

Emperor Go-Shirakawa was the 77th Emperor of Japan of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1155 through 1158....
 of Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of 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....
 in 1159. It was preceded by the Hogen Rebellion
Hogen Rebellion

The Hogen Rebellion was a Japanese civil war fought in 1156 over Emperors of Japan succession and control of the Fujiwara Regents clan of regents....
 in 1156. In many ways, this struggle is seen as a direct outcome of that earlier armed dispute.

Early in 1160 (or late 1159, by the lunar calendar), 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 had previously only held a minor post....
, head of the Taira clan and supporter of Emperor Nijo
Emperor Nijo

Emperor Nijo was the 78th Emperor of Japan of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spaned the years from 1158 through 1165....
, left Kyoto
Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 with his family, on a personal pilgrimage. This left his enemies, Fujiwara no Nobuyori
Fujiwara no Nobuyori

was one of the chief allies of Minamoto no Yoshitomo in the Heiji Rebellion of 1159. As a member of the Fujiwara clan, Nobuyori might have been in line to become Sessho and Kampaku, and he desired power, which he obtained for a short while following the Rebellion....
 and the Minamoto clan, a perfect opportunity to effect an uprising.






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The was fought between rival subjects of the cloistered
Cloistered rule

The Insei system , or cloistered rule, was a specific form of government in Japan, in which the Tenno abdicated, but kept exerting power and influence....
 Emperor Go-Shirakawa
Emperor Go-Shirakawa

Emperor Go-Shirakawa was the 77th Emperor of Japan of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1155 through 1158....
 of Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of 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....
 in 1159. It was preceded by the Hogen Rebellion
Hogen Rebellion

The Hogen Rebellion was a Japanese civil war fought in 1156 over Emperors of Japan succession and control of the Fujiwara Regents clan of regents....
 in 1156. In many ways, this struggle is seen as a direct outcome of that earlier armed dispute.

Early in 1160 (or late 1159, by the lunar calendar), 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 had previously only held a minor post....
, head of the Taira clan and supporter of Emperor Nijo
Emperor Nijo

Emperor Nijo was the 78th Emperor of Japan of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spaned the years from 1158 through 1165....
, left Kyoto
Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 with his family, on a personal pilgrimage. This left his enemies, Fujiwara no Nobuyori
Fujiwara no Nobuyori

was one of the chief allies of Minamoto no Yoshitomo in the Heiji Rebellion of 1159. As a member of the Fujiwara clan, Nobuyori might have been in line to become Sessho and Kampaku, and he desired power, which he obtained for a short while following the Rebellion....
 and the Minamoto clan, a perfect opportunity to effect an uprising. In the Siege of Sanjo Palace
Siege of Sanjo Palace

The Siege of the Sanjo Palace was the primary battle of the 1159 Heiji Rebellion. In early January of 1160, after Taira no Kiyomori left Kyoto on a family pilgrimage, Fujiwara no Nobuyori and Minamoto no Yoshitomo saw an opportunity to effect changes they sought in the government....
, Nobuyori and his Minamoto allies abducted the former emperor Emperor Go-Shirakawa
Emperor Go-Shirakawa

Emperor Go-Shirakawa was the 77th Emperor of Japan of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1155 through 1158....
 and Emperor Nijo and set fire to the Palace.

Minamoto no Yoshitomo
Minamoto no Yoshitomo

was the head of the Minamoto clan and a general of the late Heian period of History of Japan. His son Minamoto no Yoritomo became shogun and founded the Kamakura Shogunate, the first shogunate in the history of Japan....
 and Fujiwara no Nobuyori
Fujiwara no Nobuyori

was one of the chief allies of Minamoto no Yoshitomo in the Heiji Rebellion of 1159. As a member of the Fujiwara clan, Nobuyori might have been in line to become Sessho and Kampaku, and he desired power, which he obtained for a short while following the Rebellion....
 placed Go-Shirakawa under house arrest and killed his retainer, the scholar Fujiwara no Michinori
Fujiwara no Michinori

', also known as ', was one of the chief advisors to Emperor Nijo, and one of the chief allies to Taira no Kiyomori, particularly during the Heiji Rebellion of 1159....
. Nobuyori had himself declared imperial chancellor, and began to see his plans for political power fall into place.

However, the Minamoto did not plan well enough, militarily, and were unprepared to defend the city against Kiyomori's return. Upon his return, the Minamoto made no decisive moves and hesitated.

Kiyomori, who returned to Kyoto, offered to surrender to Nobuyori. However, this was a plot. While Nobuyori was careless, Kiyomori let the Emperor Nijo and the former emperor Go-shirakawa escape to Kiyomori's side.

Kiyomori received an imperial grant from the Emperor for attacking Yoshitomo and Nobuyori. Taira no Shigemori
Taira no Shigemori

was the eldest son of the Taira clan patriarch, Taira no Kiyomori. He took part in the Hogen Rebellion and Heiji Rebellion rebellions. He died of illness in 1179....
 (the eldest son of Kiyomori) led 3,000 cavalry and attacked the Imperial Palace where Yoshitomo and Nobuyori were holed up. Nobuyori ran away immediately, but Minamoto no Yoshihira
Minamoto no Yoshihira

Minamoto no Yoshihira was a Minamoto clan warrior who fought alongside his father, Minamoto no Yoshitomo, in the Heiji Rebellion.His mother was the daughter of Miura no Yoshiaki, thus indicating the close ties between the two families....
 (the eldest son of Yoshitomo) fought back and a fierce battle ensued. Yoshihira fought hard and chased Shigemori within the Imperial Palace.

The Taira force retreated and the Minamoto force left the Imperial Palace in pursuit. This was a plot of Kiyomori. A detached Taira force occupied the Imperial Palace. The Minamoto force was cut off from the way of retreat. The Minamoto force charged at Rokuhara of a base of Kiyomori. It became a fierce battle, but finally the Minamoto force fled in disorderly retreat.

Ultimately, 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 had previously only held a minor post....
 defeated Yoshitomo, killed his two eldest sons and Nobuyori, and released Go-Shirakawa. Yoshitomo was eventually betrayed and killed by a retainer while escaping from Kyoto in Owari
Owari Province

was an old Provinces of Japan of Japan that is now the western half of present day Aichi Prefecture, including much of modern Nagoya. Its abbreviation is Bishu ....
.

Afterwards, Taira no Kiyomori banished Yoshitomo's son Minamoto no Yoritomo
Minamoto no Yoritomo

was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199....
, seized Minamoto wealth and land, and eventually formed the first samurai
Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial society Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character ? was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau....
 dominated government, led by the Taira, in the history of Japan
History of Japan

The written history of Japan begins with brief references of Twenty-Four Histories, a collection of Chinese historical texts, in the 1st century AD....
.

The Kamakura period
Kamakura period

The is a period of History of Japan that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
 epic Tale of Heiji
Tale of Heiji

The Tale of Heiji is a Japanese war epic poetry detailing the events of the Heiji Rebellion of 1159-1160, in which samurai clan head Minamoto no Yoshitomo attacked and besieged Kyoto, as part of an Imperial succession dispute, in which he was opposed by Taira no Kiyomori, head of the Taira clan....
 is about the exploits of the samurai that participated in the Heiji Rebellion. Together with the Tale of Hogen
Tale of Hogen

The Tale of Hogen is a Japanese war chronicle or military tale which relates the events and prominent figures of the Hogen Rebellion. This literary and historical classic is believed to have been completed in the Kamakura period ca....
 and the Tale of Heike, they describe the rise and fall of the Minamoto and Taira samurai clans.