Biographies CXXI: The Shogunal Retainers, Part IV

Doi Sanehira

¶Doi Sanehira (Doi Sanehira) traced his ancestry to Taira-no-Takamochi, Governor of Kazusa. Takamochi's son Yoshifumi begot Yoritaka, who took the Buddhist name Yamabe Sozenji and begot Tsunetō. Tsunetō begot Tsunemune, who styled himself Tsuchiya Shirō and became the Kasama Ōryōshi, Police Commissioner of Kasama. Tsunemune begot Munehira, who became the Nakamura Shōji, steward of Nakamura, and begot Sanehira, Munetō and Tomohira (Note: supplied by consulting the manuscript and printed genealogies of the Taira). Sanehira lived in the village of Doi in Sagami province and styled himself Doi Jirō. In the fourth year of Jishō (1180), when Minamoto-no-Yoritomo raised troops, Sanehira and Munetō hastened to join him. When Yoritomo was defeated at the battle of Ishibashiyama, Ōba Kagechika pressed him in hot pursuit. Yoritomo fled to Sugiyama, and only Sanehira followed him. Katō-no-Kagekazu, Kudō-no-Sukeshige and four others broke through the encirclement and joined them; Yoritomo was glad and wished to flee together with them all. Sanehira remonstrated, saying: "If my lord were alone, then even if it took several months, I could contrive some stratagem to hide you. But where there are many men, tracks are easily betrayed. Nothing is better than to scatter. If now, high and low, we all preserve our lives and join our plans from within and without, we shall be able to wash away the shame of Kuaiji. Today's parting will become a blessing of a later day." The company all wiped away their tears and parted and scattered. Yoritomo took out an image of Kannon that he had kept hidden in his topknot and set it in a rock cave by the roadside. When Sanehira asked the reason, Yoritomo said: "If I lose my head, and Kagechika and the others see this image, it would shame the name of the Minamoto commanders" (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Yoritomo hid in the mountains and went without food for several days, but Sanehira's wife filled a tub with boiled rice, covered it with shikimi leaves, and had another monk carry it, under the pretext of going to gather flowers and leaves as offerings to the Buddha; in this way she secretly came and went and kept him supplied (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). At length he left Sugiyama and hid in the house of Eijitsu, a monk of Mount Hakone. The monk Ryōsen plotted to kill Yoritomo, but Eijitsu learned of the scheme and told him. Yoritomo, with Sanehira, Eijitsu and others, secretly skirted the foot of the mountain and made for Doi (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Just then Sanehira's wife sent a letter reporting that Kinugasa castle had fallen and that the Miura band had gone to Awa to search for Yoritomo's whereabouts. Yoritomo was pleased (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). With Sanehira he set out by boat for Awa from Manazuru-ga-saki. As they were about to depart, he sent Sanehira's son Tōhira to Izu to inquire after the family. When Yoritomo reached Awa, Taira-no-Hirotsune and Chiba Tsunetane came and joined him. He turned and went to Shimōsa and established a residence at Saginuma. The officers and men who had been scattered all gathered, and his forces were greatly strengthened. From the time Yoritomo raised his troops, Sanehira never left his side, and devoted his whole heart to assisting and guarding him (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). When Minamoto-no-Yoshinaka rebelled, Sanehira served under Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune and attacked him in the capital (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). Leading an advance guard of two thousand horse, he pursued as far as Awazu and was defeated by Yoshinaka (Note: following the Heike Monogatari). At the battle of Ichi-no-Tani he separately led seven thousand men and attacked the western gate. Minamoto-no-Noriyori attacked the eastern gate, and Yoshitsune descended on them by the mountain path of Hiyodorigoe, and the Taira army was utterly routed (Note: following the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Jōsuiki). When Yoshitsune had set up his camp at Yashima, Taira-no-Noritsune attacked, and Yoshitsune was about to meet him in person. Sanehira remonstrated: "A commanding general should not fight lightly. I beg you to send your stalwart subordinates." Thereupon, with Hatakeyama Shigetada and others, he advanced with more than fifty horse and fought until nightfall, when he withdrew his men (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). Yoritomo ordered Sanehira to station an army in Bitchū and to take charge of military affairs in the western seas. At that time Itagaki Kanenobu, who had gone west in the following of Noriyori, sent a messenger to Kamakura to complain: "I have had the good fortune to hold a humble place and to bear responsibility for one quarter, yet Sanehira, claiming that he has received orders, acts entirely as he pleases, and does not consult me even over the disposition of affairs. Here in the western seas my commands are not obeyed. I beg you to grant me a single directive and to leave each matter to my own discretion." Yoritomo grew angry and said: "Those whom I employ, whether close or distant to me, I have them serve solely according to their capacity. Sanehira's loyalty has no equal; as one in whom I place my eyes and ears, there is no second road. The military affairs of the western seas, great and small, I have entrusted wholly to him. You are merely sharing the task of offering your lives on the field of battle; why do you so fail to know your place?" The messenger returned in fear and trembling. When the Taira were destroyed and the aftermath of the fighting lingered, the provinces of the Kinai suffered from the violent plundering of warriors. Yoritomo made Sanehira and Kajiwara Kagetoki the sō-tsuibushi, general constables, of the five provinces of Harima, Mimasaka, Bizen, Bitchū and Bingo (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). In the Bunji era (1185–1190) Yoritomo ordered Sanehira to guard the capital. Sanehira was by nature rich in strategy and versed in military matters. On campaigns, Yoritomo ordered Noriyori and Yoshitsune to follow his direction (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Genpei Jōsuiki. Note: on examining the various books, the year and month of Sanehira's death are missing. The death register of Beizan-ji in Aki province says that Sanehira died in the eleventh month of the second year of Jōkyū (1220). Yet the Azuma Kagami, under the sixth year of Kenkyū (1195), records that the widow of Doi Sanehira came to the shogunate. If so, Sanehira's death took place before Jōkyū. Jōkyū may be an error for Kenkyū, but at present there is no means of verifying this).

¶His son Tōhira styled himself Yatarō and won merit in battle following his father. Tōhira begot Koreira, who was appointed Saemon-no-jō and styled himself Sakijirō Saemon-no-jō. In the Kenryaku era (1211–1213) he joined the rebellion of Wada Yoshimori; the army was defeated and he was put to death (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Sanehira's younger brother was Munetō.

Doi Munetō

¶Doi Munetō (Doi Munetō) lived at Tsuchiya in Sagami province (Note: following the Tsuchiya Keizu) and styled himself Tsuchiya Saburō. Together with his elder brother Sanehira he served Yoritomo. At the outset, when Yoritomo reached Shimōsa, the troops of Awa, Kazusa and Shimōsa rallied to him, and he was about to summon the troops of the provinces of Kōzuke, Shimotsuke and Musashi as well, and to advance to Suruga to await the Taira. He sent Munetō to Kai to persuade Takeda-no-Nobuyoshi and Ichijō-no-Tadayori and to have them meet Hōjō-no-Tokimasa at the Kise River; Nobuyoshi and the others consented (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Munetō followed Yoshitsune and attacked the Taira (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). In the Jōgen era (1207–1211) he killed Kajiwara-no-Iemochi out of a private grudge, presented himself at the shogunate, and was held in custody at the house of Wada Yoshimori. He petitioned Sanetomo: "I am a meritorious retainer of the founding of the cause. Iemochi is the grandson of a rebel. Which of loyal service and treason should be chosen ought to be clear. Yet now I am imprisoned and humiliated. I beg you to examine this with discernment." Sanetomo said, "The plea does not accord with reason." But because it was the anniversary of Yoritomo's death, he was pardoned (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). He adopted as his son Yoshikiyo, the son of his sister's husband Okazaki-no-Yoshizane (Note: the original text makes Yoshikiyo the son of his elder brother, but it has now been corrected by consulting the Azuma Kagami and the genealogies of the Taira).

¶Yoshikiyo styled himself Kojirō, served the Taira, and was in the capital. When he heard that Yoritomo had raised troops, he secretly went to the Kantō. It happened that Munetō, on his mission to Kai, met him by chance at night on Mount Ashigara. Father and son rejoiced greatly at their reunion and went together to Kai (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki); in the end he entered the shogunate's service and was appointed Daigaku-no-gon-no-suke. When Wada Yoshimori rose in revolt, Yoshikiyo joined him and attacked the shogunate; fighting hard with Asahina-no-Yoshihide and Furugōri-no-Yasutada, riding side by side, his valor was foremost in the army, and the shogunate's troops repeatedly gave ground. When Sanetomo avoided them and entered the Hokke-dō, Yoshikiyo went from Amanawa into Kameyatsu and, passing before the Iwaya-dō, was about to attack when he was struck by a stray arrow on the road and died. Yoshimori's army never recovered its strength and was finally defeated (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

Ōba Kageyoshi

¶Ōba Kageyoshi (Ōba Kageyoshi; Note: following the Azuma Kagami. Note: the Heishi Keizu and the Hōgen Monogatari write the name as Kageyoshi with a different character) styled himself Tarō and was also called Fujisawa Gon-no-kami; he was a descendant of Kamakura Kagemasa (Note: following the Heishi Keizu. Note: one version of the genealogy makes Kageyoshi a descendant of Kagemura and does not mention Kagemasa; it may be that he was of a family separate from Kagemasa. Looking at a variant text of the Hōgen Monogatari, it too makes him a descendant of Kagemasa; it is therefore followed here). His father was Kagefusa, who styled himself Ōba Shōji and whose family lived in Sagami for generations (Note: the Heishi Keizu writes Kagefusa as Kagetada or Kagemune). In the Hōgen disturbance (1156), Kageyoshi, with his younger brother Kagechika, belonged to Minamoto-no-Yoshitomo and attacked the Shirakawa Palace, but was shot from his horse by Tametomo. Kagechika carried Kageyoshi on his shoulder to shelter in a commoner's house, but Kageyoshi tried to return to the fight. Kageyoshi said: "I am wounded. I can fight no more. The field of battle is not far from here. I would merely become carrion for the common soldiers. How we exerted ourselves was seen with his own eyes by the Lord of Shimotsuke (Yoshitomo). If I now retire with a grave wound, who will call it cowardice? Carry me far away." Kagechika bore Kageyoshi on his back as far as Yamashina, then ran back and fought again, and Kageyoshi escaped the danger (Note: following the variant Hōgen Monogatari). When Yoritomo raised troops and a summons calling up the generals of the Kantō arrived, Kageyoshi consulted with Kagechika. Kagechika said: "The Minamoto are our lords of many generations, so it is reasonable to submit to them. But I was once a prisoner, and by good fortune the Taira interceded for me; now, as guardian of the east, I have preserved my life and kept my wife and children. Is this not owing to the favor of the Taira?" Kageyoshi said: "Serve the Taira out of gratitude. I shall join the Minamoto out of principle." They therefore made a pact: "If the Taira win, I shall rely on you and ask for protection. If the Minamoto win, I shall protect you to the end." Then, together with his younger brother Toyoda-no-Kagetoshi, he returned to Yoritomo and followed him in the battle of Ishibashiyama (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Genpei Jōsuiki).

¶In the fifth year of Bunji (1189), Yoritomo sought to strike Fujiwara-no-Yasuhira, but the court deliberations had not yet been decided. The troops of the provinces, however, had already assembled. Yoritomo was troubled by this and, since Kageyoshi was seasoned and versed in military affairs, summoned him and consulted him. Kageyoshi answered: "I have heard that within an army one obeys the general's command and does not wait for the Son of Heaven's edict. Since a petition has already been submitted, one may act without waiting for a reply. Moreover Yasuhira descends from a line of hereditary retainers; even without the Emperor's sanction, what scruple could there be in carrying out execution at once? (Note: Yasuhira's great-grandfather Kiyohira belonged to Minamoto-no-Yoshiie and won merit in battle, and since then his descendants for generations held the six districts of Mutsu and were a bulwark of that quarter, but there was no relation of lord and vassal with the Minamoto. Yet to the officers and men of the east at that time, the relation to the Minamoto was little different from that of lord and vassal. For that reason Kageyoshi called him a hereditary retainer; he spoke merely according to the circumstances of the time.) If now you gather troops and spend days, you will only wear out your troops. You ought to set out quickly." Yoritomo was greatly pleased and rewarded him with a saddle and horse. Kageyoshi once spoke before Yoritomo with the generals: "What a warrior must take heed of is his weapons. Bows and arrows should be short and small according to one's strength. Chinzei Hachirō (Tametomo) was called without peer under heaven as an archer, but his bow and arrows were of too great a size. In the Hōgen disturbance I met Hachirō at the Ōinomikado riverbank and was posted at his left. When Hachirō was about to shoot, I thought that, being from Chinzei, he would be unaccustomed to shooting from horseback. I had long lived in the east and was used to handling a horse, so I drove my horse to the right and kept out of his range. For that reason the arrow flew low and merely struck my knee. Otherwise I should hardly have escaped." All who were present admired him. In the Kenkyū era (1190–1199), because of old age, he shaved his head. Before long he incurred blame and was banished. When Yoritomo went up to the capital, Kageyoshi submitted a letter saying: "From the very beginning when the general raised his troops, I have exerted what small strength I had. Yet now I have incurred blame and been banished, and I have passed my days in gloom for three years already. I am now old and feeble, and I have not much life left. I beg that I may once be added to your retinue, as an honor for one about to die." Yoritomo permitted it. In the fourth year of Jōgen (1210) he died (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

Adachi Morinaga

¶Adachi Morinaga (Adachi Morinaga) styled himself Tōkurō and was a descendant of Fujiwara-no-Yamakage, Chūnagon. His grandfather Kunishige was Shimotsuke-no-jō and Dewa-no-suke. His father Kanehiro styled himself Onoda Saburō (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). When Minamoto-no-Yoritomo was at Hirugashima, Morinaga went to and fro serving him. When Yoritomo raised troops and called for the officers and men of the east, he sent Morinaga to carry the summons (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Genpei Jōsuiki). Morinaga was eloquent and, wherever he went, set out the principles of right and wrong; those who heard him were moved, and the generals answered the call (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). At that time Taira-no-Kanetaka, of Kiyomori's kin, held Yamaki and exercised authority relying on his power. Morinaga recommended Fujiwara-no-Kunimichi to Yoritomo. Kunimichi scouted Kanetaka's movements and in the end was able to attack and kill him. Yoritomo fought at Ishibashiyama without success and fled into Sugiyama. Morinaga and several others passed through hardship and finally escaped. Soon afterwards, when they went to Awa, the scattered troops gathered, the army regained some strength, and the officers and men of the east who submitted grew in number day by day. On returning to Sagami, Yoritomo assessed the merits of his officers and men, and Morinaga had a share in it. When Yoritomo had achieved his aim, Morinaga was ever more intimately favored. Later he shaved his head and took the Buddhist name Rensai. When Yoriie succeeded to the headship, Morinaga took part in deciding lawsuits (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). In the second year of Shōji (1200) he died (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). His sons were Kagemori and Tokinaga. Tokinaga styled himself Ōsone Jirō Hyōe-no-jō and later became a member of the Hyōjōshū, the Council of State (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Adachi Kagemori

¶Adachi Kagemori (Adachi Kagemori) styled himself Yakurō. Because of his father he was held in esteem at the time. Once he bought a concubine in the capital, who was of outstanding beauty. Yoriie repeatedly sent letters courting her, but she did not comply. Just then Muro-hira-no-Shigehiro, a bandit of Mikawa, gathered a band of robbers and plundered at will. Yoriie ordered Kagemori to attack him. Kagemori declined the order on some pretext, but Yoriie said, "Mikawa is the province your father guards. I cannot entrust the matter to another." He pressed him to set out, and then sent a man to take Kagemori's woman away. Kagemori harbored a grudge and sought, on some pretext, to remove Yoriie. Kagemori went to Mikawa, but the bandit had already fled, and he returned without having captured him. Someone slandered him, saying, "Kagemori often voices resentment over the matter of his concubine." Yoriie was angry and wished to send troops to execute him. Masako had long known of his innocence and exerted herself to save him. Yoriie had no choice but to pardon him. In the Ken'ei era (1206–1207) he was appointed Uemon-no-jō. In the sixth year of Kenpō (1218) he became Dewa-no-suke and had charge of Akita castle (Note: following the Azuma Kagami. Note: some copies of the original text write Dewa-no-kami, but it has now been corrected on the basis of the entry for the second year of Jitsuji [sic]). He was granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku. Note: the original text lacks the year of the conferral of rank, so it is provisionally recorded here). People of the time said: "Since the Shōtai era (898–901), over several hundred years, the only holder of this office has been Taira-no-Shigemori. Now Kagemori has obtained it. It is truly a glorious appointment." (Note: on examination, before this there were many who became Dewa-no-kami or Dewa-no-suke, which differs from the original text's account. Probably Taira-no-Nagashige, who hereditarily held the post of jō-no-suke, castellan, for generations and wielded authority in the north, was put to death at the beginning of the Kennin era (1201–1204). Since Kagemori now obtained the post of jō-no-suke, the people of the time took it as an honor. But the original text does not detail the circumstances, so for now the old wording is followed.) In the following year, when Sanetomo met a violent death, Kagemori grieved and lamented and cut off his hair. His Buddhist name was Kakuji; he styled himself Dairenbō and lived on Mount Kōya. People called him the Kōya Nyūdō. (Note: according to the Myōe Den, in the third year of Jōkyū (1221), when Hōjō Yasutoki searched for fugitives of the imperial army, Akita-jō-no-suke Yoshikage seized Kōben (Myōe) and brought him in. Yasutoki had long revered Kōben, and treated him with respect, apologized, and sent him back. Seeing this, Yoshikage was dumbfounded and filled with regret; in the end he went to Kōben, asked to have his head shaved and to become his disciple, and took the name Dairenbō Kakuji. According to the original text, Kagemori's taking of orders took place before Jōkyū, and Yoshikage was never a monk. The Myōe Den confuses father and son as one person and is grossly mistaken in the facts, so it is not adopted here.) He constantly went to and fro between Kamakura and was often consulted whenever matters arose. In the Jōkyū disturbance he followed Hōjō-no-Tokifusa in attacking the capital and won merit in battle (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶At first Kagemori's daughter married Hōjō-no-Tokiuji and bore Tsunetoki and Tokiyori (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). When Tokiyori became regent, Kagemori was held in the highest esteem. At that time Yasumura of the Miura clan was in the height of his power, and Kagemori, secretly displeased with this, admonished his descendants: "The power of the Miura is without peer. If you fall short in martial courage, I fear that one day you will be unable to stand against them. You must make your move now." Just then an anonymous letter appeared, saying, "The Miura clan plots rebellion, Kamakura is in uproar, and men's hearts are full of suspicion." Kagemori was secretly pleased, and, taking this opportunity, entrapped the Miura and in the end destroyed them. In the second year of Hōji (1248) he died of illness on Mount Kōya (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶His son Yoshikage succeeded to the post of Akita-jō-no-suke in the Katei era (1235–1238), was granted Junior Fifth Rank Upper, and became a member of the Hyōjōshū (Note: the Kantō Hyōjōden and the Sonpi Bunmyaku were consulted). When Emperor Shijō died without an heir, Hōjō-no-Yasutoki sent Yoshikage to the capital and had him enthrone Emperor Go-Saga (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki and the Godai Teiō Monogatari). In the Kenchō era (1249–1256), because of illness he shaved his head, took the Buddhist name Ganchi, and died soon afterwards (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). His sons Yorikage, Kagemura, Yasumori, Tokimori, Shigekage, Akimori, Nagakage and Tokikage each made his name known in his time (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶Tokimori was appointed Tango-no-kami, shaved his head and changed his name to Dōchi. In the Bun'ei era (1264–1275) he was implicated in some affair and his lands were confiscated. In the fifth year of Shōō (1292) he died (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). Kagemura styled himself Ōmuro Saburō (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Tokimori was appointed Saemon-no-jō and became a member of the Hyōjōshū, and shaved his head and changed his name to Dōkyō. In the Kenji era (1275–1278) he was implicated in some affair and his lands were confiscated. In the eighth year of Kōan (1285) he died on Mount Kōya (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). Shigekage was appointed Saemon-no-jō. In the Kōan era (1278–1288) he was killed together with Yasumori. His grandson Takashige became Akita-jō-no-suke (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Akimori was appointed Sahyōe-no-jō and Kaga-no-kami and became a member of the Hyōjōshū. In the third year of Kōan (1280) he died (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). His grandson Tokiaki and great-grandson Takakage both succeeded as Akita-jō-no-suke. Takakage became Sanuki-gon-no-kami. When Emperor Go-Daigo was exiled to Oki, he entered the capital as an envoy of Hōjō-no-Takatoki (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku) and enthroned the Retired Emperor Kōgon (Note: following the Taiheiki). Nagakage was successively Saemon-no-jō and Mino-no-kami, and shaved his head and changed his name to Chikai. Tokikage was appointed Saemon-no-jō, and shaved his head and changed his name to Chigen (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). In the Kōan era he was killed together with Yasumori (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Adachi Yasumori

¶Adachi Yasumori (Adachi Yasumori) styled himself Kurō. After his father's death he succeeded to the post of Akita-jō-no-suke and became a member of the Hyōjōshū (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). He was known in his time for his skill in horsemanship (Note: following the Tsurezuregusa). In the Kōan era (1278–1288) he concurrently became Mutsu-no-kami, asked to relinquish the post of Akita-jō-no-suke, and was permitted to have his son Munekage take his place. Soon afterwards he shaved his head and changed his name to Kakushin (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). Yasumori had long been joined with the Hōjō by marriage, and his daughter in turn married Tokimune and bore Sadatoki. When Sadatoki became regent, Yasumori acted as he pleased, relying on his power. Sadatoki's household steward, Saemon-no-jō Taira-no-Yoritsuna, was likewise arrogant and, playing greatly with power, came into friction with Yasumori. Moreover Munekage was even wilder and more extravagant than his father, and claimed that his great-grandfather Kagemori had in truth been a son of Yoritomo, and in the end changed his surname to Minamoto. Yoritsuna on this account persuaded Sadatoki: "Munekage secretly harbors ambitions. The change of surname is the most undeniable proof." Sadatoki believed him and in the end killed Yasumori and his son and destroyed their kin. When Miura Yasumura had been killed, everyone thought of his innocence, but no one dared say so openly. Now, in the same way, Yasumori and the others died by slander. Later Yoritsuna also plotted rebellion and was put to death, and people regarded it as retribution (Note: following the Hōryaku Kanki).

Gotō Sanemoto

¶Gotō Sanemoto (Gotō Sanemoto) was a descendant of Fujiwara-no-Hidesato, Chinjufu-shōgun, Commander-in-Chief of the Defense of the North. His great-grandfather Bitō Saemon-no-jō Kinhiro became the adopted son of Gotō-nai Noriaki. Earlier, Minamoto-no-Yorinobu, Governor of Kawachi, had adopted Noritsune, son of Fujiwara-no-Koretada, Shōnagon, who was the son of Fujiwara-no-Kiminori, Governor of Bingo. Noritsune served Yorinobu and begot Noriaki (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Noriaki followed Minamoto-no-Yoriyoshi, Governor of Iyo, in attacking Abe-no-Sadatō and was one of the so-called seven horsemen (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Mutsu Waki. Note: the Mutsu Waki gives six horsemen). Kinhiro took the name Gotō, and his grandson Sanetō became Saemon-no-jō and begot Sanemoto. Sanemoto became Uhyōe-no-jō (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶In the Heiji disturbance (1159) he belonged to Minamoto-no-Yoshihira and guarded the Taikenmon gate, attacked Taira-no-Shigemori and drove him back. Advancing, he attacked Rokuhara, pursued the fleeing enemy as far as Higashi-Sanjō, and shot dead Ōkido Hachirō. Soon, when Yoshitomo fled in defeat, Sanemoto followed him as far as Ryūgegoe. Originally, when Yoshitomo was in the capital, he had entrusted a young daughter to Sanemoto. Now, Sanemoto asked, saying: "I have asked my wife to hide this child. There is no need to worry." Yoshitomo was pleased and said, "You bring this child up." Sanemoto earnestly begged to accompany him, but was refused, and so returned to the capital and brought up the girl with all his heart. When she grew up, she married Fujiwara-no-Yoshiyasu, Chūnagon (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari). When Yoritomo raised troops, Sanemoto followed Yoshitsune and attacked Yoshinaka (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). At the battle of Yashima he advanced together with Satō-no-Tsugunobu and others and burned the temporary palace. The Taira army was thrown into great disarray (Note: following the Heike Monogatari). Having no son, he adopted Motokiyo, the son of Satō Nakakiyo, a member of his kin, as his heir (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Gotō Motokiyo

¶Gotō Motokiyo (Gotō Motokiyo) was appointed Saemon-no-jō and Kebiishi, police magistrate (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Azuma Kagami). At the battles of Ichi-no-Tani and Yashima he distinguished himself following his father (Note: following the Azuma Kagami. Note: the Heike Monogatari was also consulted). In the Kenkyū era (1190–1199), Tomotada, the son of Taira-no-Tomomori, together with Ki Jirō Tayū Tomokata and others, lay in hiding beside the Hōshō-ji and plotted to raise troops. Fujiwara-no-Yoshiyasu asked Kamakura for troops to guard against them. Yoritomo sent Motokiyo to meet the threat. Motokiyo, with his son Mototsuna, led troops and attacked Tomotada; many of the soldiers were struck by arrows and killed or wounded. Motokiyo tore down the timbers of the buildings to fill in the moat and pressed the attack. Tomotada killed himself, and the remaining followers were all pacified (Note: the various texts of the Heike Monogatari were consulted). At first Yoritomo had made Motokiyo shugo, military governor, of Sanuki, but when Yoriie succeeded, he took it away. This was the first instance of Yoriie changing his father's government, and the people of the time criticized it. In the Kenpō era (1213–1219), Taira-no-Masashige, Kamon-gon-no-suke, was in the capital plotting rebellion, and Motokiyo attacked and cut him down (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). In the Jōkyū campaign (1221) he sided with the court; the army was defeated and he surrendered, and his offense was one deserving beheading. His son Mototsuna, who had long been on the shogunate's side, petitioned for it and beheaded his father (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Jōkyū-ki). Mototsuna became Saemon-no-jō and Kebiishi, and was appointed Sado-no-kami. In the first year of Kōgen (1256) he died (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden).

Katō Kagekado

¶Katō Kagekado (Katō Kagekado) was an eighth-generation descendant of Fujiwara-no-Toshihito, Chinjufu-shōgun. Toshihito's grandson Yoshinobu became Kaga-no-suke, and his descendants flourished and became powerful men of their home province. In the generation of Kagemichi, he too became suke, styled himself Katō, and followed Minamoto-no-Yoriyoshi on the Mutsu campaign, being one of the so-called seven horsemen. Kagemichi begot Kagekazu, who styled himself Katō Gorō (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku. Note: the original text writes Kagekiyo, and the Genpei Jōsuiki writes Kagesada, but now the Azuma Kagami is followed. Note: on examination, the Genpei Jōsuiki says that Tsukinami-no-kurōdo, a son of the monk Nōin, went to Ise, became son-in-law of the lay monk Yanagiuma's daughter's house, and begot Katō Gorō Kagekazu, which differs greatly from this. It is appended provisionally for reference). Kagekazu had two sons: Mitsukazu styled himself Katō Tarō, and Kagekado styled himself Katō Jirō (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Genpei Jōsuiki. Note: the Sonpi Bunmyaku is mistaken in making Mitsukazu the younger brother of Kagekado). Father and sons were all known for valor, but Kagekado was the fiercest and boldest, his arm strength surpassed that of ordinary men, and he was praised by the people of the time (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). In the Kaō era (1169–1171), by imperial order Minamoto-no-Tametomo was to be put to death in Izu. Kagekado, with his elder brother Mitsukazu, was among the forces sent. When Tametomo heard that the imperial army had arrived, he dismissed his followers and fell on his own blade and died. His corpse leaned against a pillar and did not fall, looking as though he were still alive, and the men, in awe of his valor, did not dare approach. Kagekado, throwing himself forward, swung his sword and cut off his head (Note: following the Hōgen Monogatari). His father Kagekazu was living in Ise but fell into enmity with a certain Itō, a retainer of the Taira, and killed him. He therefore took his two sons and fled east and relied on the Chiba and the Hatakeyama, but both clans, fearing to be implicated in the crime, did not dare shelter them. They therefore went to Kudō Shigemitsu. Shigemitsu was on bad terms with a man named Sannohe Jirō and had taken up arms against him. Having long heard the names of Kagekado and his brother, he wished to borrow their strength, gladly sheltered them, and made his younger sister Kagekazu's wife. At that time Yoritomo was in Izu, and many of the stout warriors of the Kantō were attached to him. Kagekado and his brother knew that they could rely on him and constantly went to and fro serving him. Yoritomo too perceived their ability and treated them with sincerity (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). When Yoritomo was about to raise troops, he sent Hōjō-no-Tokimasa to attack the Yamaki mansion of the mokudai, deputy governor, Taira-no-Kanetaka, and kept Kagekado and others behind as his own bodyguard. On Tokimasa's departure he agreed with him: "When the affair is accomplished, quickly raise a fire." A good while passed without any fire, and Yoritomo, in doubt and fear, sent Kagekado to go to his support, and took from its store the naginata that had been his father Yoshitomo's treasured weapon, gave it to him, and said: "In a night fight a long weapon is an advantage. Quickly cut off Kanetaka's head and bring it back." (Note: the Azuma Kagami and the Genpei Jōsuiki were consulted.) Kagekado galloped to Yamaki. Tokimasa's fight was going badly, and Kagekado, with his attendant soldier Suzaki Saburō and others, advanced and pressed on the gate. The enemy, their arrows spent and their men weary, could not hold, and the gate was broken; three of them were shot dead. There was an archer named Sekiya Hachirō, who called out: "Who is the enemy commander? I still have one arrow left. I would like to try it." Kagekado turned to Suzaki and said: "If I go forward to face him, I shall surely not escape. I reckon that so long as Suke-dono (Yoritomo) lives, I cannot die in vain. Will you die in my place?" Suzaki advanced into the gate and, calling himself Kagekado, was killed by an arrow through his chest. Kagekado stepped in behind him and in the end cut down Sekiya, and went on and killed another man. When he reached Kanetaka's bedchamber, Kanetaka was standing at the door awaiting the enemy. Kagekado slung his helmet over his shoulder and thrust the naginata in between the doors. Kanetaka hurriedly struck at it, but the sword hit the lintel and was blocked. Kagekado thrust in and stabbed him to death, set fire to the mansion and burned it, and galloped back with the head raised on the naginata and presented it. Yoritomo was greatly pleased (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). When Yoritomo was defeated at Ishibashiyama and fled toward Sugiyama, the enemy soldiers pressed close and the situation was extremely perilous, and Yoritomo fought hard. Kagekado took his reins and turned him back, and with his father and brother remained behind to fight a few bouts in defense, and during that time Yoritomo was at last able to hide in the mountains. Kagekado and his father scrambled up and caught up with him, and the officers and men gradually gathered, but Yoritomo admonished them and had them scatter and depart. Kagekado hid on Mount Hakone with his father and brother and went without food for three days. Kagekazu said to his two sons: "I am old. Even if I could escape, my life will not be long. You are in vigorous health, so do not die in vain. Abandon me and go, and seek out the whereabouts of the Minamoto." Kagekado and the others could not disobey him, entrusted their father to a monk of Sōtōsan, and went secretly to Izu with Mitsukazu, but were regarded with suspicion by the local people. The brothers parted ways and met again at the Ōoka pasture in Suruga, and in the end hid on Mount Fuji. Soon Yoritomo's army was greatly strengthened and, advancing to Suruga, Kagekado and his brother followed Takeda-no-Nobuyoshi and attacked and defeated the mokudai Tachibana-no-Tōmochi (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the third year of Juei (1184), he joined Minamoto-no-Noriyori and attacked the Taira in the western seas. When Noriyori went from Suō to Bungo, Kagekado was gravely ill but forced himself up and joined the campaign. He sent a letter to his father: "In ordinary days I was ordered always to serve at your side, but when it comes to an urgent moment, it is no day to decline hardship. I have fallen ill on the campaign to the western seas and am near death, but even if I end my life of illness, if the general counts it as a death in military service, it is an honor that more than suffices in death." Kagekazu brought the letter to the shogunate, and Yoritomo read it and sighed deeply, sent a letter of sympathy, and bestowed a horse from his stable. When his illness eased somewhat, he quickly returned to Kamakura. When Fujiwara-no-Yasuhira was attacked, Kagekado and his brother again served on the campaign and won merit. When Kajiwara Kagetoki incurred blame, Kagekado, because of long-standing closeness to him, was implicated and had his lands confiscated. When Sanetomo met a violent death, he shaved his head, changed his name to Myōhatsu, and styled himself Kakurenbō. In the third year of Jōkyū (1221), he died. His sons were Kagetomo and Kageyoshi. Kagetomo styled himself Katō Hōgan. In the Katei era (1235–1238), he contested with his brother Kageyoshi over the lands handed down from their uncle Mitsukazu; Kagetomo produced a letter of Masako as evidence, and Kageyoshi, at a loss for words, let Kagetomo hold them (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

Kudō Shigemitsu

¶Kudō Shigemitsu (Kudō Shigemitsu) came of a distinguished family of Izu. His ancestor of the sixth generation, Fujiwara-no-Tamenori, became Mokunosuke, assistant in the Bureau of Carpenters, and so was called Kudō. His great-great-grandfather Korekage became Governor of Suruga, his great-grandfather Koretoshi was Izu Ōryōshi, and his grandfather Koretsugu styled himself Kanō Kurō. His father was Ietsugu, who likewise inherited that name. Shigemitsu became Izu-no-suke and styled himself Kanō-no-suke (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Kudō Keizu. Note: on examination, Shigemitsu's being called Kanō-no-suke is probably because, being Izu-no-gon-no-suke, he lived at Kanō and used the title suke. There are other cases of this kind, such as Miura-no-suke). In the Hōgen era (1156–1159), when Minamoto-no-Tametomo was exiled to Ōshima, he oppressed the islanders and plundered their tribute. In the second year of Kaō (1170), Shigemitsu went to the capital and accused him, and the court deliberation ordered Shigemitsu to raise troops of Musashi and Sagami and attack him. Shigemitsu easily struck and pacified him (Note: following the Hōgen Monogatari). When Yoritomo raised troops, he first ordered an attack on Taira-no-Kanetaka, and Shigemitsu and others secretly took part in the plan (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). After the defeat at Ishibashiyama, Yoritomo fled into hiding in the Sugiyama of Doi. Shigemitsu followed Yoritomo's traces, but his body was fat and walking was hard for him, and when he came to steep places he was out of breath and could not advance. His son Chikamitsu supported him and made him walk. Shigemitsu said: "Suke-dono is no ordinary man. You should entrust yourselves to him to the end, but you must never harbor a divided heart. The road is steep and the enemy close; we cannot both be saved. Rather than be taken by the enemy, it is better for me to die by your hand." Chikamitsu could not bear it and hesitated for some time, but Shigemitsu cut open his own belly and fell forward. His grandson through a daughter, Tashiro Nobutsuna, tried to stop him but was too late, and Chikamitsu, holding back his tears, cut off his head (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki).

¶His sons were Chikamitsu (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki), Munemochi, Koremitsu and Yukimitsu (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Chikamitsu styled himself Kanō Kudō Gorō, took part in the campaign against Fujiwara-no-Yasuhira, led the van together with Miura Yoshimura and others, and died fighting hard (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Munemochi succeeded to the title Kanō-no-suke, and his son Munetoki styled himself Kanō Shinsuke. Koremitsu styled himself Kudō Jirō. Yukimitsu became Minbu Musha-dokoro (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Tashiro Nobutsuna's father was called Tametsuna (Note: the surname is unknown); he was appointed Izu-no-kami and married Shigemitsu's daughter, who bore Nobutsuna. When his term ended and he returned to the capital, he entrusted Nobutsuna to Shigemitsu to be brought up, and the boy was called Tashiro Kanja (Note: following the Nagatobon Heike Monogatari. Note: the Sonpi Bunmyaku was also consulted). He was barely eleven. Yoritomo was then in Izu, and Nobutsuna went and served him. At the defeat of Ishibashiyama, when the pursuers suddenly pressed close, Nobutsuna climbed a tall tree and shot arrows down, and Yoritomo was able to escape in the interval (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki. Note: the original text gives, as a variant account, that Yoritomo scattered his attendant soldiers and fled to Kai with Katō Kagekado, but as there is no other book to confirm it, it is not adopted here). Later he followed Yoritomo into Kamakura and was highly valued (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). In the Juei era (1182–1185) he followed Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune in attacking Minamoto-no-Yoshinaka, and also took part in the battles of Ichi-no-Tani and Yashima, winning merit in each (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Genpei Jōsuiki).

Kudō Kagemitsu

¶Kudō Kagemitsu (Kudō Kagemitsu) styled himself Kudō Shōji and was a kinsman of Shigemitsu. When Yoritomo raised troops, Kagemitsu, with his son Yukimitsu, hastened to join him. After Yoritomo was defeated by Ōba Kagechika and was hiding in Sugiyama, Kagechika's younger brother Matano-no-Kagehisa, seeking to cut off Yoritomo's escape route, led troops to Suruga. Kagemitsu, with Yasuda-no-Yoshisada, met Kagehisa at Mount Kanoshida, fought, and defeated him (Note: Kanoshidayama is written in one text as Hadayama). Kagemitsu was a master archer. When Yoritomo held a great hunt at Fujino, there was a custom that those who shot game at the hunt were rewarded with rice cakes. Kagemitsu was at that time chosen as the foremost archer, and Yoritomo summoned him first to bestow it. When he came to the hunting ground, a deer sprang out. Kagemitsu saw it and said, "This is my quarry," and drew his bow and waited. Everyone watched. His first shot missed; he pursued and shot three times, and none struck. He then threw down his bow and lamented: "From the age of eleven I have made hunting my business. Now I am past seventy, and what I shot I have always hit. Yet now my mind is unsettled and I have let the deer go. Can this not be the work of the god of the mountain? My life ends here." At dusk, sure enough, illness came upon him, and in the end he could not rise. His son was Yukimitsu (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

Kudō Yukimitsu

¶Kudō Yukimitsu (Kudō Yukimitsu) styled himself Kojirō. In the Mutsu campaign, together with his younger brother Sukemitsu and Kanō Chikamitsu, Miura Yoshimura, Kasai Kiyoshige, Fujiwara-no-Kiyochika and Kawamura Hidekiyo, he secretly crossed Mount Atsukashi by night and pressed on the western gate. Among Yasuhira's troops was a man of great strength named Ban-no-Tōhachi, called without peer in the six districts. Yukimitsu struck him down and cut him in two. The next day the main army followed in advance, and Kunihira and the others fled. Hidekata, the son of the enemy commander Kongō Bettō, though young was a fine fighter, but Tōgo, an attendant soldier of Yukimitsu, struck and cut him down. When Mutsu had been wholly pacified, Yoritomo regrouped his army, came to Iwai district, established a residence at Kuriyagawa, and granted that district to Yukimitsu. Yukimitsu offered cups of wine and the ōban banquet. When Yoritomo returned to Kamakura, Mutsu had only just been pacified and the people's hearts were not yet settled; groundless rumors flew about and alarmed people, saying that "Yoshitsune and the others are still alive and are secretly plotting to attack Kamakura." Yoritomo sent Yukimitsu together with Yuri-no-Koreihira, Miya Rokukenjō Kunihira and others to guard against this. Yukimitsu had great physical strength: when Yoritomo founded the Yōfuku-ji, the generals all performed menial labor themselves, but Yukimitsu, with Hatakeyama Shigetada and others, sawed the ridge beam, and his strength was equal to that of several tens of men, to the astonishment of onlookers. Yukimitsu had three stalwart men named Tōgo, Tōzaburō and Mi Genji. When Yoriie put Shibata Jirō to death, Tōgo and Tōzaburō were just then on the way from Mutsu to Kamakura and heard of this; they galloped back and joined the battle and shot more than ten men dead. Shibata was finally defeated. Yoriie had long heard of their martial fame, summoned the three and received them, admired their valor, and wished to take one of them into his service. Yukimitsu declined, saying: "Since the late Lord of the Shogunate destroyed the Taira, my late father Kagemitsu repeatedly followed campaigns and fought, and that I came through ten thousand deaths to life was all through the strength of these men. Now the general has gathered the finest troops under heaven and arrayed them all beneath his banner, and there is certainly no shortage. I have only these three warriors, and we are bound in life and death. I beg that you permit this." Yoriie thought his words proper and did not force the matter, but gave him cups of wine and sent them back (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

Hiki Yoshikazu

¶Hiki Yoshikazu (Hiki Yoshikazu) styled himself Tōshirō (Note: the Gukanshō says that Yoshikazu was a man of Awa in Shikoku, which may be an error for Awa on the Bōsō peninsula. At present there is no means of verifying it). The origin of his family is not clear. The husband of his aunt, a certain Kamon-no-jō, became shōryō, junior district head, of Hiki district in Musashi province, and had three daughters. When Kamon-no-jō died, the aunt shaved her head and became a nun, and was called in the world the Hiki Zenni. She raised Yoshikazu as her own son and had him take the name Hiki (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Her eldest daughter was called Tanba-no-Naishi; she served Nijō-in, secretly became intimate with Koremune-no-Hirokoto and bore Shimazu Tadahisa, and later returned to the Kantō and married Adachi Morinaga. The second daughter married Kawagoe Shigeyori, and the next daughter married Itō Sukekiyo (Note: following the Yoshimi Kafu). The Zenni had once served as wet nurse to Minamoto-no-Yoritomo, and when Yoritomo was in Izu, the people of the province, fearing the Taira, did not dare to supply him with anything. The Zenni sent provisions from afar for twenty years without once breaking off. She also had Morinaga, Shigeyori and Sukekiyo assist, and Yoritomo was deeply grateful (Note: the Azuma Kagami and the Yoshimi Kafu were consulted). When Yoritomo raised troops, Yoshikazu was always under his banner and gradually came to be treated intimately. In the third year of Juei (1184) he attacked the remnants of Minamoto-no-Yoshitaka's party in Shinano. In the same year he followed Minamoto-no-Noriyori in attacking the Taira. When Yoritomo attacked Fujiwara-no-Yasuhira, Yoshikazu, with Usami-no-Sanemasa and others, separately led the troops of Kōzuke and, by the Hokurikudō through Echigo, came out at the Nenshu barrier in Dewa, cut down Yasuhira's generals Tagawa-no-Yukifumi and Akita-no-Munefumi, and pacified the districts and villages. On the way he joined Yoritomo in Mutsu. The following year, when Yasuhira's old retainer Ōkawa-no-Kanetō rose in rebellion, Yoshikazu led the troops of the Tōsandō and pacified him. Yoritomo treated the Zenni with the greatest generosity and often went to her house to hold banquets (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). He ordered that Morinaga's daughter be married to Noriyori, Shigeyori's daughter be matched with Yoshitsune, and Sukekiyo's wife be remarried to Hiraga-no-Yoshinobu (Note: following the Yoshimi Kafu). To Tadahisa he granted the post of shugo of the three provinces of Ōsumi, Satsuma and Hyūga. Yoshikazu was appointed Uemon-no-jō and became Kebiishi. When Yoriie was born, Yoshikazu's wife became his wet nurse. When Yoritomo died and Yoriie rose, Yoshikazu's daughter was favored by Yoriie, was called Wakasa-no-tsubone, and bore his son Ichiman. In the Kennin era (1201–1204), when Yoriie's illness became grave, Masako divided the posts of jitō, estate stewards, in the western provinces and gave a share to his younger brother Senman. Yoshikazu was indignant and ordered Ichiman's mother to tell Yoriie secretly, wishing to destroy the Hōjō. Yoriie summoned Yoshikazu and consulted him. By chance Masako overheard this secretly and quickly informed Tokimasa. Tokimasa sent a messenger to Yoshikazu to say: "I am holding a Buddhist service. I beg you to come." Yoshikazu, not knowing the plot had leaked, was about to go. His sons remonstrated: "They have a secret plan over there, so you should not go lightly. Even if you go, you should be heavily guarded." Yoshikazu said: "If I bring armed men, people will surely be alarmed and noisy, and it will only invite suspicion. Moreover, since they are holding a Buddhist service, what need is there of guards? Now, at the change of shoguns, they must have something to discuss." So he went, and was killed. His followers fled back and reported the disaster. His son Munekazu and the others, with their kin, took Ichiman in their midst and held the Kogosho and defended it. Yoshitoki led the generals and attacked them. The whole clan fought with desperate vigor, set fire to the place and killed themselves. Tadahisa too was implicated and dismissed from his posts as shugo (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

Izumi Chikahira

¶Izumi Chikahira (Izumi Chikahira) styled himself Kojirō. He was a descendant of Minamoto-no-Mitsuyoshi, Governor of Shimotsuke, the younger brother of Minamoto-no-Mitsunaka, Chinjufu-shōgun. Mitsuyoshi's son Tamemitsu, Governor of Kai, married a daughter of Minamoto-no-Yorinobu and begot Tamekimi. Tamekimi became Governor of Shinano, and his descendants lived in Shinano for generations. His father Kimihira styled himself Izumi Jirō. Chikahira had arm strength beyond that of ordinary men (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the Kenpō era (1213–1219), he plotted to destroy the Hōjō by raising Senjumaru, the son of the shogun Yoriie (Note: the name Senjumaru follows the Hōryaku Kanki), and sent the monk Annen around the provinces to entice officers and men, and those who responded gradually grew in number. Annen visited Chiba Nariatane, but Nariatane bound him and sent him to Hōjō-no-Yoshitoki. Yoshitoki questioned him and learned the facts, and then sent troops to seize Chikahira. Chikahira fought hard and caused many casualties, but in the end escaped, and his whereabouts were unknown (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). In later ages, those who spoke of martial prowess are said to have named Chikahira alongside Asahina-no-Yoshihide (Note: following the Taiheiki). His younger brother Kiminobu styled himself Rokurō. When Wada Yoshimori raised troops and attacked Yoshitoki, Kiminobu belonged to the shogunate's side and died in battle (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Azuma Kagami).

Kawamura Hidekiyo

¶Kawamura Hidekiyo (Kawamura Hidekiyo) had the childhood name Senzurumaru (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). He was a descendant of Fujiwara-no-Hidesato and a branch of the Satō clan. His grandfather Tōyoshi became Governor of Chikugo. His father Hidetaka took the name Kawamura and became Yamashiro-gon-no-kami (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku. Note: for Hidetaka, the Azuma Kagami is followed). Hidekiyo's mother served Minamoto-no-Yoritomo and was called Kyōgoku-no-tsubone. In the Jishō era (1177–1181), Hidekiyo's elder brother Hideyoshi belonged to Ōba Kagechika and fought at Ishibashiyama. When Kagechika died, Hidekiyo fell into poverty, hid his name, and was brought up by Kyōgoku-no-tsubone. In the fifth year of Bunji (1189), when Yoritomo attacked Fujiwara-no-Yasuhira, Hidekiyo, aged thirteen, followed as far as Mutsu. Yasuhira had built a fort on Mount Atsukashi and had his half-brother Kunihira guard it. Hidekiyo, with six men including Miura Yoshimura, secretly climbed by night past the camp of the vanguard Hatakeyama Shigetada, and together with Kasai Kiyoshige attacked the enemy lines and fought hand to hand, killing a good number, and the allied main army arrived in succession. When the fort fell, Yoritomo permitted him to announce his own name, summoned Hidekiyo to the post station of Funahasama and questioned him. Learning that he was Hidetaka's son, he had him come of age in camp, had Kagami Nagakiyo place the cap on him as eboshi-oya, bestowed the present name, and he styled himself Shirō. In the Jōkyū campaign (1221), he served under Hōjō-no-Yasutoki, fought at the Uji Bridge, and took a head (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). His uncle Yoshimichi styled himself Hatano Saburō (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku. Note: the Heiji Monogatari writes Jirō). In the Heiji era (1159–1160) he belonged to Minamoto-no-Yoshihira and fought at the Taikenmon; he was one of the so-called sixteen horsemen (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari).