Minamoto Yoshitsune | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Yoshitsune in the Chusonji collection | |
| Native name | 源 義経 |
| Born | Ushiwakamaru (牛若丸) c. 1159 Heian-kyō, Heian Japan |
| Died | June 15, 1189 (aged 30) |
| Family | Minamoto |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Uji (1184) Battle of Awazu (1184) Battle of Ichi-no-Tani (1184) Battle of Yashima (1185) Battle of Dan-no-ura (1185) Battle of Koromo River (1189) |
| Spouse | Satō Gozen |
| Relations | Shizuka Gozen (concubine) Minamoto no Yoshitomo (father) Tokiwa Gozen (mother) Minamoto no Yoritomo (half-brother) Minamoto no Noriyori (brother) |
| Signature |  |
Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源 義経;Japanese pronunciation:[mʲi.na.mo.tono(|)jo.ɕi̥.tsɯꜜ.ne],[1][2]c. 1159 – June 15, 1189) was a commander of theMinamoto clan ofJapan in the lateHeian and earlyKamakura periods. He was the younger half-brother ofMinamoto no Yoritomo, the firstshogun of theKamakura shogunate, and was the ninth son of his father. His common name wasKurō, and his formal name was Yoshitsune.[3]
Born as the ninth son ofMinamoto no Yoshitomo of theKawachi Genji clan, his childhood name was Ushiwakamaru. Due to his father's defeat and death in theHeiji Rebellion, he was entrusted to Kurama-dera temple. He later traveled down toHiraizumi, where he received the protection ofFujiwara no Hidehira, the head of theŌshū Fujiwara clan.When his brother Yoritomo raised an army to overthrow theTaira clan (theJishō-Juei War), Yoshitsune rushed to join him. He became the greatest contributor to theMinamoto victory, destroying the Taira clan through the battles ofIchi-no-Tani,Yashima, andDan-no-ura. Although Yoritomo and Yoshitsune initially had a close relationship, described as being like "father and son," Yoshitsune incurred Yoritomo's wrath by accepting court titles without permission and acting independently during the war against theTaira[4].
When Yoshitsune showed signs of seeking his own independence in response, he came into conflict with Yoritomo and was declared an enemy of thecourt. After an order for his capture was issued nationwide, he fled and once again sought refuge withFujiwara no Hidehira. However, after Hidehira's death, Hidehira's successor,Fujiwara no Yasuhira, under pressure from Yoritomo, attacked Yoshitsune. He was forced to commitsuicide at the Koromogawa-no-tachi mansion in what is now Hiraizumi,Iwate Prefecture.
He is considered one of the greatest and the most popular warriors of his era, and one of the most famoussamurai in the history of Japan.[5] and was later labelled as a tragic hero. His tragic end drew great sympathy from the public, giving rise to the term hōganbiiki (sympathy for the underdog, from one of Yoshitsune's titles,Hōgan), as well as numerous legends and stories.[6]
Yoshitsune was the ninth son ofMinamoto no Yoshitomo, and the third and final son and child that Yoshitomo would father withTokiwa Gozen.[7] Yoshitsune's older half-brotherMinamoto no Yoritomo (the third son of Yoshitomo) would go on to establish theKamakura shogunate. Yoshitsune's name in childhood wasUshiwakamaru (牛若丸;Japanese pronunciation:[ɯ.ɕi.wa.kaꜜ.ma.ɾɯ][8]) oryoung bull (牛若丸). He was born just before theHeiji Rebellion in 1160 in which his father and two oldest brothers were killed.[9] He survived this incident by fleeing the capital with his mother, while his half-brother Yoritomo was banished toIzu Province. When he was 10, Yoshitsune was placed in the care of the monks ofKurama temple (鞍馬寺),[10]: 61 nestled in the Hiei Mountains near the capital ofKyoto. There he was taught swordsmanship and strategy, according to some legends bySōjōbō, to others byKiichi Hōgen (whose book,Six Secret Teachings, Ushiwakamaru stole). Not wanting to become a monk, Yoshitsune eventually left and followed a gold merchant who knew his father well, and in 1174 relocated toHiraizumi,Mutsu Province, where he was put under the protection ofFujiwara no Hidehira, head of the powerful regionalNorthern Fujiwara clan.[9]: 325
A skillful swordsman, Yoshitsune defeated the legendary warrior monkBenkei in a duel. From then on, Benkei became Yoshitsune's retainer, eventually dying with him at theSiege of Koromogawa.[10]
In 1180, Yoshitsune heard that Yoritomo, now head of the Minamoto clan, had raised an army at the request ofPrince Mochihito to fight against theTaira clan (also known as the Heike) which had usurped the power of the emperor. In the ensuing war between the rival Minamoto and Tairasamurai clans, known as theGenpei War, Yoshitsune joined Yoritomo, along withMinamoto no Noriyori, all brothers who had not previously met.
Yoshitsune, together with his brother Noriyori, defeated the Taira in several key battles. He also attacked and killed his cousinMinamoto no Yoshinaka, a rival for control of the Minamoto clan, at theBattle of Awazu[11] inŌmi Province in early 1184 on the orders of Yoritomo.
Yoshitsune, who had by then been given the rank of general, went on to defeat the Taira at theBattle of Ichi-no-Tani in present-dayKobe in March 1184, and again at theBattle of Yashima inShikoku in March 1185. He finally destroyed them one month later at theBattle of Dan-no-ura in present-dayYamaguchi Prefecture.[9]: 289–305
Yoshitsune was then givenŌmi Province for him to govern, after theBattle of Awazu.[11]
Following the Genpei War, Yoshitsune was appointed as Governor ofIyo and awarded other titles by cloistered emperorGo-Shirakawa.[12] His suspicious brother Yoritomo, however, opposed the presentation of these titles, and nullified them.
Yoshitsune then secured imperial authorization to ally with his uncleMinamoto no Yukiie in opposing Yoritomo.[9]: 316 [12]: 140–143 Incurring Yoritomo's wrath, Yoshitsune fled Kyoto in 1185. His faithful mistress,Shizuka Gozen, carrying his unborn child, fled with him at first, but then was left behind, and soon taken into custody by forces loyal to Yoritomo.
Yoshitsune eventually made his way to Hiraizumi, Mutsu, once again to the protection of Fujiwara no Hidehira, and lived undisturbed for a time. Hidehira's sonFujiwara no Yasuhira had promised upon Hidehira's death to honor his father's wishes and continue to shelter Yoshitsune, but, giving in to pressure from Yoritomo, betrayed Yoshitsune, surrounding his Koromogawa-no-tachi residence with his troops, defeating Yoshitsune's retainers, includingBenkei (in a famous"standing death"), and forcing Yoshitsune to commitseppuku. Yasuhira then had Yoshitsune's head preserved in sake, placed in a black-lacquered chest, and sent to Yoritomo as proof of his death.[9] Historical sources differ as to the fate of Yoshitsune's mistress Shizuka and their son.
Yoshitsune is enshrined in theShirahata Jinja, aShinto shrine in the city ofFujisawa.
The death of Yoshitsune has been very elusive. According toAinu historical accounts, he did not perform seppuku, but instead escaped the siege at Koromogawa, fleeing toHokkaido and assuming the name Okikurumi/Oinakamui. An alternative legend states that after evading death, Yoshitsune made his way past Hokkaido and sailed to the mainland of Asia, re-surfacing asGenghis Khan. This story was invented bySuematsu Kenchō (1855–1920) while he was studying atCambridge University in 1879, with the aim of improving Japanese prestige in the wake of theMeiji Restoration.[13] This theory was popular in Japan from the late 19th to the early 20th century. It's believed that the theory was convenient for Japan at the time, which was promoting "enriching the country, strengthening the military" as its national slogan. After World War II ended in 1945, the theory's popularity waned due to the belief that it was disrespectful to the Mongolian people.[14]
According to the tradition of the Henshoji temple inMooka, Tochigi, and as printed in their magazine,Hitachibō Kaison entrusted a monk Hitachi Nyūdō Nensai[15] with a child of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Keiwaka, as demanded by Fujiwara Hidehira. Furthermore, according to the tradition of Enmyō-ji temple inHirosaki,Aomori, Chitose Maru, also known as Keiwakamaru, was a child of Yoshitsune, entrusted toDate Tomomune by Kaison. Kaison disappeared after the adoption.[16]
The "Koshigoe Letter" was written by Yoshitsune on the 24th day of the 5th month of the second year of Genryaku (June 23, 1185) as he waited inKoshigoe for approval from Yoritomo to enter Kamakura. The letter was Yoshitsune's "final appeal" to Yoritomo of his loyalty. The letter is a "mixture of bravado and an almost masochistic indulgence in misfortune." An excerpt:[7]: 85–86
So here I remain, vainly shedding crimson tears....I have not been permitted to refute the accusations of my slanderers or [even] to set foot in Kamakura, but have been obliged to languish idly these many days with no possibility of declaring the sincerity of my intentions. It is now so long since I have set eyes on His Lordship's compassionate countenance that the bond of our blood brotherhood seems to have vanished.
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 classicHeike Monogatari (Tale of the Heike). The Japanese term for "sympathy for a tragic hero",Hōgan-biiki (判官贔屓,lit. Hōgan favor), comes from Yoshitsune's titleKurō Hōgan (九郎判官), which he received from the Imperial Court.
Many of the literary pieces that Yoshitsune appears in are legend rather than historical fact. Legends pertaining to Yoshitsune first began to appear in the fourteenth century. In early works at that time, Yoshitsune was described as a sharp-witted military leader.[17] Then, romantic stories about his early childhood and last years of his life appeared as people began to know more about him.
The legends that deal with his public career show Yoshitsune as a great, virtuous warrior. He was often shown as kind to those around him and honorable, but was also shown to be naive.[7]: 67, 105
Legends dealing with Yoshitsune's childhood show young Yoshitsune (or Ushiwakamaru) with heroic qualities. He is portrayed as a brave and skilled swordsman, despite being a young boy. He was also skilled in music and his studies, and was also said to be able to easily sway the hearts of young women. These legends delve into fantasy more so than the legends about his later life.[17]
Legends which pertain to the time when his half-brother, Yoritomo, turned against him take away some of Yoshitsune's heroic qualities. He is no longer portrayed as a great warrior, but he retains his knowledge and skills that are valuable in the emperor's court.[17]
Yoshitsune's escape through the Ataka barrier is the subject ofNoh playAtaka and theKabuki playKanjinchō.[7]: 89–93 Kanjinchō was later dramatized byAkira Kurosawa in the 1945 movieThe Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail.
TheGikeiki, or "Chronicle of Yoshitsune" relates events of Yoshitsune's life after the defeat of the Heike.[7]: 93–100
In addition toThe Tale of the Heike andGikeiki, a great many other works of literature and drama feature him, and together form thesekai ("world") of Yoshitsune, a concept akin to the notion of theliterary cycle.
These include:
In the visual arts, Yoshitsune is commonly depicted as abishōnen, though this is at odds with contemporary descriptions of his appearance.
