Historical Figures Codexery

Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Tragic hero of the Genpei War and legendary samurai commander

Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Unknown authorUnknown author · via Wikipedia: Minamoto no Yoshitsune · Public domain

During the late Heian and early Kamakura eras, a samurai commander named Minamoto no Yoshitsune served the Minamoto clan.[1] The term hōganbiiki, meaning sympathy for the underdog, originated from the public's sympathetic reaction to Yoshitsune's tragic death, and he is widely regarded as one of the most famous and skilled warriors in Japanese history.[2] Yoshitsune was his formal name, while Kurō served as his common name.[1]

Quick Facts

Born
Ushiwakamaru, 牛若丸; c. 1159
Birthplace
Heian-kyō, Heian Japan
Died
June 15, 1189 (aged 30)
Place of death
Battle of Koromo River; Hiraizumi, Kamakura shogunate
Branch
Minamoto
Spouse
Satō Gozen

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Yoshitsune joined his half-brother Yoritomo's army to overthrow the Taira clan and became the greatest contributor to the Minamoto victory.[3] After the war, Yoshitsune accepted court titles without permission, incurring Yoritomo's wrath, and fled Kyoto in 1185.[3][4] He was eventually betrayed by Fujiwara no Yasuhira and forced to commit seppuku at Koromogawa-no-tachi.[5] Tokiwa Gozen bore Minamoto no Yoshitomo a third and final child, Yoshitsune, who was also Yoshitomo's ninth son overall.[6]

While his half-brother Yoritomo was exiled to Izu Province, Yoshitsune managed to escape the capital together with his mother.[5] At ten years old, Yoshitsune was entrusted to the monks residing at Kurama temple, located near Kyoto.[7] In 1174, Yoshitsune moved to Hiraizumi, where Fujiwara no Hidehira offered him protection.[8] The Taira were defeated by Yoshitsune at the battles of Ichi-no-Tani, Yashima, and Dan-no-ura.[5]

What the cited sources add

Morris's 1975 book "The Nobility of Failure" states that Yoshitsune's "Koshigoe Letter" was written on June 23, 1185, as a final appeal of loyalty to Yoritomo.[6][9] The same source describes the letter as a mixture of bravado and masochistic indulgence in misfortune.[6][9] Morris also notes that legends show Yoshitsune as a great, virtuous warrior who was kind and honorable but also naive.[6][9] Turnbull's 1977 book "The Samurai" records that Yoshitsune defeated the warrior monk Benkei in a duel, after which Benkei became his retainer.[7][10]

According to the 1998 work "The Samurai Sourcebook" by Turnbull, Yoshitsune killed his cousin Minamoto no Yoshinaka at the Battle of Awazu, acting on orders from Yoritomo.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Minamoto no Yoshitsune" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McCullough, "Yoshitsune: A Fifteenth-century Japanese Chronicle.", Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Minamoto no Yoshitsune" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Minamoto Yoshitsune – Japanese warrior", britannica.com; "Bunraku Edition: Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Minamoto no Yoshitsune" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: 玉葉, 文治元年十月十七日条, Gyokuyō (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Minamoto no Yoshitsune" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sansom, "A History of Japan to 1334", Stanford University Press, 1958, p. 258–260, 291; Sato, "Legends of the Samurai", Overlook Duckworth, 1995, p. 139 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Minamoto no Yoshitsune" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sansom, "A History of Japan to 1334", Stanford University Press, 1958, p. 258–260, 291 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Minamoto no Yoshitsune" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Morris, "The Nobility of Failure", Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975, p. 71–72 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Minamoto no Yoshitsune" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Turnbull, "The Samurai, A Military History", MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1977, p. 62 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Minamoto no Yoshitsune" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lewis, "Growing Up in Samurai Japan", Batsford Academic and Educational, 1981, p. 30; Sansom, "A History of Japan to 1334", Stanford University Press, 1958, p. 258–260, 291 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Open Library record, ISBN 9780030108112 ("The nobility of failure"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
  10. Open Library record, ISBN 0026205408 ("The Samurai"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Minamoto no Yoshitsune" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Turnbull, "The Samurai Sourcebook", Cassell & Co., 1998, p. 204 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Minamoto no Yoshitsune (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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