Minamoto (Genji)Minamoto (Kawachi Genji)
Minamoto no Yoshitsune
源義経
“Kurō Hōgan”
1159–1189 (aged 31)
- Rank / office
- Lieutenant of the Left Gate Guards / Imperial Police
- Domain / base
- Commander for Kamakura
- Banner / crest
- Bamboo and gentian
- Battles in 3D
- 3 battles
Portrait · Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
The plunge at Hiyodorigoe: a horse has four legs, and so does a deer.
Attributed to Minamoto no Yoshitsune
Placed in Kurama temple as the boy Ushiwakamaru, he grew up under the Northern Fujiwara of Ōshū. Rallying to his brother Yoritomo's uprising, he destroyed the Taira in a string of victories: the plunge at Hiyodorigoe, the surprise attack at Yashima and the sea battle at Dan-no-ura. But after the war his quarrel with Yoritomo deepened, over his accepting court rank without permission among other things, and as a fugitive he took his own life at Koromogawa in Ōshū. A tragic hero whose name gave Japanese the phrase "sympathy for the underdog."
Life and battlesGold dots mark battles you can watch in 3D
- 1159Heiji 1
Birth: Ushiwakamaru
Born the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo. His father died in defeat in the Heiji Rebellion, and he was placed in Kurama temple.
- 1180Jishō 4
To Yoritomo
Hearing of his brother Yoritomo's uprising, he hurried from Ōshū and met him at the Kise River.
- 1184Genryaku 1
Ichi-no-Tani: Hiyodorigoe
With a surprise plunge down the cliff he smashed the Taira position in a single stroke.
Battle of Ichi-no-Tani Commander-in-chief 70 troops Watch in 3D › The young genius of the Minamoto who plunged down the cliff at Hiyodorigoe with only seventy riders and struck the Taira headquarters from behind. - 1185Genryaku 2
Yashima and Dan-no-ura
Surprised Yashima and destroyed the Taira in the sea battle at Dan-no-ura, settling the Genpei War.
Battle of Yashima Commander-in-chief 150 troops Watch in 3D › The Minamoto genius who crossed a storm-tossed sea with only 150 riders and drove the Taira of Yashima out to sea with fire and surprise. The episode of the dropped bow is also famous. - 1185
Battle of Dan-no-ura
The ruthless order to "shoot the oarsmen" and the eight-boat leap. The Minamoto commander whose unorthodox tactics sent the Taira to the bottom of the sea.
Kanmon Strait, Nagato Province Commander-in-chief 8,000 troops Watch in 3D › - 1189Bunji 5
The End at Koromogawa
Fleeing Yoritomo to Ōshū, he was attacked by Fujiwara no Yasuhira and took his own life at his residence at Koromogawa.
