TheZenkunen War (前九年の役,Zenkunen no Eki), also known in English as theFormer Nine Years' War^[1] or theEarly Nine Years' War,^[2] was fought between theImperial Court and theAbe clan inMutsu Province, inNortheast Japan, from 1051 to 1062. It resulted in Imperial Court victory and the surrender ofAbe no Sadato. Like the other major conflicts of the Heian period, such as theGosannen War and theGenpei War, the Zenkunen war was a struggle for power within the samurai clans.

While mostprovinces were overseen by just a Governor, Mutsu, in what is now theTohoku region, had a military general in charge of controlling theEmishi natives, who had been subjugated when the Japanese took over the area in the ninth century. Historically, this post was always held by a member of theAbe clan, and there were many conflicts between the Abe general and the Governor over administrative control of the province.

In 1050, the general overseeing the Emishi wasAbe no Yoritoki, who levied taxes and confiscated property on his own, rarely paying any heed to the wishes of the province's Governor. The Governor sent word to the capital inKyoto asking for help, and as a resultMinamoto no Yoriyoshi was appointed both Governor and commander-in-chief over controlling the natives. He was sent with his sonYoshiie, then age fifteen, to stop Abe.^[3]

The fighting lasted for twelve years, or nine if one subtracts short periods of ceasefire and peace. Skirmishes were fierce and many, but few major battles were fought until theBattle of Kawasaki in 1057. Abe no Yoritoki had been killed shortly before, and the Minamoto were now fighting his son,Abe no Sadato, who defeated them at Kawasaki and pursued them through a blizzard.^[3][4][5]

The government forces, led by the Minamoto, had much trouble for quite some time, due to the harsh terrain and weather, but were eventually reinforced with new troops, including many offered by the Governor, a member of theKiyohara clan, of the nearbyDewa Province. In 1062, Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, along with his son, led an assault on an Abe fortress atSiege of Kuriyagawa. They diverted the water supply, stormed the earthworks and stockade, and set the fortress aflame. After two days of fighting, Sadato surrendered.^[3][5]

Minamoto no Yoshiie is thus considered the founder of the Minamoto clan's great martial legacy, and is worshiped as a particularly special and powerful ancestorkami of the clan. As akami and a legend, he is often calledHachimantarō, "Son ofHachiman".

A famousrenga from theKokon Chomonjū was exchanged between Sadato and Yoshiie when Sadato was forced to flee his castle on the Koromo River. Yoshiie said,Koromo no tate wa hokorobinikeri, Koromo Castle has been destroyed ("The warps of your robe have come undone"), to which Sadato replied,toshi o heshi ito no midare no kurushisa ni, "over the years its threads became tangled, and this pains me."^[4]

• 1050s conflicts
• 1060s conflicts
• 1060s in Japan
• 1050s in Japan
• 1051 in Asia
• 1062 in Asia
• Classical Japan
• Civil wars in Japan
• Heian period

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