Biographies CXXIV: The Shogunal Retainers, Part VII

Wada Yoshimori

¶Wada Yoshimori was a grandson of Miura Yoshiaki (Note: following the Wada Keizu and the Genpei Jōsuiki). His father, Yoshimune, was wounded in the second year of Chōkan (1164) when he attacked Nagasa Castle in Awa, returned home, and died (Note: following the Nagato-bon Heike Monogatari). Because Yoshimori lived at Wada, he took it as his clan name, and he was called Kotarō (Note: following the Wada Keizu). By nature he was fierce and brave, of great strength, and a master of the bow (Note: following the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Jōsuiki).

¶When Minamoto-no-Yoritomo raised his banner at Ishibashiyama, Yoshimori hurried to join him together with his uncle Miura Yoshizumi and others. On the way they heard that Yoritomo had been defeated and had withdrawn his army. Because Hatakeyama Shigetada was on the road, the men wished to avoid him by taking a bypath. Yoshimori would not hear of it; he rode straight past Shigetada's camp and cried in a loud voice, "I am Wada Kotarō Yoshimori! I have heard that the Suke-dono (Yoritomo) has been defeated and has withdrawn. If you can stop us, try it!" Shigetada flew into a rage and pursued them as far as Kotsubosaka. Yoshimori said to Yoshizumi, "Uncle, divide your troops, take position at Abuzuri, and wait in battle order. I will go down the slope and meet the enemy, fighting hard to settle the issue. When the enemy gives a little ground, we will catch them between us and break them. Then I shall be at an advantage whether I advance or retreat." Yoshizumi agreed. Shigetada's captain Hangaya Narikiyo urged Yoshimori to make peace; Yoshimori consented and was about to withdraw his troops and go home.

¶Earlier, Yoshimori's younger brother Yoshimochi had gone to Kamakura on business, so Yoshimori had sent a messenger to tell him that Shigetada's troops had come. Hearing the news, Yoshimochi hurried back, but the Miura soldiers, seeing him, waved their banners to hold him back. Yoshimochi, not knowing that peace had been made, charged straight into Shigetada's army. Yoshimori waved an umbrella as a further signal, but Yoshimochi did not notice it and fought all the more fiercely. Yoshimori had no choice but to lead his troops to his support, and Yoshizumi also came out from Abuzuri to help. The road was extremely narrow and the soldiers advanced in single file. Seeing this, Shigetada's army took it that a great relief force had come in strength, and many scattered and fled. Yoshimori and his men pressed the attack in the flush of victory. Shigetada's captains Honda Chikatsune and Hangaya Narikiyo again proposed a settlement; Yoshimori then withdrew his troops and entered Kinugasa Castle.

¶That place was ill suited to a defensive stand, so he proposed to hold Nuta instead, but Yoshiaki (his grandfather, Miura Yoshiaki) would not agree. This is told in Yoshiaki's biography. A day later, Shigetada led the Edo, Kasai, and other kinsmen against them. The Miura fought back but did not prevail, and under cover of night they escaped to Awa. At sea they met Yoritomo, and each rejoiced greatly. Okazaki Yoshizane told of the death of Yoshitada (Yoshizane's son), and Yoshizumi in turn told how his grandfather Yoshiaki had died for his principles, and they wept bitterly.

¶Yoshimori stepped forward and said, "No man escapes death. How much more is that true of warriors, who are resolved to die; what good do grief and tears do? Now that lord and vassal have met in this hour of ruin, we should lay great plans and seize wealth and rank. As the common saying has it, 'He who wants to be fed should first prepare the bowl.' In years past, when Fujiwara-no-Tadakiyo, Kazusa-no-suke, served as Samurai-bugyō of the eastern provinces, the warriors waited at his gate day and night, watched his moods and bowed to him, and his authority was very great. I have always envied that. When you, my lord, have accomplished your great work, I ask that you appoint me to this post." Yoritomo laughed and agreed (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki).

¶When the eastern provinces were at length pacified, rewards were given according to merit, and as had been promised, Yoshimori was raised to Samurai-dokoro Bettō, Chief of the Board of Retainers. From then on he was always party to the secret councils on campaigns (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Afterwards he followed Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune in attacking Minamoto-no-Yoshinaka, and again attacked the Taira at Ichi-no-Tani (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki).

¶In the third year of Juei (1184) he followed Minamoto-no-Noriyori to the western seas and took part in planning the campaign. At the battle of Dan-no-ura he was attached to Yoshitsune, and led his own men out of the line to advance alone. Taking up bow and arrow himself, he shot at the ships far out on the water. One arrow carried more than two hundred paces and struck the gunwale of Taira-no-Tomomori's ship. The shaft was exceedingly large, and Tomomori, seeing it, was greatly astonished. Yoshimori was enormously proud of his skill and raised his fan and waved it toward the sea. Tomomori ordered Nii Chikakiyo to shoot at him (Note: the name Chikakiyo follows the Heike Monogatari; this work gives Munenaga), and the arrow grazed Yoshimori's helmet and wounded the mounted warrior behind him. The army laughed that Yoshimori had been shot at in return by the enemy, and Yoshimori, ashamed, got into a light small boat, advanced and shot, killing and wounding many (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki).

¶In the fifth year of Bunji (1189) he followed Yoritomo in attacking Fujiwara-no-Yasuhira and broke the army at Atsukashiyama. When Yasuhira's elder half-brother Nishikido Kunihira retreated, Yoshimori pursued him. Kunihira turned his horse and drew his bow to shoot, but Yoshimori took aim first and shot through his left arm, so that Kunihira fled wounded. A man of Hatakeyama Shigetada's obtained his head and presented it, and Yoritomo was delighted. When Yoshimori stepped forward and said, "In truth it was I who shot him dead," Shigetada was unconvinced. Yoritomo had Kunihira's armor brought and examined; the arrow hole was exceedingly large, beyond the reach of any other man, so Shigetada did not dare dispute it further (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the first year of Kenkyū (1190), when Yoritomo went up to the capital and entered court, he recommended ten meritorious retainers to the court, and Yoshimori was appointed Saemon-no-jō, Lieutenant of the Left Gate Guards. A few years later his fief was further increased. When Yūki Tomomitsu was slandered by Kajiwara Kagetoki, Yoshimori and sixty-five other meritorious veterans drew up a jointly signed letter defending his innocence and accusing Kagetoki of his crimes, and asked that it be passed to Yoriie through Ōe-no-Hiromoto. Hiromoto, wishing to settle matters quietly, was reluctant to pass it on and held it back. When Yoshimori questioned the messenger and rebuked the delay, Hiromoto answered frankly. Yoshimori reproached Hiromoto, saying, "You stand as the eyes and ears of the Kantō; if you fear Kagetoki and suppress the people's anger, is that not contrary to reason?" His voice and countenance were so fierce that Hiromoto consented, and the letter was at last submitted. Kagetoki was condemned because of it.

¶Originally Yoshimori had no wish to be restored to the post of Samurai-dokoro Bettō; but there was a man who had been unable to find his opportunity because Yoshimori held that office. At one time Yoshimori was in mourning and did not attend his post for several days, and this man earnestly begged to take over the office for that interval; Yoritomo found it hard to refuse his wish and permitted it. When Yoshimori ended his mourning and returned to court, an attempt was made to have the office handed back, but Kagetoki employed all manner of clever falsehoods and would not give it up. At this point Yoshimori returned to the office.

¶Afterwards Yoshimori petitioned for appointment as Kazusa Kokushi, Governor of Kazusa. When Sanetomo consulted Hōjō Masako about it, Masako said, "The late shogun (Yoritomo) laid down a rule that warriors of the provinces are not to be made provincial governors. Whether to appoint one now is no concern of mine." Sanetomo wavered and hesitated. Yoshimori wrote again and petitioned through Ōe-no-Hiromoto, in very violent language. Sanetomo replied, "I have my own considerations; wait a while." Yoshimori was pleased and said, "My wish will surely be granted," but three years passed without his being appointed. Yoshimori sent his son Yoshinao to Hiromoto, to say, "If my request is not to be granted, please return the letter I wrote before." When Hiromoto told Sanetomo, Sanetomo was angry at his rude manner, but because Yoshimori was an old and senior retainer he dealt with him leniently. Once, when Sanetomo wished to choose close attendants of valor and strength to keep watch in rotation on the north side of his sleeping quarters, and also to select seasoned veterans of long experience in war to be at hand for counsel, he specially ordered Yoshimori and Iga Tomomitsu to stand watch together (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the first year of Kenpō (1213), Izumi Chikahira plotted to destroy the Hōjō, and Yoshimori's sons Yoshinao and Yoshishige and his nephew Tanenaga took part. The affair was discovered and they were seized. Yoshimori was then in Kazusa; hearing of the disturbance he hurried back, went directly to the shogunate, and himself recounted the services of the Wada house, redeeming his two sons from their guilt. Sanetomo pardoned them. Yoshimori withdrew, greatly pleased.

¶The next day Yoshimori led ninety of his kinsmen to the shogunate, and, seated in rows in the south garden, earnestly begged through Hiromoto for Tanenaga's pardon. Sanetomo did not grant it, holding that Tanenaga was the ringleader. Hōjō Yoshitoki ordered Kanakubo Yukichika and Andō Tadaie to bind Tanenaga and hand him over to the law officers, and the whole Miura clan saw all of it. Yoshimori was deeply ashamed and shut his gate and did not go out. Tanenaga was at length exiled to Mutsu.

¶Tanenaga's residence was at Egara; it was near the shogunate and convenient for coming and going, and many of the close attendants wished to have it. It had long been the custom that confiscated residences were all granted to the same clan, so Yoshimori applied for it through Gojō-no-tsubone, and Sanetomo granted the request. Yoshimori was overjoyed and sent men to guard the house. Soon afterwards, however, the house was granted instead to Hōjō Yoshitoki. Yoshitoki divided it between Kanakubo Yukichika and Andō Tadaie and drove out the guards Yoshimori had sent. Hearing of this, Yoshimori was enraged, and from then on his resentment and anger deepened day by day; he secretly planned to destroy the Hōjō, gathered relatives and companions, and held council for many nights.

¶After a little more than a year he allied himself with Tsuchiya Yoshikiyo, Yokoyama Tokikane, Furugōri Yasutada, and others, intending to raise troops when the time was right. At about this time Yoshimori drove away a monk in whom he had long had faith, and everyone found this strange; rumor held that in truth the monk had gone secretly to Ise in the guise of a wanderer and prayed at the Daijingū for success in the military enterprise. Rumors flew and suspicion and fear spread inside and outside the shogunate. Sanetomo sent Tachibana-no-Kin'uji to Yoshimori's residence to look into the situation. When Yoshimori came out to receive him, he accidentally dropped his eboshi, and the sight was as if his head had fallen off, so Kin'uji took it for an ill omen.

¶Yoshimori said to Kin'uji, "My house has been an original retainer since the late shogun (Yoritomo); we received generous favor, whatever we said was heard and whatever we asked was granted. But the late shogun has been gone not even twenty years, and what we say is not heard and what we ask is not granted, so that we can no longer hold our heads up in the world. That is why I do not go out; how could I be plotting rebellion?" But at that moment Yasutada, Yoshihide, and others were inside the house inspecting weapons and armor, and Kin'uji roughly perceived this, returned, and reported what he had seen.

¶The shogunate therefore issued orders to assemble its warriors, and also sent Gyōbu-no-jō, Secretary of the Board of Justice, Fujiwara-no-Tadasue to persuade Yoshimori to stand down his troops. Yoshimori replied, "I have no grudge against the shogunate. Yoshitoki slights the long-serving senior retainers and behaves as though no one else existed. My sons and brothers are enraged at this and are about to go and demand an explanation. I have admonished them many times, but they will not listen. The decision of the whole body has already been made, and it is beyond my power to restrain them."

¶A few days later, he at last raised his troops. Hearing of it, Yoshitoki entered the shogunate. Yoshimori's forces attacked the south gate of the shogunate and divided their troops to attack the residences of Yoshitoki and Hiromoto. Before long the shogunate was surrounded on all sides; Yoshihide broke down a gate and burst in, and his onrush was so keen that the shogunate troops could not withstand it. Suddenly fire broke out inside the shogunate and the flames filled the sky. Yoshitoki protected Sanetomo and took him to safety, and had his son Yasutoki defend. Yoshimori's men fought to the death, and from evening until dawn the outcome was undecided. Yasutoki spurred on his troops and fought hard. Yoshimori's soldiers, exhausted and out of arrows, withdrew as far as Maehama. The shogunate troops pursued in the flush of victory and cut Yoshimori's supply line, so that his men fell into hunger and distress.

¶Just then Yokoyama Tokikane arrived at the head of his troops as reinforcements, and Yoshimori's men recovered their vigor, drove back the shogunate troops, and prepared to attack the shogunate again. But Yasutoki, Hōjō Tokifusa, and others divided the key points between them and held them, so that Yoshimori could not advance. Then word came that Yoshinao had been killed in battle; Yoshimori lamented and grieved and said, "My affair is finished. What would it profit me even if I won the battle?" As he stood distracted and dazed, he was struck down by a soldier of Edo Yoshinori. He was sixty-seven years old (Note: the Hōreki Kanki says that Yoshimori raised troops together with Izumi Chikahira and was defeated and killed in the second year of Kenryaku (1212), but this is an error).

¶Thus Yoshimori's army collapsed and scattered, and his clan was entirely destroyed. Only the Miura Yoshimura brothers, who had sided with the shogunate, escaped the calamity (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶His eldest son was Tsunemori, called Shinzaemon. His second son, Yoshiuji, was called Jirō. Next came Yoshihide. Next Yoshinao, called Shirōzaemon. Next Yoshishige, called Gorōbyōe. Next Yoshinobu, called Rokurōbyōe. Next Hidemori, called Shichirō. Next Yoshikuni, called Hachirō. All fell in battle with their father, except that Yoshihide escaped (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Wada Keizu. The name Yoshikuni follows the genealogy. The Sonpi Bunmyaku, moreover, says that Tsunemori died in the Jōkyū Disturbance).

Wada Yoshihide

¶Wada Yoshihide was called Asaina Saburō; he was fierce and sturdy of body, and his strength of arm was without equal. Once, when Minamoto-no-Yoriie went out to amuse himself at Kotsubo, he heard that Yoshihide was a skilled swimmer and wished to see his art. Yoshihide entered the sea and swam, going back and forth many times, then dived deep and vanished from sight; after a while he came up having caught three sharks, and everyone was amazed.

¶When Yoshimori attacked the shogunate, Yoshihide broke down a gate and entered the south garden, fighting with desperate vigor; his movements were quick as if divinely aided, and nothing could stand before him. He killed Igarashi Kobunji, Katsunuki Morishige, Niino Kagenao, Reiba Renjō, Takai Shigemochi, and others, and wounded Hōjō Tomotoki. At Mandokoro Bridge he met Ashikaga Yoshiuji and tried to grapple with him, but Yoshiuji made his horse leap and cleared the moat; Yoshihide's horse was tired and could not jump it, and he gave chase from the bridge. Then Takatsukasa no Kaja Tomohide barred the way and attacked Yoshihide, and at last Yoshiuji escaped.

¶When Yoshihide was about to head again for the shogunate, he met Takeda Nobumitsu on Wakamiya Ōji and was just about to engage him. Nobumitsu's son Nobutada, wishing to save his father, galloped up and faced Yoshihide; Yoshihide admired his spirit and crossed weapons with him without fighting in earnest. Then Komono Sukemasa turned and came forward to challenge him, and Yoshihide killed him. In general there was no one who stood against his point and did not lose his life.

¶Furugōri Yasutada and Tsuchiya Yoshikiyo likewise fought with courage to the death, cutting down all before them, and the shogunate troops could hardly hold. Before long Yoshikiyo was struck by a stray arrow and died, Yoshimori's army was defeated, and Yasutada fled as far as Kai and took his own life. Yoshihide, leading five hundred men, took ship and escaped to Awa, but his later whereabouts are unknown. Some say he died in battle. He was thirty-eight years old (Note: following the Azuma Kagami. Considering the matter: in Awa there is a place called Asai District, and it seems that Yoshihide at first lived there and took the name from it. According to tradition, after fleeing there Yoshihide went on to cross over to Kōrai (Korea). The Heishi Keizu also records this. In the Enpō era (1673-1681), men were sent to ask Sō Yoshizane, Tsushima-no-kami, about Yoshihide's traces and to make inquiry in Korea, and the reply came that "on Zeneitō (Jeoryeongdo) at Fusanpo (Busan harbor) in Korea, a shrine to Yoshihide still exists, and the local people sometimes make offerings to it." In the Azuma Kagami, Yoshihide and Tomomori are both entered in the list of the dead, but Tomomori in fact did not die, as can be seen in the entry for the first year of Antei (1227). Perhaps the same was true of Yoshihide. However, it is an error to make Yoshihide the son born of Tomoe. This account appears at the end of the biography of Imai Kanehira). Tsunemori's son was Tomomori (Note: following the Heishi Keizu).

Wada Tomomori

¶Wada Tomomori was Uhyōe-no-jō, Lieutenant of the Right Gate Guards (Note: following the Heishi Keizu), and was called Shinbyōe-no-jō. He had strength of arm, was practiced in military matters, loved waka, and was also skilled at kemari, and he served closely at the side of Minamoto-no-Sanetomo. When Yoshimori raised his troops, Tomomori knew in his heart that this was unrighteous but could not dissuade him, and, deeply troubled, he wished to take holy orders and escape. That night he went to Sanetomo. Sanetomo happened to be holding a banquet to view the moon, and when Tomomori composed a waka and presented it, Sanetomo praised it highly and on the spot gave him several jitō posts, stewardships. Tomomori bowed and withdrew, but did not go home; he went straight to a monks' quarters, shaved his head, changed his name to Jitsuamidabutsu, and set out for the capital, leaving a letter at home that said, "The recent plotting is no longer something that can be stopped halfway. To go against my lord is disloyalty, and to leave my parent behind is unfilial. Since I cannot be loyal and filial both, I have decided to cast away worldly affairs and entrust myself to the Buddhist path."

¶Tomomori was the heir grandson and skilled in warfare, so Yoshimori had been relying on him to carry out the enterprise; hearing this he was greatly shocked, lamented as though he had lost both hands, and ordered Yoshinao to go after him. Yoshinao caught up with him at the post station of Tegoshi, admonished Tomomori, and brought him back with him to Kamakura. Sanetomo, who did not yet know that Yoshimori had a rebellious plan, heard of this, felt deep pity for Tomomori, and sent a man to inquire after Yoshimori. When Tomomori returned, Sanetomo sent another messenger to summon him. Tomomori came in his monk's robes; such was Sanetomo's favor.

¶Before long Tomomori attacked the shogunate together with his relatives, but his troops were defeated and fled (Note: considering the matter, this work lists Tomomori in the register of the dead, while the earlier passage records his flight. That is, his being entered in the list of the dead was probably a temporary error of hearsay). In the Jōkyū Disturbance he sided with the imperial army (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). When the imperial army was defeated he lay hidden and escaped trouble, but in the first year of Antei (1227) he was captured in the capital (Note: the Azuma Kagami has an omission). Yoshimori's younger brother was Yoshimochi (Note: following the Heishi Keizu).

Wada Yoshimochi

¶Wada Yoshimochi was called Kojirō, and was fierce and strong. At the battle of Kotsubo, not knowing that peace had been made, he led seven riders deep into the enemy and fought fiercely, and the enemy soldiers collapsed in rout. When Yoshizumi sallied out from Abuzuri, Shigetada's troops scattered all the more. Yoshimochi, in high spirits, was resting alone leaning on his bow. Shigetada's captain Tsuzuri-no-Tarō and his younger brother Gorō, famed for their courage, had left the ranks and advanced together, and were about to fit arrows and shoot. Yoshimochi said, "Why not settle it by grappling?" Tarō threw down his bow and arrows and came forward, but Yoshimochi grappled him down and cut off his head. Gorō followed him, and Yoshimochi cut him down also. Tarō's son Kotarō shot at Yoshimochi, and Yoshimochi, pretending he had been wounded, said, "Your arrow could not pierce my armor. I have been riding for two days and am worn out and cannot fight. Strike me down with your own hand and avenge your father." Kotarō believed him and swung his sword to strike, but Yoshimochi leapt up quickly, seized him, and cut him down too. Carrying the three heads, he mounted his horse and cried in a loud voice, "Anyone who wants to fight, come on!" Shigetada was enraged and was about to grapple with him himself, but Yoshimochi shot Shigetada's horse out from under him. Yoshimori, Sawara Yoshitsura, and others came to rescue Yoshimochi, and Shigetada very nearly failed to escape. Soon peace was made, and when his grandfather Yoshiaki heard of it he was pleased and rewarded Yoshimochi with his own sword (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki).

¶When Yoritomo pacified the eastern provinces, Ashikaga Toshitsuna had sided with the Taira, and Yoritomo had Yoshimochi attack him. Sawara Yoshitsura, Kasai Kiyoshige, and Usami Sanemasa were assigned to assist him. Before they had arrived, Toshitsuna's retainer Kiryū Rokurō cut down Toshitsuna and surrendered. Yoshimochi sent a messenger at speed to carry the head to Kamakura, and also sent Kiryū Rokurō bound (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Afterwards he fell from his horse and died (Note: following the Wada Keizu).

¶His son Shigemochi was called Takai Saburō, and his martial courage surpassed others. When Yoshimori raised his troops, he alone went over to the shogunate, met Yoshihide and grappled with him, and both fell from their horses and he died, unable to win. At that time Shigemochi was the only one among the shogunate troops who matched Yoshihide on equal terms and fell from his horse with him, and people mourned him. Yoshimochi's younger brother Yoshinaga was the father of Tanenaga. Tanenaga was called Heita (Note: following the Azuma Kagami) and was known as a master archer (Note: following the Wada Keizu). Once, when he followed Yoriie hunting in Izu, he cut down a great serpent in a cave (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). When Yoshimori died, Sanetomo had Tanenaga killed in Mutsu (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Wada Keizu).

Kajiwara Kagetoki

¶Kajiwara Kagetoki was called Heizō (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). His father, Kagekiyo, was called Gorō (Note: following the Heishi Keizu and the Miura Keizu), and was a descendant of Kamakura Kagemasa (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki. Among the manuscripts of the genealogies, some say that his great-grandfather Kagehisa first took the name Kajiwara, and others say that his great-great-grandfather Kamakura Gon-no-Tayū Kagemochi first took the name Kajiwara and was of a different line from Kagemasa. However, since one manuscript of the Heishi Keizu that makes him a descendant of Kagemasa agrees with the entry on the battle of Ichi-no-Tani in this work, that is followed here). By nature he was gifted in wit and martial courage, crafty and concealing his true thoughts, a skilled speaker, and fond of waka.

¶When Minamoto-no-Yoritomo raised his banner in Izu, Kagetoki followed his kinsman Ōba Kagechika and gathered troops to attack him. Yoritomo was defeated and fled to Doi Sugiyama, and Kagechika and the others pursued him with their troops. Yoritomo hid in the mountains together with Doi Sanehira. Kagetoki knew this but kept silent; deceiving Kagechika, he said, "There is no sign of anyone here," and together they climbed to the neighboring peak and went away. By this Yoritomo was able to escape (Note: considering the matter, the account in the Genpei Jōsuiki differs from this; see the biography of Yoritomo for details).

¶As Yoritomo's power gradually grew, the warriors of the Kantō bent to him like grass before the wind. Kagechika, fearful, came to surrender, but Yoritomo killed him. Kagetoki asked through Sanehira to surrender, and Yoritomo pardoned him and employed him. Yoritomo loved his abilities and came to rely on him more each day (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). When Taira-no-Hirotsune was to be killed, Yoritomo secretly gave the order to Kagetoki. Kagetoki devised a plan: while playing sugoroku with Hirotsune he waited for an opening and cut off his head. Yoritomo called this a bold deed (Note: following the Gukanshō).

¶In the third year of Juei (1184), when Minamoto-no-Noriyori and Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune led the generals to attack Minamoto-no-Yoshinaka, Kagetoki was attached to Yoshitsune's army (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). Noriyori, Yoshitsune, and Yasuda Yoshisada and others hurriedly sent messengers to report the victory, but in the haste most of the generals' reports had not been closely checked. Only Kagetoki's letter gave full details of the names of the prisoners and the number of heads taken. Yoritomo praised it again and again (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In that month he sent Noriyori and Yoshitsune to attack Ichi-no-Tani, attached Sanehira to Noriyori as his chief of retainers, and attached Kagetoki to Yoshitsune to oversee military affairs. Originally Hatakeyama Shigetada had gone up to the capital with Yoshitsune but was afterwards attached to Noriyori. Kagetoki, relying on Yoritomo's favor, slighted the generals and officers and alone issued military orders on his own authority, which displeased Yoshitsune. Kagetoki moved over to Noriyori, Sanehira took his place with Yoshitsune, and Shigetada, too, was ashamed to serve under Kagetoki and led his troops to join Yoshitsune (Note: considering the matter, the Azuma Kagami has Kagetoki and Shigetada both under Noriyori, and no exchange is recorded before or after that passage. Here the details are given on the basis of this work).

¶Kagetoki led his sons to Ikuta no Mori, the east gate of the fortress. Noriyori said to Kagetoki, "The fortress is steep and strong. Our forces are few at present and cannot take it quickly. We should wait for the rear divisions," and Kagetoki passed this order along through the army (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). His son Kagetaka heard this and said, "How mistaken is the general's order! Going into battle, the way of the warrior is to race forward for the lead without regard for the feelings between father and son. How can we wait for others to come after us and sit watching their fight?" (Note: following the Nanto-bon Taiheiki) and he himself threw himself at the castle gate and fought hard.

¶Kagetoki then led more than five hundred riders, including his eldest son Kagesue, and advanced with a war cry. Two thousand riders of the fortress surrounded and attacked them, and after a bloody fight they withdrew. Kagesue had gone deep among the enemy, and Kagetoki, fearing he had been captured, led more than two hundred riders into the fortress again and fought furiously with loud cries. The garrison broke in confusion and, afraid, none dared come near, so that he was able to find Kagesue again. Kagetoki was overjoyed, grappled in person, with his own hand cut down the defender Manabe Shirō, gathered his troops, and withdrew. The world calls this "Kajiwara's double charge." At this time Kagetoki had broken off a sprig of plum blossom and stuck it in his quiver, and the Taira commanders, seeing it, praised his elegance (Note: following the Nanto-bon Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Jōsuiki. The Nagato-bon Heike Monogatari, however, says it was Kagesue who fought with plum blossom in his quiver, and that at that time a man said to be a messenger of Honzanmi (Taira-no-Shigehira) recited a line of verse to the effect that the cherry-cutter looked remarkably spineless, and Kagesue dismounted and answered by adding a line saying that this was because he meant to take his man alive, which differs from this account).

¶In the first year of Bunji (1185), when Yoshitsune wished to attack the Taira in Chinzei (Kyūshū), he was assembling a fleet at Watanabe and Fukushima. Kagetoki proposed fitting the ships with reverse oars, but Yoshitsune rejected the proposal, and Kagetoki bore a grudge over it (Note: following the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Jōsuiki. The place names Watanabe and Fukushima follow the Heike Monogatari).

¶Yoshitsune, with only five ships, braved wind and waves, reached Yashima, and took it. Five days later the army of more than two hundred ships under Kagetoki and others arrived. When Yoshitsune was about to attack the Taira again at sea, Kagetoki asked to lead the vanguard, but Yoshitsune would not allow it. Kagetoki cursed, saying, "This man is not fit to be a commander." Yoshitsune was furious and tried to cut him down himself. Kagetoki stood up and said, "I take only the lord of Kamakura (Yoritomo) as my master," and struck the hilt of his sword and pressed forward. Miura Yoshizumi and others stepped between them and calmed them, settling the matter (Note: following the Heike Monogatari).

¶Kagetoki, jealous of Yoshitsune's achievements, sent Yoritomo a letter reporting strange events in the army, saying: "On the day Yashima Castle fell, divine soldiers appeared in our camp. On the night of the twentieth day of the third month, a follower of mine saw in a dream a messenger of the deity of Iwashimizu showing a letter, and it said, 'When the Day of the Sheep arrives, the Heike will perish.' It came to pass exactly so. Again, a soldier of Sanshū (Noriyori, Governor of Mikawa) caught a great turtle, and Sanshū released it. On the day the Taira perished, that turtle floated before my ship, and a white gull flew circling over the boat. And a streak of white banner appeared in the sky and vanished after a while. Is this not the gods and spirits helping us? But Hōgan (Yoshitsune) thinks the achievement is his own, boasts of himself greatly, and takes no care of the soldiers, so that everyone is apprehensive. I have often remonstrated, but he will not listen, and instead hates me and is angered, and always tries to bring me down on one pretext or another. I beg to be allowed to return to Kamakura soon." Receiving this letter, Yoritomo was angry.

¶When the Western Seas had been pacified, Kagetoki returned to Kamakura and soon, together with Doi Sanehira, became Kinki Sōtsuibushi, Chief Constable of the Kinai region. Originally Yoshitsune had been on bad terms with his uncle Yukiie, Bizen-no-kami, but Yukiie had relied on Minamoto-no-Yoshinaka. When Yoshinaka was defeated, Yoshitsune was to keep the capital in order, and Yukiie began secretly to communicate with Yoshitsune. Yoritomo suspected more and more that Yoshitsune would turn against him, and ordered Kagesue to tell Yoshitsune to attack Yukiie, and also to observe Yoshitsune's movements.

¶Kagesue returned and reported: "I first called on Yoshū (Yoshitsune), but Yoshū claimed to be ill and would not see me. The order was a matter of the greatest secrecy and could not be passed on through another, so after a day or two I called again, and Yoshū received me leaning on an armrest. His face was haggard and there were several moxa scars. When I delivered the strict order, Yoshū said, 'Yukiie is a general who can be handled only on the side, and he cannot be mastered at once. I shall wait until my illness has healed and deal with him by degrees. You may report this.'" Yoritomo said, "He is siding with Yukiie, and merely feigns illness." Kagetoki took advantage of this to slander him, saying, "As I judge the actual situation, it is not altogether baseless. If a man goes without eating for a day and without sleeping for a night, his body is already worn down. A few moxa treatments would be healed in a moment, yet he received you only after some days; is he not feigning illness by design? Your suspicion that he sides with Yukiie is reasonable" (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶Kagetoki went on to argue: "Now the Taira have been annihilated and the real power of the realm lies with the shogun. As I privately judge it, in courage and strategy there is no one under heaven to rank with Hōgan. Taking Ichi-no-Tani and capturing Yashima, his excellent stratagems and unexpected tactics surpass the whole age. The one who will trouble the shogun in days to come will surely be this man." Yoritomo accepted these words and summoned the generals to discuss attacking Yoshitsune, but the generals stayed silent and none came forward to answer. Yoritomo was displeased and gave the order to Kagetoki. Kagetoki, judging that he could not win, humbly declined, saying, "It is not a good plan for the shogun to have me attack Hōgan. I am by nature on bad terms with Hōgan, and if I suddenly go west, Hōgan will hear of it and surely meet me in battle, which will only harm the shogun's prestige. In dealing with a man, the best course is to win without fighting. I beg you to order someone else to take Hōgan by surprise" (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki).

¶Yoritomo then sent Tosabō Shōshun to attack Yoshitsune, but he was instead killed. By this the rift between the two deepened further, and that Yoshitsune was at last brought down was all due to Kagetoki's schemes (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Genpei Jōsuiki). Among the generals, Hatakeyama (Shigetada), Kawagoe, and others, none failed to hate him for it (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki).

¶In the first year of Shōji (1199), Yoritomo died and Yoriie succeeded to his post. Kagetoki slandered Yūki Tomomitsu to Yoriie, saying, "Tomomitsu constantly harbors resentment and discontent and reviles the present age. He speaks words such as 'a loyal retainer does not serve two lords'; what is the meaning of this? He should be dealt with at once." Hearing of this, Tomomitsu was very frightened and went to Miura Yoshimura, with whom he was on friendly terms, to consult on what to do. Yoshimura consulted Wada Yoshimori and others, and they gathered all the senior warriors at the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine and resolved that sixty-six men would sign a joint pledge and lodge a petition against Kagetoki's slander. Nakahara-no-Nakanari, skilled with the brush, was on bad terms with Kagetoki, so they had him write the petition. When the draft was done and was read aloud, at the passage saying that one who raises chickens does not keep a wild cat, Yoshimura clapped his hands in admiration.

¶Yoriie showed the letter to Kagetoki, but Kagetoki was unable to answer it and fled with his kinsmen to his fief at Ichinomiya. His son Kagemochi, being in Yoriie's favor, remained alone in Kamakura. When Yoriie held a banquet at the residence of Hiki Yoshikazu, Kagemochi accompanied him. Yoriie said to Kagemochi, "Your father abuses his power and slights the generals. The generals are all angry." Nakanari, who was serving wine at the time, heard Kagemochi reply, "My father has received special treatment from the late Bakka (Yoritomo) for generations. After the Bakka died, he lost the one above him on whom he could rely. What could he now rely on to behave as he pleases?" Nakanari's brush was sharper than a blade, yet Kagemochi's words and bearing showed not the slightest timidity, and people praised his reply.

¶Before long, Kagetoki secretly returned to Kamakura, but Yoriie was angry and ordered Yoshimori and others to pursue him, and had his residence pulled down and donated to Yōfukuji temple. Kagetoki fled again to Ichinomiya and secretly made preparations for war. In the first month of the following year, he set out for the capital with his whole clan. Yoriie sent Hiki Yoshikazu and others in pursuit. Kagetoki and his sons reached Kiyomigaseki in Suruga, where they happened to meet Ashihara Kojirō, Iida Gorō, and others, who had gathered to practice archery and were about to go home; seeing the party, they found it suspicious and meant to kill them. Kagetoki galloped past, but the men quickly gave chase. Realizing he could not escape, Kagetoki turned back and fought at Kitsunezaki, where he cut down Iida Shirō. Then Kikkō Tomokane and others closed in (Note: the name Tomokane follows the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Kikkawa-ke Den), and father and sons were all defeated and killed. The next day, men found the heads of Kagetoki and his sons in the mountains and exposed them on the road.

¶Earlier, Kagetoki had told his sons and younger brothers, "Kikkō Tomokane of Suruga is the bravest man in that province. If one could pass in front of his house in safety, there would be nothing more to fear," and in fact it was by that Tomokane that he was killed. Kagetoki's younger brother Tomokage, Gyōbu-no-jō, was pardoned by Yoriie without being held to account because he had submitted to the Hōjō, but later he joined Yoshimori's rebellion and was defeated and killed (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶Earlier, when Kagetoki was blamed, he had plotted to set up Takeda Ariyoshi as shogun and secretly sent him a letter. Ariyoshi consented. Ariyoshi's younger brother Nobumitsu went to Ariyoshi's residence to investigate, and Ariyoshi noticed and fled. Yoriie also heard that Katsuki Norimune was on Kagetoki's side and had him seized and questioned. Norimune confessed, saying, "Kagetoki had me carry a letter to the party in the Western Seas, saying 'Kagetoki, in obedience to a secret edict, has charge of Chinzei. Gather in the capital.'" By this Kagetoki's plot to rebel became ever clearer. Relying on the favor of Yoritomo and Yoriie, father and son, Kagetoki deceived and insulted others without limit, and in the end brought ruin on himself (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶His eldest son was Kagesue, next Kagetaka. Kagetaka was called Heijizaemon. Of Kagetaka's two sons, the elder was Kagekazu, called Ogino Jirō. The younger was Kagetsugu, called Saburō, who had fallen to the status of commoner through the calamity that struck his clan. When Sanetomo succeeded, he loved his modesty and summoned both to the shogunate. Once, when Kagetsugu was attending Sanetomo, he accidentally put out the lamp, and that same night he ran away and entered Yōfukuji and became a monk. Sanetomo pitied him and sent a messenger to counsel him, but Kagetsugu would not meet the messenger and disappeared.

¶In the first year of Jōkyū (1219), when Sanetomo held the ceremony of thanksgiving for his appointment as Minister, Oyama Tomomasa and his younger brother Yūki Tomomitsu had been chosen beforehand as escort soldiers, but Tomomitsu was to go into mourning, so Kagekazu and Nikaidō Yukimura replaced them. Yoritomo had once laid down a rule: "In selecting escort soldiers, three things are considered: lineage, skill in archery and horsemanship, and bearing. A man lacking any of these three will never be chosen." Kagekazu's advancement had been blocked, but he was specially admitted to this selection, and people of the time counted it an honor.

¶Next Kagemochi was called Saburōbyōe-no-jō, and had a son, Iemochi, who was on bad terms with Tsuchiya Munetō and was killed by Munetō in the Jōgen era (1207-1211). Next Kagekuni, next Kagemune, next Kagenori, and next Kagetsura were all killed together with their father (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

Kajiwara Kagesue

¶Kajiwara Kagesue was called Genta, became Saemon-no-jō, and excelled above all at shooting from horseback. When Yoritomo chose eleven close retainers to keep watch in his sleeping quarters, Kagesue was among those chosen (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶Yoritomo had two splendid horses, Ikezuki and Surusumi. When the generals were attacking Minamoto-no-Yoshinaka, Kagesue petitioned Yoritomo to his face: "What is prized in the field is nothing so much as a horse. I beg you to grant me Ikezuki, so that I may cross the Uji River straight on and break the enemy first." Because Yoritomo felt constantly indebted to Kagetoki, he refused the son's request, but he did not like the arrogant manner and said, "Ikezuki is the horse I keep in readiness against an emergency, and I have never given it though the generals asked again and again. Surusumi, too, is an excellent horse, so I now give it to you." Kagesue bowed and withdrew.

¶Afterwards, however, Yoritomo gave Ikezuki to Sasaki Takatsuna. When Kagesue was heading for the capital with the generals and reached Ukishima in Suruga, he looked over the generals' horses and thought none equaled Surusumi, and asked Kaneko Ietada, "How do you find this horse's frame?" Ietada praised it in the highest terms, and Kagesue was very pleased. Just then he saw Ikezuki coming, and thought it must have been granted to Noriyori or Yoshitsune, or else presented to the Retired Emperor. When he asked the groom leading the horse, the answer was, "It was granted to Sasaki Takatsuna." Kagesue said indignantly, "Why does the shogun discriminate among his warriors like this? I will cross swords with Takatsuna and die."

¶At that moment Takatsuna came by and soothed him with gentle words. Kagesue's anger melted. At the Uji River, Kagesue followed Takatsuna in the vanguard. At the battle of Ichi-no-Tani he fought hard together with his father and younger brother and killed Kikuchi Takamochi (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki).

¶In the Bunji era (1185-1190) he followed Yoritomo in attacking Fujiwara-no-Yasuhira. When the army reached the Shirakawa barrier, Yoritomo offered nusa at the barrier shrine and asked Kagesue, "Do you not recall the days of Nōin?" Kagesue at once answered with a waka. Kagesue, with his father Kagetoki and his younger brother Kagetaka, excelled at waka, and many of their compositions were on people's lips (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Genpei Jōsuiki). He was defeated and killed together with his father. He was thirty-nine years old (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).