Minamoto no Yoshitomo
Encyclopedia
was the head of the Minamoto clan and a general of the late Heian period
of Japanese history
. His son Minamoto no Yoritomo
became shogun
and founded the Kamakura Shogunate
, the first shogunate in the history of Japan
.
in 1156, the members of the Minamoto and Taira samurai
clans were beckoned into the conflict. Yoshitomo sided along with Taira no Kiyomori
in support of the Emperor Go-Shirakawa
and Fujiwara no Tadamichi
, while his father Minamoto no Tameyoshi
, then head of the Minamoto clan, with his young son Minamoto no Tametomo
and Taira no Tadamasa sided with the retired Emperor Sutoku
and Fujiwara no Yorinaga
.
Yoshitomo, defeating his father and the forces of Sutoku and Yorinaga, became head of the Minamoto and established himself as a political power in the capital of Kyoto
. However, despite his attempts to have his father pardoned, Tameyoshi was executed. Also, the outcome of the Hōgen rebellion established the Minamoto and Taira as the two strongest political rivals in the country.
placed Go-Shirakawa under house arrest and killed his retainer, the scholar Fujiwara no Michinori
in what is called the Heiji Rebellion
. Yoshitomo was angry that the Taira had become the favorite of the imperial court after the Hogen Rebellion despite the sacrifice of the Minamoto. Eventually, Taira no Kiyomori in support of Go-Shirakawa, defeated Yoshitomo and killed his two eldest sons and Nobuyori, releasing Go-Shirakawa.
While escaping from Kyoto in Owari Province
, Yoshitomo was betrayed and killed by a retainer. His remaining sons Yoritomo along with Minamoto no Yoshitsune
and Minamoto no Noriyori
were later spared and exiled by Kiyomori.
It is said that Yoshitomo was killed unarmed taking a bath at a hot spring. His grave in Aichi prefecture
is surrounded on all sides by wooden swords (bokuto), as by legend his last words were "If only I had even a bokuto
...".
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...
of Japanese history
History of Japan
The history of Japan encompasses the history of the islands of Japan and the Japanese people, spanning the ancient history of the region to the modern history of Japan as a nation state. Following the last ice age, around 12,000 BC, the rich ecosystem of the Japanese Archipelago fostered human...
. His 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.-Early life and exile :Yoritomo was the third son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, heir of the Minamoto clan, and his official wife, a daughter of Fujiwara no Suenori, who was a member of the...
became shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
and founded the Kamakura Shogunate
Kamakura shogunate
The Kamakura shogunate was a military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura. The Kamakura period draws its name from the capital of the shogunate...
, the first shogunate in the history of 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...
.
Hōgen Rebellion
With the outbreak of the Hōgen RebellionHogen Rebellion
The was a short civil war fought in order to resolve a dispute about Japanese Imperial succession. The dispute was also about the degree of control exercised by the Fujiwara clan who had become hereditary Imperial regents during the Heian period....
in 1156, the members of the Minamoto and Taira samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 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...
clans were beckoned into the conflict. Yoshitomo sided along with 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...
in support of the Emperor Go-Shirakawa
Emperor Go-Shirakawa
Emperor Go-Shirakawa was the 77th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession...
and Fujiwara no Tadamichi
Fujiwara no Tadamichi
was the eldest son of the Japanese regent Fujiwara no Tadazane and a member of the politically powerful Fujiwara clan. He was the father of Fujiwara no Kanefusa and Jien.In the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156, Tadamichi sided with the Emperor Go-Shirakawa....
, while his father Minamoto no Tameyoshi
Minamoto no Tameyoshi
was head of the Minamoto samurai clan during his lifetime, and grandson of Minamoto no Yoshiie; he led the Minamoto in the Hōgen Rebellion. Tameyoshi is also known as ....
, then head of the Minamoto clan, with his young son Minamoto no Tametomo
Minamoto no Tametomo
was a samurai who fought in the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156. He was the son of Minamoto no Tameyoshi, and brother to Yukiie and Yoshitomo....
and Taira no Tadamasa sided with the retired Emperor Sutoku
Emperor Sutoku
was the 75th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Sutoku's reign spanned the years from 1123 through 1142.-Genealogy:Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was Akihito ....
and Fujiwara no Yorinaga
Fujiwara no Yorinaga
, of the Fujiwara clan, held the position of Imperial Palace Minister of the Right.Born in 1120, Yorinaga ascended quickly through the political ranks achieving formidable office by the age of 17...
.
Yoshitomo, defeating his father and the forces of Sutoku and Yorinaga, became head of the Minamoto and established himself as a political power in the capital of Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. However, despite his attempts to have his father pardoned, Tameyoshi was executed. Also, the outcome of the Hōgen rebellion established the Minamoto and Taira as the two strongest political rivals in the country.
Heiji Rebellion
Three years later in 1159, Yoshitomo and Fujiwara no NobuyoriFujiwara 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 regent, 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 ', an aristocratic Confucian scholar and monk, was one of the chief advisors to Emperor Nijō, and one of the chief allies of Taira no Kiyomori, particularly during the Heiji Rebellion of 1159....
in what is called the Heiji Rebellion
Heiji Rebellion
The was a short civil war fought in order to resolve a dispute about political power. The Heiji no ran encompassed clashes between rival subjects of the cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan in 1159. It was preceded by the Hōgen Rebellion in 1156...
. Yoshitomo was angry that the Taira had become the favorite of the imperial court after the Hogen Rebellion despite the sacrifice of the Minamoto. Eventually, Taira no Kiyomori in support of Go-Shirakawa, defeated Yoshitomo and killed his two eldest sons and Nobuyori, releasing Go-Shirakawa.
While escaping from Kyoto in Owari Province
Owari Province
was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of present day Aichi Prefecture, including much of modern Nagoya. Its abbreviation is Bishū .-History:The province was created in 646....
, Yoshitomo was betrayed and killed by a retainer. His remaining sons Yoritomo along with Minamoto no Yoshitsune
Minamoto no Yoshitsune
was a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and the third and final son and child that Yoshitomo would father with Tokiwa Gozen. Yoshitsune's older brother Minamoto no Yoritomo founded the Kamakura...
and Minamoto no Noriyori
Minamoto no Noriyori
was a late Heian period general, who fought alongside his brothers Minamoto no Yoritomo and Minamoto no Yoshitsune at a number of battles of the Genpei War. The sixth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, he was spared along with his brothers in 1160 by Taira no Kiyomori following Yoshitomo's death.He...
were later spared and exiled by Kiyomori.
It is said that Yoshitomo was killed unarmed taking a bath at a hot spring. His grave in Aichi prefecture
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
is surrounded on all sides by wooden swords (bokuto), as by legend his last words were "If only I had even a bokuto
Bokken
A bokken , "wood", and ken, "sword") , is a Japanese wooden sword used for training. It is usually the size and shape of a katana, but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the wakizashi and tantō...
...".