Biographies CXXV: The Shogunal Retainers, Part VIII

Amano Tōkage

¶Amano Tōkage had the surname Fujiwara and was a descendant of Tamenori, Mokunosuke, Assistant of the Bureau of Carpentry. His grandfather Kagezumi was styled Irie Gon-no-kami (Note: according to the Sonpi Bunmyaku, Kagezumi's father Kiyosada was styled Irie Gon-no-kami). His father Kagemitsu was styled Tōnai, and the family lived for generations in the village of Amano in Izu, which they took as their clan name. Tōkage first served as Uchitoneri, Palace Attendant (Note: following the Amano Keizu), was also styled Tōnai, and in time became Minbu-no-jō, Secretary of the Ministry of Popular Affairs (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Amano Keizu). When Minamoto-no-Yoritomo raised troops, Tōkage joined him and, together with Kudō Shigemitsu, Toi Sanehira, and others, attacked Taira-no-Kanetaka and won distinction. When Yoritomo was hard pressed at the battle of Ishibashiyama, Tōkage fought with all his strength alongside the other commanders, time after time, and at last Yoritomo was able to escape. Afterwards, Tōkage perceived that Itō Sukechika was making for Suruga to exert himself on behalf of the Taira; he took Sukechika alive, brought him as far as the Kise River, and presented him before Yoritomo (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶During the Juei years, Yoritomo wished Minamoto-no-Yoshinaka to send his son Yoshitaka to Kamakura as a hostage, and ordered Tōkage and Okazaki Yoshizane to go to Echigo and persuade Yoshinaka. Tōkage met Yoshinaka and set out earnestly the advantages and disadvantages; Yoshinaka agreed and escorted Yoshitaka back with them (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). In the third year (1184), Yoritomo resolved to kill Ichijō Tadayori. He lured him to his residence, set out a banquet, and had Kudō Suketsune ordered beforehand to cut him down. But when the moment came Suketsune balked; Oyamada Arishige perceived this and urged his two sons to strike. Yoritomo then ordered Tōkage as well to close in on Tadayori and kill him. Tadayori's retainer Yamamura Kotarō and others drew their blades and thrust at them, and many of the guards were wounded. When Kotarō was about to cut at Tōkage, Tōkage hurled a fish-board at him and brought him down, and the attendants cut him to pieces. In this year Tōkage followed Minamoto-no-Noriyori to the western seas to attack the Taira and won distinction; Yoritomo sent him a letter praising him, and he soon became Chinzei Shugo, Military Governor of Kyushu (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the second year of Bunji (1186), Tōkage became Tsukushi Bugyō, Magistrate of Tsukushi, and also held the post of jitō, estate steward, in several places. When Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune fled westward, Yoritomo suspected that some of his followers were being sheltered on Kikai Island. In the third year (1187) he sent Utsunomiya Nobufusa to Chinzei to attack them together with Tōkage. Earlier, Ata Tadakage of Satsuma had incurred guilt and had been hidden on the island, so Taira-no-Iesada, Chikugo-no-kami, Governor of Chikugo (Note: the original writes "Iesada" with a mistaken character; it is corrected here), had been ordered to subdue him, but the winds and waves were so harsh that he could not proceed and turned back. Now Tōkage sent men to the island to reconnoiter and obtained a detailed grasp of the situation. In the fourth year (1188) he submitted a memorial to Yoritomo: "I have already sent men to Kikai Island to spy out its condition, and taking it would truly not be difficult. I therefore called for troops in Chinzei, but very few answered. Nobufusa wishes to go straight there and attack, but because my troops are few I have firmly restrained him. I beg that you grant a written order so that we may set out." Just then the Sesshō, Regent, Kujō Kanezane and others heard of this and admonished Yoritomo: "An expedition beyond the sea is something we have not heard of in recent times. I fear it would bring only harm and no benefit. Consider it well." Yoritomo accordingly called it off. Before long Nobufusa drew up a detailed chart of the sea route and sent it to Kamakura. Yoritomo looked at it and made up his mind, and at last ordered Tōkage and Nobufusa to attack the island. The islanders submitted. When the affair was over, Tōkage returned to Kamakura, shaved his head, and changed his name to Renkei (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the second year of Kennin (1202), Hiki Yoshikazu plotted to destroy the Hōjō. Hōjō Tokimasa ordered Tōkage and Nitta Tadatsune to send out troops and attack him. Tōkage said: "To kill one old man, why trouble an army? Summon him and put him to death." So they summoned Yoshikazu. Tōkage and Tadatsune wore armor under their clothes and lay in wait at the doorway with blades; watching for Yoshikazu to arrive, they suddenly leapt out and cut him down. During the Kenkyū years, Tōkage set down in detail his achievements in battle since the Jishō era and sought a reward, but Minamoto-no-Sanetomo did not take it up (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). His son Masakage was styled Rokurō and became Governor of Izumi and of Higo (Note: following the Amano Keizu).

Nitta Tadatsune

¶Nitta Tadatsune was styled Shirō and was a man of Izu (Note: following the Soga Monogatari. The personal name follows the Azuma Kagami; the original has "Tadatsuna"). He served Yoritomo and was closely trusted. He followed Noriyori to the western seas to attack the Taira, and Yoritomo sent him a letter praising him (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). When he accompanied the hunt at Fujino, Soga Sukenari and his brother attacked, and Tadatsune struck Sukenari down and killed him (Note: following the Soga Monogatari). At the killing of Hiki Yoshikazu he again followed the other commanders, and attacked and killed Ichiman. Afterwards, Minamoto-no-Yoriie secretly ordered Tadatsune and Wada Yoshimori to put Hōjō Tokimasa to death; but it happened that Tokimasa invited Tadatsune and praised him for his services, and Tadatsune's followers, finding it strange that he was so long in coming out, assumed that the plot had leaked and that he had been killed, and went home and said so. His younger brothers Gorō and Rokurō accordingly attacked Hōjō Yoshitoki, who was with Masako, but could not prevail, and set fire to the place and died. Tadatsune heard of the disturbance on the way and hurried to the scene, but was killed by Katō Kagekado (Note: following the Azuma Kagami. The Soga Monogatari describes Tadatsune's death differently, but here this work is followed).

Shimokōbe Yukihira

¶Shimokōbe Yukihira was a descendant of Fujiwara-no-Hidesato, Chinjufu Shōgun, Commander of the Pacified Northern Frontier. His father Yukiyoshi was a younger brother of Oyama Masamitsu and became shōji, estate officer, of the Shimokōbe estate in Shimōsa, which he took as his clan name (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Yukihira belonged to the Taira camp but secretly gave his heart to Minamoto-no-Yoritomo. When he heard that Minamoto-no-Yorimasa had raised troops in support of Prince Mochihito, he sent a messenger to Izu to report the circumstances in detail. Yoritomo was overjoyed. Later, when merit among the commanders and warriors was assessed, Yukihira was confirmed in his post as shōji as before. In the early days of Yōwa (1181), when Oyama Tomomasa defeated Shida Yoshihiro at Nogi Shrine, Yukihira led troops to reinforce him and struck Yoshihiro again at Koga, defeating him once more. At that time Kamakura was still in its founding stage and the people were full of doubt and fear; Yoritomo ordered Yukihira, Hōjō Yoshitoki, Yūki Tomomitsu, and others, ten men in all, to stand guard each night at his sleeping quarters. Such was the trust he placed in them. Once, when Yoritomo went in procession to the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine, there was a man named Sachūta Tsunezumi who, intending to avenge his former lord Nagasa Tsunetomo, plotted to stab Yoritomo and had secretly mingled among the attendants. Yoritomo saw him and grew suspicious. Before he had spoken a word, Yukihira seized the man and presented him. Yoritomo was pleased and said: "Today's affair was perilous. You dealt with it well. I will reward this deed; I will grant your wish." Yukihira said: "In my fief we pay tribute in horses every year, and the common people all suffer from it. I beg that it be remitted." Yoritomo said: "Generally, when a man is rewarded for merit, what he counts as honor is rank and stipend. Is what you ask not different from that?" And he at once ordered the Shimōsa Umaya-bettō, Superintendent of the Stables, to remit it without delay (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶During the Juei years, he followed Minamoto-no-Noriyori to the western seas to attack the Taira. Before long he was recalled to Kamakura and presented a fine bow and wine and delicacies. Yoritomo asked: "The commanders and warriors of the western expedition were all short of provisions, and some even fled home. You were long on duty and passed a year, yet were always well supplied. Did you not take bribes?" Yukihira said: "In the western seas I was in truly grievous want, and exchanged my weapons for army provisions. When we set out for Bungo, the other commanders all borrowed boats from the Governor of Mikawa (Noriyori); I sold the armor I was wearing, hired a small boat of my own, and, wearing no battle dress, advanced straight into the enemy camp and cut down Mike no Atsutane. At that time there was a man selling this bow, which was truly finely made; I wished to obtain it and present it to you, and took off my clothes and exchanged them for it. As for the wine and food, my retainers who kept my house brought them. If you still have doubts, please ask the other commanders." Yoritomo marveled at his honesty and gave him wine, saying: "You have shown loyal merit. I will reward you with the post of shugo, military governor. Of the lands you have passed through, which do you desire?" Yukihira said: "I would ask for Harima. In that land lie the scenic places of Suma and Akashi." Yoritomo agreed, but it did not come to pass (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶During the Bunji years, the capital was plagued by robbers, and Yoritomo sent Yukihira and Chiba Tsunetane to suppress them. Tsunetane was ill, so Yukihira reached the capital first, and that very night divided his troops and searched, seizing eight robbers, whom he beheaded and exposed their heads. His handling followed the manner of Hōjō Tokimasa, and he did not inform the Kebiishi-chō, Imperial Police Office. The bands of robbers were startled and terrified and all fled. Before long he returned to Kamakura, followed Yoritomo in the campaign against Fujiwara-no-Yasuhira, and together with Hatakeyama Shigetada broke Nishikido Kunihira at Mount Atsukashi. When Yasuhira fled into hiding, Yoritomo sent Yukihira, Oyama Tomomasa, and others to track him as far as Monomioka and search for him. When they arrived Yasuhira had fled again, so they killed all several tens of his soldiers. Yukihira was excellent at archery; at the beginning of Kenkyū, when he went back to live in Shimōsa, Yoritomo wrote a letter in his own hand to summon him, and had him teach Yoriie the bow. Because of this, the favor shown him grew ever deeper. Yoritomo also sent a letter permitting Yukihira's descendants to remain forever among his kinsmen. Once, when Yoritomo was campaigning against Yasuhira, he had each of his commanders present weapons and equipment, and when Yukihira was made to prepare armor and helmet, he fixed a kasajirushi, identifying badge, at the back of the helmet. Yoritomo found this puzzling and said: "Is the badge not supposed to be on the sleeve of the armor?" Yukihira said: "This is the way of my ancestor Hidesato. When a warrior goes into battle he is sure to aim to be first in, and announces his own name so that the enemy may hear it. And the badge is set so that the army following behind may see it from the rear and use it as a mark. If it is to be moved to the sleeve, that is for the general's heart to decide." Yoritomo approved (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). His son Yukitsuna became Saemon-no-jō, Lieutenant of the Left Gate Guards (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He had a younger brother, Masayoshi.

Shimokōbe Masayoshi

¶Shimokōbe Masayoshi was styled Shirō. He struck Shida Yoshihiro and won distinction, and Yoritomo granted him the southern district of Hitachi. Masayoshi was troubled that the district bore many levies and appealed to Yoritomo. Yoritomo sent a letter to the Hitachi Mokudai, Deputy Governor: "Masayoshi, outside, directs military affairs, and inside, labors in the business of government. For that reason I rewarded him with the southern district. But I hear that the annual public dues are numerous and the common people suffer. From now on nothing is to be levied beyond the regular tax." In this year he followed Minamoto-no-Noriyori to the western seas to attack the Taira. Before long, Nakatomi Chikahiro, a priest of Kashima, complained that Masayoshi had seized Tachibana village, land of the shrine, and Yoritomo summoned Masayoshi and Chikahiro to confront each other. Chikahiro pressed Masayoshi's faults, but Masayoshi did not argue. Yoritomo laughed and said: "To yield to a shrine priest, where has your usual courage gone?" Masayoshi said: "I have heard that the god of Kashima protects brave warriors. How could I not fear and revere him? I have my own case, but I dare not state it myself." During the Bunji years, in the affair in which Kawagoe Shigeyori was implicated with Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune, Masayoshi, being Shigeyori's son-in-law, had his fief confiscated for that reason. Masayoshi had great strength; when Yoritomo built the Yōfukuji temple and had the commanders carry earth and timber themselves, Masayoshi, together with Hatakeyama Shigetada and others, hauled a beam, and his strength equaled that of several tens of men. All who watched were astonished (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

Kasai Kiyoshige

¶Kasai Kiyoshige was a man of Musashi, of the Taira surname, a branch of the Chichibu clan. A younger brother of Chichibu Bettō Taketsuna was named Takatsune. Takatsune begot Tsuneie. Tsuneie begot Yasuie, who was styled Toshima Saburō. Yasuie begot Kiyomitsu, styled Toshima Gon-no-kami. Kiyomitsu begot Kiyoshige, styled Kasai Saburō (Note: following the Heishi Keizu; the Genpei Jōsuiki was also consulted. Kiyoshige's ancestors lived in Musashi for generations, and his father and forebears were all styled Toshima. But the Kasai by which Kiyoshige was styled lies in Shimōsa; probably Kiyoshige also held that land and took it as his clan name). He was valiant yet tender toward living things (Note: following the Shasekishū). When Minamoto-no-Yoritomo was defeated and fled to Awa, he sent summonses to Oyama Tomomasa, Shimokōbe Yukihira, and to Kiyomitsu and Kiyoshige, telling them to raise troops and assemble. To Kiyoshige in particular he wrote: "You have always been loyal to the Minamoto (Note: according to this work, at that time Kiyoshige had not yet joined Yoritomo, so to say he had shown loyalty is doubtful. Yet the entire Chichibu clan took part in the battles of Kozukubo and Kinugasa while only Kiyoshige's name is absent, which may be because he had already sent word of his allegiance to Yoritomo. The doubt is left standing for later examination). But I fear that, hemmed in between Edo and Kawagoe, you may find it hard to decide whether to advance or withdraw. Cross the sea quickly and come to me." His words were exceptionally earnest. When Yoritomo went to Kazusa, those who joined him from near and far were very numerous. But Edo Shigenaga, who had formerly sided with Ōba Kagechika, would not submit. Yoritomo sent a messenger to summon Shigenaga. The next day he again sent a messenger to Kiyoshige, intending that Kiyoshige lure Shigenaga out and kill him. The Edo and Kasai were of the same kin. Yoritomo judged that Kiyoshige harbored no divided loyalty, and for that reason ordered him to carry out this plan. Before long, when Yoritomo led his army into Musashi, Kiyoshige and Kiyomitsu were the first to join him. Soon afterwards Shigenaga too, together with his kinsmen Hatakeyama, Kawagoe, and others, came in and submitted (Note: following the Azuma Kagami. The Genpei Jōsuiki says that Kiyoshige came in to submit together with Shigenaga and records the story of Yoritomo having a floating bridge built, but on examination by this work that account is doubtful. Neither is adopted here). Yoritomo wished to take away Shigenaga's lands and give them to Kiyoshige. Kiyoshige declined, saying: "Increasing a man's lands and granting him a town is for the sake of protecting his clan. Whether I myself am rich or poor is not the question. Now the Edo are my kinsmen. If they have committed an offense and their lands are to be taken, I beg that you grant them to someone else." Yoritomo was angry and said: "If you do not accept what I give, your own lands too will be confiscated." Kiyoshige said: "That I should now incur guilt for this is truly the limit of my fate and beyond my power. But to accept what I ought not accept I also will not consent." Yoritomo was moved and understood, and did not confiscate Shigenaga's land (Note: following the Shasekishū. This work does not give the year and month, so it is placed here for the time being). When Yoritomo returned from attacking Satake Hideyoshi and passed through Musashi, he granted the Maruko estate to Kiyoshige and lodged at his house. Kiyoshige had his wife herself take up the trays and serve him (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the third year of Juei (1184), he followed Minamoto-no-Noriyori to the western seas to attack the Taira and won distinction, and Yoritomo sent him a letter praising him. During the Bunji years, he followed Yoritomo in the campaign against Fujiwara-no-Yasuhira. After Hatakeyama Shigetada and others had already broken the army at Mount Atsukashi, Yoritomo planned to cross the mountain the next morning and attack the fortress, and the arrangements were already fixed. At that time Shigetada was the vanguard, but Kiyoshige, with Miura Yoshimura and others, six horsemen in all, secretly passed through Shigetada's camp during the night, crossed the mountain, took the first place, and drove straight into the castle gate. The garrison resisted and fought, but Kiyoshige killed or captured several men with his own hands. When Mutsu was pacified, Yoritomo ordered all his retainers in Mutsu to follow Kiyoshige's direction. He also put Kiyoshige in charge of the affairs of the Kebiishi-sho, Police Office, within Hiraizumi district. In that campaign Yoritomo judged Kiyoshige's merit to be the greatest, entrusted him with heavy responsibility, and further set aside several places in Isawa, Iwai, and Oshika to reward him. When Yoritomo returned to Kamakura, he left Kiyoshige behind to pacify Mutsu. That year the grain did not ripen in Mutsu, and with the warfare besides, the people were not at peace in their livelihoods. Yoritomo had Kiyoshige relieve the destitute. Kiyoshige set up trading markets so that people could exchange what they had and lacked, and the whole province was greatly ordered, and Yoritomo was impressed and rewarded him. When Ōkawa Kanetō, an old general of Yasuhira, raised troops in Dewa and then turned and entered Mutsu, Yoritomo ordered his commanders to attack him. Chiba Tanemasa begged: "Kasai Kiyoshige is incomparably valiant. I once served with him and won distinction in Kazusa. Now I wish to go together with him." Yoritomo permitted it. At that time Kiyoshige was still in Mutsu, so he sent down a letter ordering him to follow Tanemasa and attack Kanetō. Kanetō was routed and fled. Kiyoshige sent a courier galloping to Kamakura to report the situation and also reported the merits of his officers and men. Before long Yoritomo made Isawa Ienori the Mutsu Rusu, Deputy Governor. Generally, the affairs of Mutsu were handled solely by Kiyoshige and Ienori. At the beginning of Kenkyū, he accompanied Yoritomo to the capital. Yoritomo recommended him as Hyōe-no-jō, Lieutenant of the Guards. Once, when Yoritomo selected eleven close retainers outstanding in martial skill to stand guard each night at his sleeping quarters, Kiyoshige was among them. Later, when he hunted at Nasuno, he again selected twenty-one close retainers outstanding in martial skill and permitted them alone to bear bow and arrows, and again Kiyoshige was among them (Note: the Soga Monogatari says that Kiyoshige accompanied the hunt at Fujino and, chasing a deer, fell into a gap among the cliffs where his horse could not move, but Kiyoshige loosened the reins and descended slowly, and man and horse were both unharmed, so that onlookers were amazed and sighed in admiration. Yoritomo praised his superb skill and granted him the village of Oguri in Hitachi. But since the account of the Fujino hunt in this work does not record Kiyoshige's name, that story is not adopted here). Generally, whenever Yoritomo went out or came in, Kiyoshige never failed to attend him. When Kiyoshige was in Mutsu and his mother fell ill at home, Yoritomo sent a messenger to inquire after her and told Kiyoshige of it. Such was the intimacy with which he was treated. During the Jōgen years, together with the Chiba, Miura, and other clans, he went to the capital and stood night duty at the Takiguchi, Guards' post (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶At the time of the rebellion of Wada Yoshimori, Kiyoshige fought hard and won distinction (Note: following the Shasekishū). Later he became Iki-no-kami, Governor of Iki, and, shaving his head, was called Iki Nyūdō. In the Jōkyū war, because of his age he did not take the field, but remained in Kamakura together with Ōe-no-Hiromoto and others, took part in planning the campaign, and arranged the raising and dispatch of troops. When Iga Mitsumune and others rose in revolt, people's hearts were shaken and Kamakura was in uproar. Masako ordered Kiyoshige and the commanders of the Oyama and Yūki to join forces and pacify it (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). His son Kiyochika became Hōki-no-kami, Governor of Hōki. Tomokiyo was styled Saburō Saemon. Tokishige was Shichirō Saemon. Shigemura became Governor of Kawachi (Note: following the Chichibu Keizu; the Azuma Kagami was also consulted. One version of the genealogy writes Shigemura as Kiyohide).

Hatta Tomoie

¶Hatta Tomoie had the surname Fujiwara, was styled Shirō, and was a man of Shimotsuke. His ancestry goes back to the Kampaku, Regent, Michikane. His father Munetsuna became Shimotsuke-no-kami, Governor of Shimotsuke, was styled Hatta Gon-no-kami, and begot Tomoie. Tomoie became Saemon-no-jō, Lieutenant of the Left Gate Guards, and Chikuzen-no-kami, Governor of Chikuzen (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku. This work says that Tomoie was originally a son of Minamoto-no-Yoshitomo and was adopted by Munetsuna, but whether this is true is uncertain. The Shishido Keizu says that Tomoie's mother was a daughter of Munetsuna's son Tomotsuna, called Hatta-no-Tsubone; at the time of the Heiji disturbance Tomoie was hidden in Munetsuna's house and Munetsuna raised him as a son. But the Hōgen Monogatari already speaks of Hatta Shirō, a man of Shimotsuke, so we know that Tomoie was already in Shimotsuke before that. Moreover the Azuma Kagami says that a daughter of Munetsuna married Oyama Masamitsu and became Yoritomo's wet nurse. The genealogy appears to have gone wrong on this basis, so it is not adopted here). In the Hōgen disturbance he belonged to Minamoto-no-Yoshitomo (Note: following the Hōgen Monogatari). When Yoritomo raised troops, Tomoie's elder brother Utsunomiya Tomotsuna was in the capital, but Tomoie came over to Yoritomo and followed Noriyori and Yoshitsune to the western seas to attack the Taira. During the Bunji years, when Yoritomo campaigned against Fujiwara-no-Yasuhira, he made Tomoie and Chiba Tsunetane separate commanders of the Tōkaidō force, to lead the troops of Hitachi and Shimōsa and join up at the Abukuma River; they won distinction. When Yasuhira fell, his uncle Hizume Toshihira surrendered, and Yoritomo ordered him confined in Tomoie's camp. Toshihira was of great age; he gave himself up of his own accord, spoke not a word at all, and recited the Buddhist sutras day and night. Tomoie had long revered the Buddha, so he pitied him deeply and begged Yoritomo to pardon him (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the first year of Kenkyū (1190), Yoritomo was about to go up to the capital and the commanders had all assembled, but Tomoie had not yet arrived. Because of this Yoritomo did not set out. When Tomoie finally arrived at noon, Yoritomo reproached him. Tomoie apologized and said: "Who has been ordered to the vanguard and the rear guard?" Yoritomo said: "The vanguard I have already ordered to Hatakeyama Shigetada, but the rear guard has not yet found its man." Tomoie asked leave to recommend Chiba Tsunetane, and Yoritomo agreed, and they set out. Such was the trust placed in him. Tomoie's estates bordered those of Tagi Yoshimoto, and they contended for influence and were on bad terms. It happened that when Yoritomo hunted at Fujino, Soga Sukenari and his brother avenged their father and the whole region, near and far, was in uproar. Tomoie heard of the disturbance and was about to go there, and at that point he plotted to bring Yoshimoto down: he secretly sent a man to lure Yoshimoto and say: "Tomoie will soon attack you. You should make preparations." Yoshimoto believed it, readied his troops, and held his own ground. Tomoie then sent another messenger to tell Yoshimoto: "I hear that the shogun's hunt is under guard. All the commanders have assembled. I mean to go with you." Yoshimoto grew only more suspicious and did not listen. When Tomoie reached Fujino he slandered Yoshimoto to Yoritomo as having a plot. Yoritomo summoned Yoshimoto and had him confront Tomoie, but Yoshimoto could not prove his innocence and in the end was found guilty. When Yoritomo died and Yoriie succeeded him, Tomoie took part in government together with Hōjō Tokimasa, Ōe-no-Hiromoto, and others (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Later he shaved his head, took the name Sonnen (Note: following the Seiga Genji Keizu), and died. His sons were Tomoshige, Munemasa, Tomohisa, and Tokiie (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶Tomoshige took the name Oda. In the early days of Yōwa (1181), when Yoritomo selected men skilled with the bow to stand guard at his sleeping quarters, Tomoshige was among them. At the beginning of Kenkyū, he accompanied Yoritomo to court and, on account of his father, was appointed Sahyōe-no-jō, Lieutenant of the Left Guards, and later became Hitachi-no-suke, Assistant Governor of Hitachi. Munemasa was styled Shishido Shirō Saemon. At the rebellion of Wada Yoshimori he grappled with Yoshihide, could not overcome him, and died (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Tomohisa has a separate biography. Tokiie took the name Takano and was appointed Iga-no-kami, Governor of Iga (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the Bun'ei years he became a member of the Hyōjōshū, Council of State (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). His great-grandson Tomomune, and Tomomune's two sons Tokitomo and Sadatomo, successively became Rokuhara Tōnin, Officers of Rokuhara. Tokiie's younger brother Yoshikatsu had a son named Ietaka. Tomoie adopted him as his son, and he took the name Nakajō (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku), and became a member of the Hyōjōshū (Note: following the Kantō Hyōjōden). He was appointed Dewa-no-kami, Governor of Dewa. At the time of the Jōkyū disturbance, the senior elders of the shogunate all remained in Kamakura, and Ietaka was among them (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

Sudō Tsunetoshi

¶Sudō Tsunetoshi was a son of Toshimichi, Gyōbu-no-jō, Secretary of the Ministry of Justice. His ancestry goes back to Fujiwara-no-Hidesato. Hidesato's great-great-grandson Kimimitsu became Sagami-no-kami, Governor of Sagami, and begot Kimikiyo. Kimikiyo begot Sukekiyo. He lived in Mikawa, became Shume-no-kami, Chief of the Bureau of Horses, was called Sudō, and begot Sukemichi (Note: the Azuma Kagami writes "Sukemichi" with other characters). He followed Minamoto-no-Yoriyoshi in the Mutsu campaign and won a name for valor; he is one of the so-called Seven Horsemen. Sukemichi begot Chikakiyo. Chikakiyo begot Yoshimichi (Note: one version in this work makes him a younger brother of Sukemichi). He was called Yamanouchi (Note: according to the Sudō Kafu, Toshimichi first lived at Yamanouchi and was called Yamanouchi Sudō), was appointed Gyōbu-no-jō, and begot Toshimichi. He became a Takiguchi, guardsman (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku. One version of the Sudō Kafu says that the fifth-generation ancestor of Toshimichi, Gon-Dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor, Fujiwara-no-Nagaie, begot Michiie, who was given out as an adopted son of Kimimitsu. He served successively as Kōzuke-no-suke and Shimotsuke-no-kami. During his tenure Michiie had a child, and when his term was over he brought the child back to the capital. Passing through Mushiroda in Mino, the district official Moribe Sukenobu begged to have the child as his own, and named him Sukekiyo. When he grew up he was styled Shudō Tayū, Master Shudō, and served Yoriyoshi, and later became Shume-no-kami, whence he was called Sudō. The account of its origin differs from this work. But one version in this work too says that Sukekiyo's original surname was Moribe, whence he was also called Shudō. Because it agrees with the family record, it is added here for reference). In the first year of Hōgen (1156), he followed Minamoto-no-Yoshitomo into the imperial forces and fought hard and won distinction (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Hōgen Monogatari). When Yoshitomo fled in the Heiji disturbance, the Taira army pressed forward, and Toshimichi fought hard and died (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari; the Sonpi Bunmyaku was also consulted).

¶Tsunetoshi was styled Takiguchi Saburō, was also appointed Gyōbu-no-jō, and was raised to Junior Fifth Rank Lower. When Minamoto-no-Yoritomo raised troops, Adachi Morinaga carried the summons and tried to persuade Tsunetoshi. Tsunetoshi was arrogant and did not receive him courteously; he spoke big, saying: "When a man falls into poverty and low estate, he loses his heart and loses his principles. For the Suke-dono (Yoritomo), with his small strength, to try to strike the flourishing Taira is like an anthill vying with Mount Fuji in height, or an old rat peeping at what lies over a cat's head. As for those who are not fit for it, I will not take part in such a scheme." In the end he followed Ōba Kagechika and attacked Yoritomo (Note: following the Azuma Kagami; the Genpei Jōsuiki was also consulted. The Jōsuiki says that Saburō Toshiuji, a son of Toshitsuna, said such-and-such words to his younger brother Shirō Toshimune; but on examining the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Sudō Keizu, Toshitsuna had no sons, and nothing of the sort appears in the Azuma Kagami. In the Jōsuiki's account of the battle of Ishibashiyama, the name given among those who attacked Yoritomo's officers and men is Takiguchi Saburō Tsunetoshi, so it seems the Azuma Kagami is right in making it Tsunetoshi's affair. For that reason both books are consulted here). Tsunetoshi's arrow struck the sleeve of Yoritomo's armor. Later he submitted to Yoritomo, but Yoritomo meant to kill him. Tsunetoshi's mother had been Yoritomo's wet nurse, so she went to the shogunal headquarters herself and pleaded piteously: "My late husband Sukemichi served Lord Hachiman (Minamoto-no-Yoshiie) and was foster father to the Teii Zenshitsu (Minamoto-no-Yoshitomo), and the family has rendered service for generations. At the time of the Taira disturbance, Toshimichi followed Lord Tonomo (Yoshitomo) and left his body exposed on the sand. That Tsunetoshi sided with Kagechika was only to save his own skin for the moment. Many of those who then opposed the Shogun have now been pardoned. I beg that for the sake of his ancestors' service you let Tsunetoshi atone for his offense." Yoritomo did not answer, but brought out the armor and showed it. The arrowhead remained in the sleeve, and at the place where the shaft had been cut, the spot where the name was inscribed still remained. His mother wept and withdrew. Before long Yoritomo pardoned him. In the third year of Juei (1184), together with Hatano Tsunemichi and Ōi Saneharu, he struck Shida Yoshihiro at Mount Hatori in Ise and took his head (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the first year of Bunji (1185), when Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune fled, his officer Ise Yoshimori attacked; Tsunetoshi resisted and defeated him, and in the end cut Yoshimori down (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). In the first year of Genkyū (1204), remnants of the Taira rose in Iga and Ise. Tsunetoshi was at that time shugo of both provinces, but with few troops he could not defend, and abandoned the shugo's office and fled. The Taira took both provinces. Hiraga Tomomasa attacked them and pacified them, and Tsunetoshi too gathered his scattered troops and helped. Minamoto-no-Sanetomo reproached Tsunetoshi and stripped him of his post (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). In the first year of Karoku (1225) he died, at the age of eighty-nine (Note: following the Sudō Keizu). His son Michimoto, whose childhood name was Jichōmaru, was styled Nakayama Rokurō. When Hiraga Tomomasa incurred guilt in Kamakura and fled to Matsuzaka, Michimoto shot him dead (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Sudō Keizu. "Nakayama" follows the genealogy). Tsunetoshi had a younger brother, Toshitsuna (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Sudō Toshitsuna

¶In the first year of Hōgen (1156), Sudō Toshitsuna followed Minamoto-no-Yoshitomo together with his father Toshimichi, fought hard, and won distinction (Note: following the Hōgen Monogatari). In the Heiji disturbance, Minamoto-no-Yorimasa drew up his line at the Rokujō riverbank and held back his troops without advancing. Yoshitomo's son Yoshihira hated his fence-sitting and, leading Toshimichi and the other picked troops, drove into his line. Toshitsuna was struck by an arrow and was about to fall from his horse. Toshimichi said in a raised voice: "You have taken but a single arrow. Why can you not bear it?" Toshitsuna forced himself to cling to the saddle. Yoshihira ordered Saitō Sanemori: "Toshitsuna's wound has struck a vital place. It would be a pity to lose a stout fellow. He must not be taken by the enemy." Sanemori then drew his sword, aimed it at Toshitsuna, and said: "Your wound is deep and you cannot live. The young lord does not wish you to be taken by the enemy. Would you rather die by my hand?" Toshitsuna, moved and glad, said: "The general is young, yet how generously he treats his men." And he received the blade and died (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari). Toshitsuna's younger brother Toshihide was orphaned young, and the monk Keishū of Onjōji took him in as a disciple. When he grew up he was brave and strong. When Prince Mochihito was defeated, he followed him south. Enemy troops caught up as far as Kōmyōsan, and the Prince was struck by a stray arrow and died. Toshihide fought a hard fight, killed or wounded more than ten men, and in the end escaped to Nara (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki and the Nagatobon Heike Monogatari. The various texts of the Heike Monogatari all say that Toshihide fought hard and died).

Kaneko Ietada

¶Kaneko Ietada was styled Jūrō. His ancestry goes back to Taira-no-Takamochi. His father Ienori lived in the village of Kaneko in Musashi and took it as his clan name (Note: following the Murayama Keizu). In the first year of Hōgen (1156), Ietada belonged to Minamoto-no-Yoshitomo, attacked the Shirakawa Palace, assaulted the Nishigawara Gate held by Tametomo, and advanced announcing his own name. Tametomo said in anger: "That man did not dodge my arrow. I admire his courage. Drag him here. I want to see his face." Takama Shirō stepped forward and they grappled; Ietada threw him, and Shirō's elder brother Saburō was about to cut Ietada down, but Ietada stabbed Saburō dead and cut down Shirō as well. Sudō Ietsue stepped forward to shoot him, but Tametomo said: "He is a brave man. Leave him. If one day I achieve my aim, I will make him my retainer." (Note: following the Hōgen Monogatari). In the Heiji disturbance, he belonged to Yoshihira and attacked Rokuhara; fighting hard, his sword broke, and he begged one from Adachi Tōmoto. Tōmoto had no spare, so he took the sword carried by a follower and gave it to him. Ietada was greatly delighted, advanced into the enemy ranks, and took many heads (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari). When Miura Yoshiaki held Kinugasa castle, Ietada, together with Hatakeyama Shigetada and others, led three hundred of his men to attack it, fought a bloody fight with spirit and valor, with arrows standing in his armor like the bristles of a hedgehog, and in the end took two gates. Yoshiaki had wine prepared in a cup to reward him and said: "In today's fighting, many were the picked men of Musashi and Sagami, but you were especially valiant. Please drink heartily and fight on." Ietada leaned on his bow as a staff, drank three cups, and thanked the messenger, saying: "My spirit is doubled. The castle will fall before long." He leapt up and advanced. Yoshiaki sighed and said: "A stout fellow. One may say he is a match for a thousand." He ordered Yoshimori to shoot him, and Tōhira Sanekuni was about to cut him down. Ietada's younger brother Yoichi Chikanori shouldered Ietada and tried to carry him off, but Miura Yoichi pressed hard upon him; Chikanori dropped Ietada, turned back and fought, and Yoichi, finding he could not stand against him, fled. Chikanori caught up with him and cut him down, then shouldered Ietada again and carried him away. Later Ietada and Chikanori returned to Minamoto-no-Yoritomo and served in the field many times (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). His son Ietaka became Ōkura-no-jō, Secretary of the Ministry of the Treasury. Ietaka's son Tokiie was styled Rokurō. In the Jōkyū war he belonged to the Hōjō and won distinction in battle (Note: following the Murayama Keizu).

Kumagai Naozane

¶Kumagai Naozane was styled Jirō and was a descendant of Taira-no-Sadamori, Chinjufu Shōgun. His grandfather Morikata, Saemon-no-jō, had once served as a Hokumen warrior, a guard of the Northern Quarter, but ran afoul of the law and was put to death. At that time his father Jirō Tayū Naosada was still a small child; he fled with his wet nurse to Musashi and sought refuge with the Ozawa. When he grew up he excelled others in courage and daring. In the district of Kumagai there was a great bear that did harm, and the villagers were distressed by it and agreed together: "Whoever can kill the bear, we will set up as head of our band." Naosada, aged sixteen, went into the mountains and killed the bear. The villagers were delighted and made him the banner-bearer of their private band, and for that reason took Kumagai as his clan name. Naozane lost his father when young and, together with his elder brother Naomasa, was raised in the house of his aunt's husband Kuge Naomitsu (Note: following the Kumagai Kafu). Naozane was spirited and upright; once, when he took Naomitsu's place on guard duty in the capital, his fellows looked down on him and insulted him because he was a substitute, and Naozane could not bear it; he swallowed the humiliation and, without notifying Naomitsu, entered the service of Taira-no-Tomomori, Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor. Naomitsu was furious and seized his land. Naozane went back to his home district, and it happened that Minamoto-no-Yoritomo raised troops; Naozane, together with Ōba Kagechika and others, attacked him, and later submitted to Yoritomo (Note: according to the Kumagai Kafu, Naozane had once promised to submit together with Kajiwara Kagetoki. When Yoritomo fled to Manazuru Point and was about to take his own life, Naozane stopped him by pointing to the earlier promise with Kagetoki. After Kagetoki caught up, Naozane at last put forward the earlier proposal and let Yoritomo out through the doorway. It differs from the Azuma Kagami and the Jōsuiki, but is kept for the time being for reference). When Yoritomo attacked Satake Hideyoshi, Naozane went there with Hirayama Sueshige and others, took the first place and struck, and his merit was the greatest. Yoritomo valued him highly and sent down a written order restoring the lands Naomitsu had taken, making him jitō, estate steward, for generations (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the third year of Juei (1184), he followed Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune to attack Minamoto-no-Yoshinaka. Yoshinaka removed the planking of the Uji bridge to guard against them. When the army reached the riverbank, Sueshige volunteered and was first to mount the bridge girders, followed by Shibuya Shigesuke and Sasaki Sadatsuna, and Naozane too was about to advance. His son Naoie, aged sixteen, advanced behind his father. Naozane warned him: "The girders are perilous in the extreme. Even I find them difficult. You are still young and weak. It is like a fruit whose seed has not yet hardened. You should wait until the main force arrives and cross with the others supporting one another." Naoie laughed and said: "Why should a child be called an unripe autumn fruit; whether the pit is hard or brittle makes no difference. Father, you are always troubled by dizziness. A son should help." So the two mounted the girders together. Naozane loosed an arrow and struck down Yoshinaka's man Tōta Kanesuke (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki. In other versions of the Heike Monogatari, Naozane and his son are not named among those first on the girders). At the battle of Ichi-no-Tani, when Yoshitsune was about to reach Hiyodorigoe, Naozane said secretly to Naoie in the night: "When I crossed the Uji River before, my heart wished to be first in, but Sasaki Takatsuna got ahead of me, and I deeply regretted it. Tomorrow I will press up to the castle gate and fulfill my wish." Naoie said: "I do not see Hirayama Sueshige in the camp. Perhaps he too has this aim. Lord Kurō (Yoshitsune) also always tries to stand ahead of his men. Following Lord Kurō now, how could we be first in? You should set out early, Father." Naozane was pleased, and father and son made for the west gate of the castle. At that time it was not yet dawn, and father and son challenged the defenders, announcing their names. The garrison shot arrows like rain from the towers, and the gate did not open. Thinking it would only be a pointless death, father and son rested a while. Sueshige then did arrive as expected. Music was just then being played inside the castle, and Naozane sighed and said: "Is this the elegance of the noble? And we are to fight to the death with these people; what misfortune." Presently the gate opened, Sueshige went in first, and Naozane and his son followed. The garrison's Taira-no-Moritsugu, Fujiwara-no-Tadamitsu, and his younger brother Kagekiyo and others surrounded them with more than twenty picked horsemen. Naoie was struck by an arrow and begged his father to pull it out. Naozane said: "The wound is not deep. I have no time either. Wait a little." He again spurred his horse and fought a bloody fight, the armies pressed on, and the castle at last fell. The Taira fled to sea, and Naozane caught up and cut down Taira-no-Atsumori (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki. In the later part of this work it is said that Naozane asked Yoshitsune for Atsumori's head and sent it, together with the flute Atsumori had carried, to Atsumori's father Tsunemori, but the circumstances are rather doubtful. Also, since this account does not appear in the Azuma Kagami and other true records, it is not adopted). Sueshige's surname was Hinomatsuri (Note: following the Hirayama Keizu); he was called Hirayama Musha-dokoro and became Uemon-no-jō, Lieutenant of the Right Gate Guards (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Later, when Yoritomo assessed the merits of the battle of Ichi-no-Tani, he said, "Naozane reached the castle gate early, but it was Sueshige who entered first," and placed Sueshige first (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). When Yoritomo watched yabusame, mounted archery, at Tsurugaoka, he ordered Naozane to set up the targets. Naozane said indignantly: "The archers ride, and the one who sets up the targets goes on foot. There seems to be a ranking of better and worse, and I dare not obey." Yoritomo explained: "I entrust tasks according to ability; I did not set a ranking in the first place. Moreover setting up the targets is no lowly duty. On the day of the Imperial progress at the Shin-Hiyoshi festival, those who set up the targets are the men of the Mokkōsho, Carpentry Office, of the Takiguchi. Does this mean that setting up targets is less honorable than shooting? Now I have made clear the reasoning and decided it. You must not refuse." Naozane would not obey in the least, and Yoritomo, angered, cut down his lands (Note: following the Azuma Kagami).

¶In the third year of Kenkyū (1192), he disputed a boundary with Kuge Naomitsu. Yoritomo himself judged the case and questioned him repeatedly, but Naozane was naturally poor of speech and could not make his case well on his own, and said in great anger: "Kajiwara Kagetoki is partial to Naomitsu and has cleverly gained his ear first. It is natural that I be held in the wrong. Documentary evidence is of no use." He flung the papers into the courtyard, ran out of the Samurai-dokoro, drew his sword, cut off his topknot, and, glaring and shouting at the top of his voice, said: "I will never come here again." He did not go home, but spurred his horse west. Yoritomo heard of it and sent men to block the roads at various places and stop him. On his way toward the capital, Naozane met the monk Senkō of Mount Sōtō, who earnestly urged him to return to his first resolve, but Naozane would not listen (Note: following the Azuma Kagami), and finally hurried to the capital, threw himself on the monk Genkū (Hōnen) of Shin-Kurodani, became his disciple, and changed his name to Rensei (Note: following the Kurodani Shōnin-den). After some years he came to Kamakura, had an audience with Yoritomo, and said that he had devoted himself wholly to the Buddhist path. When they spoke of the essentials of the art of war and martial skill, all who listened sighed in admiration. Yoritomo repeatedly tried to keep him, but he would not listen and left. He died on the fourteenth day of the ninth month of the second year of Shōgen (1208). He knew the time of his death beforehand and told Naoie of it. Naoie hurried to him, and it was indeed as he had said (Note: the Kurodani Shōnin-den says he died in the second year of Kenkyū [1191]). Naoie was styled Kojirō, and Yoritomo once said to Oyama Masamitsu, "Naoie is the unrivaled warrior of this land" (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Naozane too was once given a written grant in which he was called "the foremost stout fellow of Japan" (Note: following the Jinnō Shōtōki). Father and son were thus esteemed and valued. In the Jōkyū war, he followed Hōjō Tokifusa and fought at Seta. Naoie said: "The enemy is not yet broken. Why does no one rest?" and lay down on the ground with the others. Though flying arrows came down like rain, he lay still and did not move, and Tokifusa too ordered the fighting stopped (Note: following the Jōkyūki). His son Naokuni was styled Heinai Saemon-no-jō and fell in battle at Seta (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Jōkyūki).