Biographies LXVII: Minamoto-no-Mitsunaka, Yorimitsu, Yorinobu, Taira-no-Koremochi, and Fujiwara-no-Yasumasa

Minamoto-no-Mitsunaka

¶Minamoto-no-Mitsunaka was the eldest son of Minamoto-no-Tsunemoto, Chinjufu-shōgun, Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Headquarters. He served four emperors: Murakami, Reizei, En'yū, and Kazan. By nature he was valiant and rich in strategy, and he was also skilled in waka (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Men high and low alike held him in esteem, and the court relied on him as one of its trusted right-hand ministers (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari). He successively held the posts of Hitachi-no-suke, Assistant Governor of Hitachi; governor of the provinces of Musashi, Settsu, Echizen, Iyo, and Mutsu, among others; Sama-no-gon-no-kami, Provisional Director of the Left Bureau of Horses; and Jibu-no-taifu, Senior Assistant Minister of Civil Administration. He received the appointment of Chinjufu-shōgun, rose to Senior Fourth Rank Lower, and was permitted to attend in the Imperial Presence (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶In the Tentoku era, bandits led by Kurahashi-no-Hiroshige broke into Mitsunaka's residence by night and plundered his goods. Mitsunaka shot Hiroshige with his bow and captured him, and by imperial command had Hiroshige's accomplices, Nakatomi-no-Yoshiki, Ki-no-Chikasuke, and others, arrested (Note: following the Kojidan). Later bandits again surrounded the residence and set it on fire; the flames spread fiercely and reached more than three hundred houses. Miyaji-no-Hirouji, Governor of Echigo, hurried to the rescue but was struck by a bandit's arrow and lost his life. Mitsunaka held off the bandits and drove them away (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku).

¶In the second year of Anna, Tachibana-no-Shigenobu (Note: the name Shigenobu follows the Nihon Kiryaku; the Fusō Ryakki, the Gukanshō, and the Genpei Seisuiki use the character "Toshi"), Fujiwara-no-Chiharu, the monk Renmo, and others plotted a rebellion with the aim of placing Imperial Prince Tamehira on the throne. Mitsunaka had taken part in this conspiracy, but in time he came to bear a grudge against Shigenobu (Note: following the Genpei Seisuiki), and together with Fujiwara-no-Yoshitoki, Musashi-no-suke, Assistant Governor of Musashi, he secretly informed the court of the plot (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki). The depositions extended even to the Prince and to the Prince's father-in-law, Minamoto-no-Takaakira, Sadaijin, Minister of the Left. Fujiwara-no-Morotada, Udaijin, Minister of the Right, resolved to bring Takaakira down and take his place, and took sole charge of deciding this prison case (Note: following the Genpei Seisuiki). The court dispatched Mitsunaka's younger brother Mitsusue, a Kebiishi, Police Commissioner, to search out and arrest the conspirators, and Shigenobu, Chiharu, and others were sentenced to exile. As a reward for their service, Mitsunaka and Yoshitoki were advanced in rank (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku).

¶By nature Mitsunaka loved hunting and slaughtered living creatures without scruple. His son, the monk Genken, was deeply troubled by this and, together with Genshin, Sōzu, Master Archbishop of the Eshin-in, sought to lead Mitsunaka to the Buddhist path. Mitsunaka was greatly moved and came to a realization (Note: following the Kojidan and the Konjaku Monogatari). He then summoned his retainers and said: "For a long time I have served in war as a warrior, and not for a single day have I been negligent. Tomorrow I intend to shave my head. Tonight is the last night I shall be a warrior. Guard the residence well." He then had five hundred soldiers don armor and take up bows and arrows, and keep guard around the residence through the night. The next day Mitsunaka at last shaved his head (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari). He changed his name to Mankei (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku) and styled himself Tada-no-Shinbochi (Note: following the Genpei Seisuiki. Note also: according to the Jinnō Shōtōki, the Regent Fujiwara-no-Kaneie shaved his head and was called a nyūdō, a lay monk, but at that time no one yet bore the title of nyūdō. It is said that when Minamoto-no-Mitsunaka shaved his head he likewise called himself a shinbochi, a novice). He set free all the hawks he used for falconry and burned all the nets he used for fishing (Note: following the Kojidan and the Konjaku Monogatari). More than fifty of his retainers followed him and shaved their heads as well (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari. Note also: the Kojidan gives sixteen men and more than thirty women).

¶On the day he received the precepts, when the passage on the precept against killing was reached, Mitsunaka pretended to be asleep and did not take it in. Afterwards he secretly visited Genshin and said: "In receiving the precepts as your disciple, I held the prohibition against killing deeply in my heart. But I feared that if my household learned of it, they might hold me in contempt, and so I deliberately did not comply with the teaching. I am sure I have displeased you, Master, and that is why I have come to apologize." (Note: following the Kojidan). Thus Mitsunaka finally took refuge in the Buddhist Way and came to be fairly well versed in the teachings of Shikan (Note: following the Ogasawara Keizu).

¶Because Mitsunaka had once lived at Tada in Settsu province, he took Tada as his family name (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the first year of Tenroku (970) he founded the Tada-in (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki, the Sonpi Bunmyaku, and the Konjaku Monogatari. Note also: some say the sixth year of Tenroku, which follows the Teiō Hennenki). He died in the third year of Chōtoku (997) (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku), at the age of eighty-six (Note: the genealogies of the various houses all state that he shaved his head in the second year of Kanna at the age of seventy-five and died in the third year of Chōtoku at the age of eighty-five. But from the second year of Kanna to the third year of Chōtoku is an interval of twelve years, so the genealogies are mistaken. It has now been corrected by calculation from the sexagenary cycle). He was buried at the Tada-in, where his statue was enshrined (Note: following the Tada-in Monjo). In the fourth year of Bunmei, in the reign of Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado (1472), by imperial command he was posthumously granted Junior Second Rank (Note: following the Chikanaga-ki and the Tada-in Monjo).

¶Once Mitsunaka reasoned that one entrusted with guarding the realm cannot display his authority unless he bears a keen sword, and he repeatedly gathered smiths and had them forge many swords, but none pleased him. Hearing that there was an excellent craftsman in Chikuzen, he summoned him and had him make blades, but these too did not turn out as he wished. The craftsman was distressed by this; he prayed to the gods for seven days, then devoted over sixty days to forging with all his spirit, and at last produced two swords. Mitsunaka was greatly pleased and tested them by cutting down a condemned prisoner. In the same stroke, one sword sliced through the beard and the other cut through the knee, and so they were named "Higekiri" (Beard-Cutter) and "Hizamaru" (Knee-Round). The Minamoto clan handed them down through the generations as family treasures (Note: following the Tsurugi-no-maki of the Heike Monogatari).

¶His sons were Yorimitsu, Yorichika, Yorinobu, and the monk Genken. Yorichika successively held the posts of Saemon-no-jō, Third-Ranking Officer of the Left Gate Guards; Kebiishi; and governor of Shinano, Yamato, and other provinces, and was granted Senior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the fourth year of Eishō (1049), the monk-soldiers of Kōfukuji attacked Yorichika's mansion, but his son Yorifusa, former Governor of Kaga, and others met them and drove them back, causing many dead and wounded (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). The monks, enraged, appealed to the court. In the following year, the fifth year, the court council determined their guilt and exiled Yorichika to Tosa (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Hyakurenshō, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Sonpi Bunmyaku) and Yorifusa to Oki (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Rekidai Kōki. Note also: the Sonpi Bunmyaku says Hizen). In the fifth year of Kōhei (1062), Yorifusa had his original office and rank restored (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki. Note also: the Sonpi Bunmyaku says he died in his place of exile). Yorichika's descendants were called the Yamato Genji, the Minamoto of Yamato (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶Genken, whose childhood name was Bijomaru, studied at Enryakuji from his earliest years, but his conduct was cunning and rough. Later he became a disciple of the monk Genshin, reformed his ways, sought the Buddhist Law, and at last attained realization (Note: following the Ogasawara Keizu). He took the style Tada-no-Hōgen, the Tada Dharma Eye. He loved waka, and his works include the Juka-shū in twenty volumes (Note: following the Yakumo Mishō), which has been handed down to later ages.

Minamoto-no-Yorimitsu

¶Minamoto-no-Yorimitsu was outstandingly valiant by nature, and his martial prowess had no equal in his age. He was a master archer and was also renowned for his strategy as a commander. He served five emperors: En'yū, Kazan, Ichijō, Sanjō, and Go-Ichijō. He successively held the governorships of Settsu, Iyo, Mino, and other provinces, concurrently served as Kura-no-kami, Director of the Imperial Storehouse Bureau, was transferred to Sama-no-gon-no-kami, Provisional Director of the Left Bureau of Horses, was permitted to attend in the Imperial Presence, and rose to Senior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the Chōhō era, when he was serving the Crown Prince as Tōgū-no-daishin, Senior Secretary of the Crown Prince's Household, a fox was lying on the roof of the palace hall, and the Crown Prince ordered Yorimitsu to shoot it, bestowing on him his own bow and a hikime arrow (a kind of whistling-bulb arrow with a blunt head). Yorimitsu replied: "In my prime I did shoot deer and the like, but it has been long since I tried my skill with the bow. To hit the mark will not be easy, and if I miss, I shall only bring disgrace on my house's name. I beg to be excused." Since the Crown Prince repeated the command, Yorimitsu at last shot, struck the fox in the chest, and it fell to the ground. The Crown Prince and all his ministers marveled at the skill with which Yorimitsu had hit the mark with a weak bow and a heavy arrow, and gave him a horse from the Crown Prince's own stable as a reward. Yorimitsu bowed in thanks and said: "This is not the doing of my skill with the bow, but wholly the protection of my ancestral gods." (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari). In the Kannin era, when the Kyōgoku mansion, residence of the emperor's maternal grandmother, was rebuilt, Yorimitsu presented the furnishings, supplying everything needed within the mansion with neither lack nor excess, and their craftsmanship was of the utmost refinement. Fujiwara-no-Michinaga was greatly pleased (Note: following the Shōyūki and the Eiga Monogatari).

¶His younger brother Yorinobu, when he first served Fujiwara-no-Michikane, once said: "I could kill the Regent Michitaka. Then my lord could take his place. If I burst in with my sword drawn, who could stop me?" Yorimitsu, hearing this, was greatly alarmed and rebuked him: "Do not say such a thing so lightly. To accomplish one's purpose is truly difficult. Even if you could kill him, once the matter leaks out, how could your lord become Regent? And even if it were not discovered and he took the Regent's place, to keep it concealed as long as one lived would be extremely hard." Yorinobu was persuaded and complied (Note: following the Kojidan). In the first year of Jian (1021) Yorimitsu died (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶Once, when Yorimitsu visited Yorinobu's residence by night and a drinking party was held, he happened to see a man bound in the stable. He asked who this was, and Yorinobu answered, "He is called Kidōmaru." Yorimitsu said, "They say that fellow is strong; why not bind him more securely?" and so Yorinobu had him bound with iron chains. Kidōmaru heard this and bore a deep grudge. That night Yorimitsu, drunk, stayed at Yorinobu's residence; Kidōmaru slipped his chains and escaped, secretly climbed up into the space above the ceiling, and waited for his chance to stab Yorimitsu. But Yorimitsu had summoned his retainers to guard his person, and Kidōmaru could not lay a hand on him. Since the whole road home was under watch, Kidōmaru made for Kurama, and on reaching Ichihara he killed a wild ox and hid himself in its carcass to lie in wait. Presently Yorimitsu came by, accompanied by Minamoto-no-Tsuna, Taira-no-Sadamichi, and others (Note: Tsuna's surname follows the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Tsurugi-no-maki; Sadamichi's surname follows the Konjaku Monogatari). Yorimitsu saw a herd of oxen stirring and had his retainers shoot at it. Tsuna saw the fallen ox and shot it. Then the ox suddenly rose up, Kidōmaru at once leapt out, and, swinging his blade, pressed in on Yorimitsu. Yorimitsu readied his sword, cut him down, and took off his head. People admired his martial courage (Note: following the Kokon Chomonjū). Tsuna and Sadamichi, together with Taira-no-Suetake (Note: Suetake's surname follows the Konjaku Monogatari) and Kintoki (Note: his surname is unknown), served under Yorimitsu and were renowned together for their valor, and the world called them the "Four Heavenly Kings" (Note: following the Tsurugi-no-maki).

¶Tsuna's grandfather was appointed Governor of Musashi, and Tsuna's father Ataru was called Mita-no-Genji. Tsuna became the adopted son of Minamoto-no-Atsushi. Atsushi was a son-in-law of Mitsunaka (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Because Tsuna's adoptive mother lived at Watanabe in Settsu province (Note: following the Tsurugi-no-maki), he took Watanabe as his clan name (Note: following the Taiheiki). Long before, Ataru had lived in the eastern provinces together with Sadamichi's father Yoshifumi, and each relied on his own martial prowess and would not yield to the other. It happened that someone sought to drive a wedge between them, and the two were greatly enraged and meant to settle victory and defeat by clashing with shield and spear. They fixed a day and made an agreement, and each led several hundred soldiers and drew up in the fields. Then Yoshifumi sent a messenger to say to Ataru: "Rather than fight with great numbers, how would it be to decide the contest between us in single combat on horseback?" Ataru agreed. So the two rode straight out and fitted arrows to their bows. When Yoshifumi loosed his arrow, Ataru swerved and avoided it. When Ataru loosed his arrow, Yoshifumi likewise dodged it. They galloped their horses back and forth, shooting at each other, yet neither could score a hit. Each admired the other's skill, and they said: "There is no deep grudge between us; we merely meant to try our strength in battle. Now that we have each tested the other's skill, let that suffice." They withdrew their troops and made peace, and it is said that they became deeply and closely bound to each other (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari). Tsuna's great-grandson Naoshi was outstanding in valor and strength (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku); he served Minamoto-no-Yoshiie and took part in the campaigns in Mutsu (Note: following the Ōshū Gosannen Gunki).

¶Yorimitsu's sons were Yorikuni, Yoriie, and Yorimoto. Yorikuni rose as far as Sama-no-gon-no-kami. Yoriie is covered in the biographies of the poets. Yorikuni's descendant in the sixth generation, Yukitsuna, was appointed Governor of Hōki and became a Kurōdo, Chamberlain; because his family had lived generation after generation at the Tada estate in Settsu province, he was called Tada-no-Kurōdo (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). When the Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa plotted to destroy the Taira, Fujiwara-no-Narichika, Gon-dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor, secretly conveyed the Retired Emperor's intention to Yukitsuna, dangled before him the prospect of great gain, and entrusted him with the post of commander. Yukitsuna agreed, but in time he changed his mind, thinking: "We are few and they are many; success is doubtful. If the matter is discovered, disaster will fall on me at once." He therefore hurried by horse and carriage to Fukuhara and told Taira-no-Kiyomori how matters stood. Kiyomori was greatly alarmed and sentenced Narichika and others to exile. People of the time hated Yukitsuna's betrayal (Note: following the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Seisuiki). When Minamoto-no-Yoritomo raised his banner, Yukitsuna submitted to him. When Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune left the capital and set out for the southern seas, he passed through Kawajiri in Settsu; Yukitsuna led troops to intercept him, but was instead routed by Yoshitsune (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

Watanabe-no-Tsuna

¶Minamoto-no-Yorinobu was resolute and decisive by nature, clear in judgment of affairs, and thoroughly versed in the art of war, and he was ranked alongside his elder brother Yorimitsu. He was famed for his valor together with Fujiwara-no-Yasumasa, Taira-no-Korehira, Taira-no-Munoyori, and others, yet among them Yorinobu was held to be first (Note: following the Jikkinshō). He served four emperors: Ichijō, Sanjō, Go-Ichijō, and Go-Suzaku. He successively held the posts of Jibu-no-gon-no-shō, Provisional Junior Assistant Minister of Civil Administration; Sama-no-gon-no-kami, Provisional Director of the Left Bureau of Horses; and governor of Ise, Mutsu, Kai, and other provinces; he served as Kōzuke-no-suke, Assistant Governor of Kōzuke, and Hitachi-no-suke, received the appointment of Chinjufu-shōgun, and rose to Junior Fourth Rank Upper (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the first year of Chōgen (1028), Taira-no-Tadatsune, former Kazusa-no-suke, Assistant Governor of Kazusa, rose in rebellion in Shimōsa. The court ordered the Kebiishi Taira-no-Michikata and Nakahara-no-Narimichi to put him down (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki). Because Tadatsune was ravaging the provinces and his strength was great (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari), the two commanders attacked repeatedly but for a long time achieved nothing (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki). In the ninth month of the third year of Chōgen (1030), an edict was issued anew, ordering Yorinobu and the provincial governors of the Bandō provinces to suppress him (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku).

¶At this time Yorinobu was Kai-no-kami, Governor of Kai (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Fusō Ryakki, and the Shōyūki), and he led troops to Hitachi, intending to attack Tadatsune (Note: this book treats these events as having occurred when Yorinobu was Hitachi-no-suke, but that is mistaken. According to the Shōyūki, Yorinobu's tenure as Hitachi-no-suke was in the Chōwa era. On examining the Nihon Kiryaku, the Fusō Ryakki, and the Shōyūki, all of them write "Yorinobu, Governor of Kai," and so it is corrected here. The Uji Shūi Monogatari places it when he was Kōzuke-no-suke, which is likewise mistaken). Taira-no-Koremoto, Saemon-no-jō, Third-Ranking Officer of the Left Gate Guards, remonstrated with him: "Tadatsune relies on difficult terrain, and the keenness of his army must not be taken lightly. It will be hard to attack him suddenly; we should wait until our troops have assembled before we act." But Yorinobu would not listen, and at last led his troops toward Shimōsa. Koremoto joined him at Kashima with three thousand cavalry. Tadatsune had built a stronghold facing a great river and had gathered in every boat. When Yorinobu arrived he could not cross, so he sent Ōnakatomi-no-Narihira to explain the advantages and dangers and to summon Tadatsune, but Tadatsune would not submit. Yorinobu assembled his troops and asked how the position might be taken. All said: "Without boats, how can the army be taken across?" Yorinobu said: "If we go around the river, we will only spend days in vain, and the rebels will make their defenses all the stronger. I reckon that the rebels, relying on the roughness of the land, are neglecting their preparations. If we cross directly and strike when they do not expect it, we can take them in a single assault. Nothing is better than to attack quickly. I once heard that this river has a ford, about one jō across, where the water reaches no higher than a horse's belly. Is there anyone in the army who knows it?" A man named Makami-no-Takafumi stepped forward and said: "I have crossed it many times. Let me go first." He spurred his horse into the water, had one soldier follow behind him, and set up reeds as markers. Thus the whole army advanced in disorder through the current. Tadatsune, as expected, had made no preparations, and seeing a great host bearing down on him, he could not meet it and surrendered in terror. The soldiers said to one another: "We were all born and raised in this land, and not even three of us knew this crossing. The general, who came here for the first time, named it. It is wholly beyond the reach of ordinary men." (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari).

¶In the sixth month of the following year, Yorinobu returned to the capital with Tadatsune in his company. Tadatsune fell ill and died on the way, and his head was cut off and sent to the capital (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Hyakurenshō, and the Sakeiki). The court praised his achievement and wished to reward him. Yorinobu earnestly petitioned: "I reverently received the imperial command and set out to put down the rebel, but before we had even come to blows, the rebel was hastily taken. This was truly owing to the Son of Heaven's majestic authority; what merit have I in it? I have in the past received undeserved favor from the state and have been graciously appointed governor of four provinces, but old age and decline press on me daily, and it is hard for me to carry out duties in distant provinces. If I might be transferred to Tanba, my wish would be fulfilled." Afterwards he further petitioned for appointment as Governor of Mino, on the ground that his mother's grave was in Mino (Note: following the Shōyūki). In the following year he finally became Governor of Mino (Note: following the Kasuga Wakamiya Kannushi Shozō Hennen Zanpen), and afterwards was transferred to be Governor of Kawachi (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Konjaku Monogatari).

¶Once, hearing that there were fine horses in the Kantō, Yorinobu sought one and obtained it. On the way back to the capital, thieves tried various schemes to take it, but without success, and followed him all the way to the capital, watching for their chance. Yorinobu's son Yoriyoshi coveted the horse and came to Yorinobu's side and waited. Yorinobu anticipated him and said: "I have obtained a fine horse; tomorrow morning I shall give it to you." Yoriyoshi was delighted and stayed the night at the residence, but just then wind and rain were fierce, and a thief took advantage of it to steal the horse and flee. Yorinobu thought the thief must be a man of the eastern provinces, and, with a quiver on his back, pursued him alone on horseback. Yoriyoshi too woke in alarm, took bow and arrows, mounted, and galloped east. He caught up at Seki-yama, where the thief, riding the horse, was crossing a river at a leisurely pace. The night was dark and one could hardly make out what lay before one's eyes. Yorinobu, thinking Yoriyoshi must be coming along behind him, turned and shouted, "Shoot!" Before he had finished speaking, there suddenly came the sound of a strong bowstring. The horse started and bucked, and its stirrups rattled. Yorinobu said, "The thief has fallen. Go and fetch the horse," and went back ahead of him and went to sleep. Yoriyoshi at last got the horse and returned. Yorinobu praised him deeply, and the next day he adorned the horse and gave it to Yoriyoshi.

¶Once, when Yorinobu was Kōzuke-no-suke, Fujiwara-no-Chikataka, Uhyōe-no-jō, Third-Ranking Officer of the Right Division of Guards, was in that province in Yorinobu's following, and he caught a thief inside his house and bound him. The thief slipped out of his bonds on a shelf and escaped, took Chikataka's child hostage, shut himself in the storeroom, and held a blade to the child's chest. Chikataka was shocked and grieved but could do nothing, and firmly told his household: "Do not go near him on any account. If my child is killed, what use would it be to cut the thief to pieces?" He ran to Yorinobu and appealed to him in tears. Yorinobu laughed and said: "A brave man, when facing a crisis, does not look even to wife and children. Why are you so flustered over one child?" Then he went in person to see the scene. The thief, seeing Yorinobu arrive, held his breath and did not dare to look up, and only gripped the child all the harder. Yorinobu scolded him: "Do you mean to kill this child, or do you want to escape death? Speak plainly." The criminal answered: "How should I want to kill this child? I only want a way to keep my life." Yorinobu said: "Release the child at once, and I will not kill you." The thief, cowed, obeyed. Yorinobu ordered the thief brought out. Chikataka asked leave to cut him down, but Yorinobu would not allow it, saying: "He became a thief out of destitution, and took the child hostage only because he clung to his life. I cannot bear to give him a heavy punishment. Moreover I have made a promise to him; how could I break my word?" And he gave him provisions, a horse, and a bow and arrows, and sent him away (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari).

¶He died in the third year of Eishō (1048) (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku), at the age of eighty-one (Note: the genealogies of the various houses all state that he died in the third year of Kōhei at the age of sixty. But the Takeda Keizu and the Ogasawara Keizu both state that he was born in the first year of Anna and died in the third year of Eishō at the age of eighty-one. Since these genealogies are more detailed than the others, they are followed here). His descendants were famed in the world generation after generation (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari). His sons were Yoriyoshi, Yorikiyo, Yorisue, Yoritō, and Yoshimasa. Yoriyoshi has a separate biography. Yorikiyo became governor of Higo, Mutsu, and other provinces, and his descendants took the name Murakami. Yorisue became Kamon-no-suke, Assistant of the Housekeeping Bureau, and took the name Inoue. All of them lived in Shinano. Yoritō took the name Kawachi, and Yoshimasa took the name Kunii (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Minamoto-no-Yorinobu

¶Taira-no-Koremochi was a grandson of Taira-no-Shigemori, Chinjufu-shōgun. His father was named Kanetada and was Kazusa-no-suke, Assistant Governor of Kazusa (Note: the Heishi Keizu makes him a son of Shigemori, but the Konjaku Monogatari is followed here). From his youth Koremochi excelled in valor and strategy, and his grandfather Sadamori, thinking highly of him, adopted him (Note: following the Go-Shūi Ōjōden and the Genkō Shakusho). Sadamori had adopted many nephews and cousins' sons, and Koremochi was the youngest among them. Because he was fifteenth in order, he was called Yogo, "Fifteenth."

¶Once, when Koremochi was in Mutsu, he quarreled over possession of farmland with Fujiwara-no-Moromane (Note: the name Moromane follows the Sonpi Bunmyaku; this book writes "Morotō"), a powerful local magnate. They appealed to the provincial governor, Fujiwara-no-Sanekata, but Sanekata could not decide the case. Ill feeling grew between them, and they gathered troops to attack each other. In time Moromane, avoiding the strength of Koremochi's forces, withdrew his troops and fled to Hitachi. Koremochi, holding him in contempt, let down his guard. Moromane made a sudden attack, and Koremochi, alarmed in the night by the beating wings of water birds, sensed Moromane's approach and hurriedly raised his troops, but only twenty men gathered. Koremochi sent his wife and children away and fought hard at the head of his men. By dawn the mansion was flooded with water and all his soldiers had been wounded or killed. Koremochi let down his hair, put on a woman's clothing, and fled in secret, hiding among the reeds. Moromane searched the corpses thoroughly, but they were so charred that none could be identified. Convinced that Koremochi was dead, he was greatly pleased and withdrew.

¶A few dozen of Koremochi's soldiers who had heard of the disaster came hurrying up. Koremochi called out in a loud voice, "I am not dead; do not be anxious," and urged the soldiers to pursue at once. They said: "The enemy are many and we are few; let us avoid their sharp edge for now and wait for another day." Koremochi said: "Last night, though I knew there was not one chance in ten thousand of survival, I threw myself into the fight alone because I was ashamed to be mocked by the enemy as having been scattered by no more than the wind from a palm. Rather than live on in vain, enduring shame, I would sooner be content to die once. The enemy are swollen with a single victory and give no thought to what comes after. If we strike when they do not expect it, we cannot fail to win. My mind is made up. Go or stay as you please." The soldiers were all roused and followed him. On his way home Moromane passed the house of his wife's elder brother, Ōkimi, but Ōkimi did not let him in and instead provided wine and food to entertain him. Moromane reached Rekihara and gave his soldiers a drinking feast. The soldiers took off their saddles, grew drunk, and fell asleep. When Koremochi's force caught up, Moromane, seeing Koremochi's attack, lost his composure. Koremochi struck suddenly, broke them, and killed Moromane. He pressed on to Moromane's mansion and ordered: "Kill every man; do not lay a hand on the women." He set fire to the mansion and burned it, and he seized Moromane's wife but sent her courteously to Ōkimi's house before withdrawing. From then on Koremochi's name and prestige became widely known throughout the Kantō (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari), and people of the time admired his bravery and honored him with the title "Shōgun" (Note: following the entry for the fourth year of Bunji in the Azuma Kagami).

¶Afterwards he became Dewa-no-suke, Assistant Governor of Dewa (Note: following the printed edition of the Sonpi Bunmyaku), and received the appointment of Chinjufu-shōgun (Note: following the printed edition of the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Azuma Kagami. Note also: the various books offer no sure evidence on Koremochi's successive offices, but it was probably in the reigns of Ichijō, Sanjō, and Go-Ichijō). He died at the age of eighty and was called in the world Yogo Shōgun. Koremochi was deeply devoted to Buddhism, applied himself to the practice of the Lotus Sutra, and repeatedly sought instruction from the monk Genshin (Note: following the Go-Shūi Ōjōden, the Genkō Shakusho, and the Azuma Kagami. Note also: it is told that Koremochi once met a band of robbers on Mount Togakushi in Shinano; the robbers disguised themselves as women to deceive him and also donned demon masks to frighten him, but he drove them off and killed them. This comes from oral tradition and is not described in detail here. Also, Byōdōji in Ogawa estate, Kambara district, Echigo province, is said to have been founded by Koremochi, and his grave is said to be at that temple). His sons were Shigesada, Shigekane, Shigemochi, and Shigemoto. Shigemochi became Dewa-no-suke (Note: following the Heishi Keizu. Note also: this book writes Shigemochi as "Shigenari," but it is now corrected according to the Azuma Kagami). Shigemochi's great-great-grandson Nagamochi has a separate biography.

Minamoto-no-Yukitsuna

¶Fujiwara-no-Yasumasa was a grandson of Fujiwara-no-Motokata, Dainagon, Major Counsellor. His father was named Munetada (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku); in the Tenryaku era he became a Kurōdo, Chamberlain, and was appointed Governor of Bingo (Note: following the Gōdanshō). He successively held the posts of Ukyō-no-daibu, Master of the Right Capital Office, and Umaryō-no-gon-no-kami, Provisional Director of the Right Bureau of Horses, and was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the Eien era, Munetada was dismissed from office on account of his implication in the affair of Yasusuke (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). In the first year of Chōhō (999), Munetada shot and killed the son of Tachibana-no-Sukemasa, former Sagami-no-suke, Assistant Governor of Sagami, together with that son's household servant (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari. Note also: the year Chōhō 1 follows the Shōyūki and the Nihon Kiryaku). The court council determined his guilt and sentenced him to exile on Sado (Note: following the Shōyūki and the Nihon Kiryaku. Note also: according to the Gōdanshō, when Emperor Murakami asked Kamo-no-Yasunori about the heavens, Munetada repeatedly carried the imperial commands between the two, and so came to understand astronomy in outline. Later, when Munetada happened to be in the privy and was speaking to someone about astronomy, a flying arrow struck a pillar. Munetada was startled and said: "It is quite reasonable. Because I spoke of the heavenly signs in the privy, the star Keikoku, Mars, shot at me. But this year I have the help of Jupiter, so the arrow struck only the pillar." This is a strange and groundless tale, and it is not adopted here). Munetada took as his wife a daughter of Minamoto-no-Masaakira, and Yasumasa was born (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku. Note also: this book writes "Imperial Prince Motoakira," but there was no such person at that time. Probably it means Minamoto-no-Masaakira, a son of Emperor Daigo, and so it is now corrected).

¶Yasumasa was by nature rich in courage and strategy, valiant and decisive, of extraordinary physical strength, and thoroughly versed in the martial arts (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari). He was ranked alongside his nephew Minamoto-no-Yorinobu and others (Note: following the Jikkinshō). He was also skilled in waka (Note: following the Go-Shūi Wakashū). He became Sama-no-kami, Director of the Left Bureau of Horses (Note: following the Shōyūki), successively held the governorships of Tango, Yamato, Settsu, and other provinces (Note: for his governorship of Tango, the Kojidan and the Jikkinshō are followed; for Yamato, the Sakeiki; for Settsu, the Rekidai Kōki, the Konjaku Monogatari, and the Sakusha Burui), and reached Senior Fourth Rank (Note: following the Sakusha Burui. Note also: whether it was Senior or Junior Fourth Rank, Upper or Lower, is unknown). In the Chōwa era, when the emperor made a visit to the mansion of Fujiwara-no-Michinaga, Minister of the Left, and viewed horse races, the horses of the Bureau were fat and sturdy, and so Yasumasa was granted a reward (Note: following the Shōyūki).

¶On his way to his post in Tango, Yasumasa passed Yosa-yama. An old man, mounted on a horse and wearing a sedge hat, was leaning in the shade of a tree. Yasumasa's retainers rebuked him and tried to make him dismount, but Yasumasa stopped them and said: "Look at how that man sits in the saddle and holds the reins. He must be what they call 'one who is a match for a thousand'; he can hardly be an ordinary man." Presently Taira-no-Munetsune came up with a great following and, seeing Yasumasa, said: "Did you see an old man just now? That is my father, Heigo-dayū. He is a rustic, ignorant of manners, and I fear he may have been discourteous." After Munetsune had gone, Yasumasa turned to his retainers and said: "If I had humiliated that old man just now as you wished, I could never have regretted it enough." (Note: following the Jikkinshō and the Kojidan).

¶Once, on a winter night, when Yasumasa was walking about in inconspicuous dress, there was a great robber named Hakamadare. He was strong and swift of foot and made his living by extortion. Seeing Yasumasa, he repeatedly watched for a chance to take his clothes. Yasumasa turned around, playing his flute, and Hakamadare felt his heart race unaccountably, thought "This is no ordinary man," and summoned his strength to attack. Yasumasa shouted at him once, and Hakamadare, trembling with fear, fell prostrate on the ground. When Yasumasa asked his name, Hakamadare gave it. Yasumasa said: "I have long heard your name. You must be no trivial fellow. Come with me." And, again playing his flute, he walked on unhurriedly. When he returned home, he gave Hakamadare a padded robe and warned him: "If you are in want, come again. Do not threaten people and bring harm on yourself." (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari).

¶He died in the ninth year of Chōgen (1036) at the age of seventy-nine (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He had a son, the monk Kaihan, who was called Shima Zenji (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). A commentator says: "Yasumasa was not of a line of military commanders to begin with, but through his talent in the martial arts he was praised in the world and held in high regard by the court. It is a pity that none among his descendants carried on his family calling." (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari). Yasumasa's younger brother Yasusuke (Note: the Gōdanshō makes him the elder brother) was appointed Uhyōe-no-jō, Third-Ranking Officer of the Right Division of Guards (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku), but by nature he was greedy and violent and committed many lawless acts. In the Eien era he was thrown into prison and died there (Note: following the Zoku Kojidan).