Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Minamoto No Yoshitsune

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Minamoto no Yoshitsune

was a general of the Minamoto clan 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 the late Heian

Heian period

The is the last division of classical History of Japan, running from 794 to 1185. It is the period in Japanese history when Confucianism and other Chinese culture were at their height....
and early 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....
. Yoshitsune was the ninth son of 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....
.

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was a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan

Japan

Heian period

Kamakura period

Minamoto no Yoshitomo

Minamoto no Yoritomo

was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199....
(the third son of Yoshitomo) founded the Kamakura shogunate

Kamakura shogunate

The Kamakura shogunate was a feudal military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura, Kanagawa....
. Yoshitsune's name in childhood was Ushiwakamaru .

Biography

Yoshitsune was born during the Heiji Rebellion

Heiji Rebellion

The was fought between rival subjects of the Cloistered rule Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan in 1159. It was preceded by the Hogen Rebellion in 1156. In many ways, this struggle is seen as a direct outcome of that earlier armed dispute....
of 1159 in which his father and oldest two brothers were killed. His life was spared and he was put under the care of Kurama Temple

Mount Kurama

is a mountain to the north-west of the city of Kyoto. It is the birthplace of the Reiki practice, and is said to be the home of Sojobo, King of the Tengu, who taught swordsmanship to Minamoto no Yoshitsune....
???, nestled in the Hiei Mountains near the capital of Kyoto

Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
, while Yoritomo was banished to Izu Province

Izu Province

Izu was a Provinces of Japan including the Izu Peninsula that is today part of Shizuoka prefecture and the Izu Islands that are now part of Tokyo....
. Eventually, Yoshitsune was put under the protection of Fujiwara no Hidehira

Fujiwara no Hidehira

Fujiwara no Hidehira was the third ruler of Northern Fujiwara in Mutsu Province, Japan, the grandson of Fujiwara no Kiyohira. During the Genpei War, he controlled his territory independently of the central government; however, he was the official imperial governor for Mutsu Province as of 1181....
, head of the powerful regional Northern Fujiwara

Northern Fujiwara

The Northern Fujiwara were a Japanese kuge Japanese clans that ruled the Tohoku region region of Japan from the 12th to the 13th centuries as if it were their own realm....
clan in Hiraizumi

Hiraizumi, Iwate

is a towns of Japan located in Nishiiwai District, Iwate, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. It was the home of the Hiraizumi Fujiwaras for about 100 years in the late Heian era and most of the following Kamakura period....
, Mutsu Province

Mutsu Province

was an old provinces of Japan of Japan, made up of the present-day Prefectures of Japans of Fukushima Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture and Aomori Prefecture, and the municipalities of Kazuno, Akita and Kosaka, Akita in Akita Prefecture....
.

A skillful swordsman, he defeated the legendary warrior monk Benkei in a duel. From then on, Benkei became Yoshitsune's right-hand man, eventually dying with him at the Siege of Koromogawa

Battle of Koromogawa

The Battle of Koromo River took place during the opening years of the Kamakura period of Japan.Minamoto no Yoritomo owed his ascension to the title of Shogun to the victories won by his brother, Minamoto no Yoshitsune....
.

In 1180, Yoshitsune heard that Yoritomo, now head of the Minamoto clan, had raised an army at the request of Prince Mochihito

Prince Mochihito

, also known as the 'Takakura Prince', and as 'Minamoto Mochimitsu', was a son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa. He is noted for his role in starting the Genpei War....
to fight against the Taira clan which had usurped the power of the emperor. Yoshitsune shortly thereafter joined Yoritomo, along with Minamoto no Noriyori

Minamoto no Noriyori

was a late Heian period period general, who fought alongside his brothers Minamoto no Yoritomo and Minamoto no Yoshitsune at a number of battles of the Genpei War....
, all brothers who had never before met, in the last of three conflicts between the rival Minamoto and Taira samurai clans, known as the Genpei War

Genpei War

The was a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clan clans and in late-Heian period Japan. It resulted in the fall of the Taira clan and establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto Yoritomo in 1192....
.

Yoshitsune defeated and killed his rival cousin Minamoto no Yoshinaka

Minamoto no Yoshinaka

was a general of the late Heian Period of History of Japan. A member of the Minamoto samurai clan, Minamoto no Yoritomo was his cousin and rival during the Genpei War between the Minamoto and the Taira clans....
at the Battle of Awazu

Battle of Awazu

Minamoto no Yoshinaka made his final stand at Otsu, Shiga, after fleeing from his cousins' armies, which confronted him after he attacked Kyoto, burning the Siege of Hojujidono, and kidnapping Emperor Go-Shirakawa....
in Omi Province

Omi Province

is an old provinces of Japan of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tosando Circuit . It is nicknamed as ...
in the first month of 1184 and in the next month defeated the Taira at the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani

Battle of Ichi-no-Tani

was a Taira fortress at Suma-ku, Kobe, to the west of present-day Kobe. It sat on a very narrow strip of shore, between mountains on the north, and the sea to the south....
in present day Kobe. In 1185, Yoshitsune defeated the Taira again at the Battle of Yashima

Battle of Yashima

The naval Battle of Yashima took place on 22 March 1185. Following a long string of defeats, the Taira clan retreated to Yashima, today's Takamatsu, Kagawa, just off the coast of Shikoku....
in Shikoku

Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshu and east of Kyushu island. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima ....
and destroyed them at the Battle of Dan-no-ura

Battle of Dan-no-ura

The was a major sea battle of the Genpei War, occurring at Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, in the Shimonoseki Strait off the southern tip of Honshu. On April 25 1185, the Genji clan fleet, led by Minamoto no Yoshitsune, defeated the Heike clan fleet, during a half-day engagement....
in present day Yamaguchi Prefecture

Yamaguchi Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Chugoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi located in the center of the Prefecture: The largest city, by contrast, is Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi....
.

After the Gempei War, Yoshitsune joined the cloistered 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....
against his brother Yoritomo. Fleeing to the temporary protection of Fujiwara no Hidehira in Mutsu again, Yoshitsune was betrayed, defeated at the Battle of Koromo River, and forced to commit seppuku
Seppuku

is a form of Japanese Suicide#Ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai honor code, seppuku was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies, as a form of capital punishment for samurai who have committed serious offenses, and for reason...
along with his wife and daughter, by Hidehira's son Fujiwara no Yasuhira

Fujiwara no Yasuhira

Fujiwara no Yasuhira was the fourth ruler of Northern Fujiwara in Mutsu Province, Japan, the second son of Fujiwara no Hidehira. Against his father's will, he first hid Minamoto no Yoshitsune in escape but later killed him, fearing the possibility of Yoritomo's intervention....
. Yoshitsune is enshrined in the Shinto

Shinto

is the former state religion of Japan and remains the most common name for the nation's non-Buddhist ethnic religion practices. It was formed from disparate local mythologies, beginning with the Kojiki of 712, into an imperial cult called State Shinto that solidified in the Meiji period....
shrine Shirahata Jinja in Fujisawa

Fujisawa, Kanagawa

is a cities of Japan located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 394,990 and the population density of 5,682.49 persons per km?....
.

Yoshitsune has long been a popular figure in Japanese literature and culture due to his appearance as the main character in the third section of the Japanese literary classic Heike Monogatari (Tale of the Heike)

The Tale of the Heike

is an Epic poetry account of the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War ....
. The Japanese term for "sympathy for a tragic hero", hangan-biiki, comes from Yoshitsune's title hangan, which he received from the Imperial Court.

Contemporary media

See Japanese historical people in popular culture

Japanese historical people in popular culture

Many significant Japanese historical people appear in works of popular culture such as anime, manga, and video games. This article presents information on references to historical people in such works....
for more information on Yoshitsune.

Yoshitsune Minamoto has a namesake in the KOEI

Koei

Koei Company, Limited , formerly ?? ) is a Japanese video game publisher and video game developer founded in 1978 in video gaming. The company is best known for its historical simulation games based on the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, as well as simulation games based on historical events....
Video Game, Warriors Orochi 2

Warriors Orochi 2

is a video game developed by Koei and Omega Force for the Sony PlayStation 2. It is the sequel to Warriors Orochi, a crossover video game of the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series, and the most recent entry in the Warriors franchise....
, as one of the new characters, and wields a gauntlet that projects a blade made of light. In the game, he fights alongside the Leaders of the Wu army, and almost dies in battle against the Reputable "Strongest Warrior" of China, Lu Bu. He is known as a traitor. His mortal nemesis in the game is Kiyomori Taira, leader of an army charged with Reviving the Serpent King Orochi.

Minamoto no Yoshitsune is one of the main characters in the otome game

Otome game

An is a video game that is targeted towards a female market, where one of the main goals, besides the plot goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the player character and one of several male characters....
series, Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3

is a PlayStation 2 otome game adventure game developed by Ruby Party and published by Koei. Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 is the third main entry in the Haruka series, and it is a part of Ruby Party's Neoromance label....
(?????????3), in which he is known by the name Minamoto no "Kurou" Yoshitsune.

In the Playstation 2 game, "Genji: Dawn of the Samurai

Genji: Dawn of the Samurai

Genji: Dawn of the Samurai is a PlayStation 2 game released on September 20, 2005. It is loosely based on The Tale of the Heike.A sequel, Genji: Days of the Blade was released for PlayStation 3....
", you play as Yoshitsune, and befriend Benkei. Both characters return (along with new ones) in the Playstation 3 game, "Genji: Days of the Blade

Genji: Days of the Blade

Genji: Days of the Blade is an action game on the PlayStation 3 platform that was released on November 11, 2006 in Japan and November 16, 2006 in North America....
".

Traditional arts

In addition to The Tale of the Heike

The Tale of the Heike

is an Epic poetry account of the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War ....
and Chronicle of Yoshitsune (Gikeiki
Gikeiki

The is a Japanese gunki monogatari that focuses on the legends of Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his followers. Considered to have been composed during the Nanboku-cho period, it has provided inspiration to numerous Noh, kabuki and bunraku plays....
), which relates events of Yoshitsune's life after the defeat of the Heike, a great many other works of literature and drama feature him, and together form the sekai ("world") of Yoshitsune, a concept akin to the Western notion of the literary cycle.

These include:

Yoshitsune Shin Takadachi
Yoshitsune Shin Takadachi

Yoshitsune Shin-Takadachi , or Yoshitsune and the New Takadachi, is a Japanese bunraku play which centers on the conflict between Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his brother, Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
(joruri
Bunraku

, also known as Ningyo joruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka, Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:...
)
Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura
Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura

Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura , or Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees, is a Japanese play, one of the three most popular and famous in the Kabuki repertoire....
(joruri
Bunraku

, also known as Ningyo joruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka, Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:...
and kabuki
Kabuki

is the highly stylised classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers....
)
Kanjincho
Kanjincho

Kanjincho is a Japanese kabuki play by Namiki Gohei, based on the Noh play Ataka . It is one of the most popular plays in the modern kabuki repertory....
(kabuki
Kabuki

is the highly stylised classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers....
)

Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Biography

Contemporary media

Traditional arts

See also

External links