Biographies CLVII: Rebellious Subjects, Part IV

Minamoto-no-Yoshinaka

¶Minamoto-no-Yoshinaka was called Komaōmaru in childhood (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). He was a grandson of Minamoto-no-Tameyoshi, Saemon-no-taijō, Senior Secretary of the Left Gate Guards. His father Yoshikata was Tōgū Tachihaki, Sword-Bearer to the Crown Prince (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki and the Sonpi Bunmyaku), but in the second year of Kyūju (1155) he was killed by his nephew Yoshihira. Yoshinaka was his second son, and at the time was only two years old (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki and the Heike Monogatari. The Azuma Kagami gives his age as three, and gives thirty-one as his age at death; reckoning backward from the first year of Genryaku (1184), the thirty-first year would fall in the first year of Kyūju (1154), which would make that the year of his birth. The Azuma Kagami's account is inconsistent). Yoshihira, fearing that Yoshinaka would become a source of calamity later, ordered Hatakeyama Shigeyoshi to search him out and kill him. But Shigeyoshi pitied the small and helpless child and could not bring himself to do it. Just then Saitō Sanemori came to Musashi, and Shigeyoshi quietly told him the whole matter and entrusted Komaō to him. Sanemori hid the boy for seven days, but since at that time most of the warriors of the eastern provinces were under Minamoto-no-Yoshitomo, Sanemori realized that he could not keep him hidden for long, and sent him to Shinano, entrusting him to Nakahara-no-Kanetō, Gon-no-kami, the husband of the boy's nurse. Kanetō raised him with great care as though he were his own son, and had him live at the foot of Mount Kiso (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki; the nurse's husband is given according to the Azuma Kagami). In the disturbances of Hōgen and Heiji the Minamoto clan was almost entirely destroyed, and the real power over soldiers and horses passed wholly into the hands of the Taira (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari). Though still a child, Yoshinaka grieved deeply over the decline of his house, and, filled with indignation, conceived the resolve to avenge his kin; even at play he constantly gave himself to the martial arts (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). His bearing and manner of reply far surpassed those of children his age, and drew the notice of the people of his native district. As he grew, his frame became imposing and his strength beyond the ordinary, and he was moreover skilled at mounted archery, so that he never missed a flying bird or a running beast. Kanetō considered this a gift of Heaven (Note: following the Nagatobon Heike Monogatari). At the age of thirteen, following the precedent of his remote ancestor Minamoto-no-Yoshiie, he made a pilgrimage to the Iwashimizu Hachimangū, where he performed his own coming-of-age ceremony, changed his name to Yoshinaka, and styled himself Kiso-no-Jirō (Note: following the Heike Monogatari). He went back and forth to the capital many times, observing the movements of the Taira. In the fourth year of Jishō (1180), Prince Mochihito rose in arms to attack the Taira and sent his edict to the Minamoto in the various provinces. Yoshinaka, seeing that Minamoto-no-Yoritomo, his cousin on his father's side, had answered the call, gathered troops in Shinano, and within about ten days they numbered over a thousand. Taira-no-Munemori, hearing of this, was alarmed; he summoned Nakahara-no-Kanetō, reproached him, and ordered him to seize Yoshinaka and send him in. Kanetō outwardly agreed and submitted a written oath. Munemori believed him and let him go. Returning to Shinano, Kanetō had Yoshinaka take refuge with Nei-no-Yukichika, a man of a great clan, and had him send out proclamations in all directions to recruit troops (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). The Ashikaga of Shimotsuke, the Takeda of Kai, the Nawa of Kōzuke, and others all joined him, and his strength grew day by day (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki and the Heike Monogatari. For the Nawa, the variant Heike Monogatari is followed; for the Takeda of Kai, the Gyokuyō). In the ninth month, Yoritomo fought Ōba Kagechika at Ishibashiyama. Yoshinaka intended to raise troops in response, but at that time Kasahara Yoritada, on the Taira side, was about to attack him. Yoshinaka sent out troops to march against Yoritada, and Yoritada fled without fighting (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). In the sixth month of the first year of Yōwa (1181) (Note: corrected on the basis of the Gyokuyō, the Kikki, the Ichidai Yōki, the Kōteiki Shō, and the entry for the third month of the second year of Juei (1183) in this work. For details see the biography of Jō Nagamochi), Jō Nagamochi of Echigo came to attack. Nagamochi first sent Tsubari Munekiyo and others toward the Gonda Pass, and himself, leading forty thousand men, encamped at the Yokota estate. Hearing this, Yoshinaka led more than two thousand horsemen to meet him. His kinsman Inoue Mitsumori, leading more than three hundred horsemen of the Hoshina band (Note: his kinship is according to the Sonpi Bunmyaku), crossed the Chikuma River as the vanguard and falsely raised red banners. Nagamochi took them for friendly kinsmen returning and sent a messenger to halt Mitsumori. But presently Mitsumori suddenly changed his banners, struck straight at the rear of Nagamochi's camp, and Yoshinaka likewise loosed his troops to join the attack. Nagamochi's army collapsed utterly; men and horses drowned in the river, and the dead were very many. Nagamochi barely escaped back to Echigo, and Yoshinaka pursued him as far as the provincial capital, whereupon the troops of Echigo came over to submit one after another (Note: following the Nagatobon Heike Monogatari). In the ninth month, Taira-no-Michimori, Chūgū-no-suke, Assistant Governor of the Empress's Household, and Taira-no-Tsunemasa, Governor of Tajima, came leading troops to attack, but Yoshinaka utterly defeated them in Echizen (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Hyakurenshō). The powerful families of Echizen, Etchū, and Kaga heard of this and were greatly afraid, and conferred among themselves, saying: "Now the Minamoto and the Taira have taken up arms and the provinces are in turmoil. The whole Kantō belongs to the Uhyōe-no-suke (Yoritomo), and much of the northern provinces belongs to the Kiso Kanja (Yoshinaka). Yet we have not decided which side to take. If we delay, we shall surely be attacked. It would be better to submit of our own accord." And together they joined Yoshinaka. Yoshinaka suspected that there might be deceit in this, but the newly submitted men presented written oaths. Yoshinaka was greatly pleased and gave each of them a fine horse. From this time the whole of the Hokurikudō belonged to Yoshinaka, and his military strength grew greater still. Takeda Nobumitsu was a distant relative of Yoshinaka. He sent a messenger to make known his wish to cement their friendship by marrying his daughter to Yoshinaka's son Yoshitaka, but Yoshinaka was not pleased and answered: "If you have a daughter, give her to Shimizu Kanja (Yoshitaka) to wait upon him. If you mean her to be his lawful wife, I do not desire it." Nobumitsu was enraged, and slandered Yoshinaka to Yoritomo, saying: "Since Yoshinaka subdued Echigo he has moved the northern provinces as he pleases, and his power grows ever greater. For this reason he is secretly exchanging letters about having the daughter of the Komatsu Minister (Taira-no-Shigemori) adopted as Munemori's daughter and given to Yoshinaka as his wife. Yoshinaka has already agreed to it." Yoritomo, hearing this, was greatly angered. At that time his uncle Minamoto-no-Yukiie had fallen out with Yoritomo and fled to Yoshinaka. Yoritomo grew angrier still and led troops toward Shinano. Yoshinaka assembled his officers and men and put the question to them. Higuchi Kanemitsu and the others said: "Since matters have come to this, we should hold Tobe and Ōi, fortify them with stockades, and defend against him." But Yoshinaka reflected for a time and then said: "Since the disturbance of Hōgen our clan has again and again slain one another and become a laughingstock. Now, while the Taira are not yet destroyed, to make an enemy of the Hyōe-no-suke (Yoritomo) is not a good plan. I will avoid the matter for the time being." And he withdrew to Echigo (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki and the Nagatobon Heike Monogatari). When Yoritomo heard that Yoshinaka had pulled back, he too withdrew his troops to Musashi and sent a messenger to Yoshinaka, saying: "Now the Taira are arrogant and treat the court with contempt. The Retired Emperor is violently angered and has commanded my clan to destroy the rebels. This is a crisis for the imperial house, in which you and I ought to give our utmost without sleeping at ease. Yet my uncle Jūrō Kurōdo (Yukiie) has no loyalty to repay the state, and wrongly seeks to ruin me through private grudge. I have lately heard that the Kurōdo has taken refuge with you. You are said to shelter him without suspicion, and I cannot tell what is truly in your heart. If you harbor no double mind, seize the Kurōdo and send him to me. If not, send Shimizu Kanja (Yoshitaka) to me, and I will raise him as my own son. If you will comply with neither of these, then there is nothing for it but to settle the question between us by battle." Yoshinaka again put the matter to his men. Komuro Tadakane said: "You avoided battle and showed weakness because you feared that you would be unable to achieve a great undertaking. Now, if we do not accede to what Yoritomo wishes, a new conflict will arise between east and north. Once war begins, how shall we find leisure to attack the Taira? If the General (Yoshinaka) has no other treasonous purpose, it would be best to send the young lord (Yoshitaka) quickly as a hostage." Imai Kanehira said: "The late Tachihaki (Yoshikata) was killed by Akugenta (Yoshihira), and the seed of enmity was sown long ago. The Suke-dono (Yoritomo) too will not cease to be suspicious of the General and to guard against him. Who can guarantee how this will end? We should cut off the tie quickly." Yoshinaka at last followed Tadakane's advice and resolved to send Yoshitaka as a hostage, and replied: "I did not know that there was bad blood between the Kurōdo and yourself, nor did I correspond with him and summon him. I merely valued the bond of our family, and when he came I gave him food in my residence. While the enemy is not yet removed, how should I dare to harbor another scheme? The Kurōdo is my uncle also, and in duty I cannot cast him off. I will obey your command and send my son. He is still young and without discretion, but I beg you to look after him well" (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). Yoshinaka summoned all the wives of his soldiers and said: "The Uhyōe-no-suke (Yoritomo) demands a hostage from me. If I refuse, he will surely attack. Then your husbands would lose their lives on the battlefield. For that reason I have resolved to part with my beloved child and send him to Kamakura." The wives all wept and gave thanks (Note: following the Nagatobon Heike Monogatari). In the fourth month of the second year of Juei (1183), Taira-no-Koremori, Ukonoe-no-chūjō, Middle Captain of the Right Imperial Guards, and others raised a great army and came to attack. Yoshinaka sent his generals Nishina Morihiro, Hayashi Mitsuaki, and others to Echizen and had them occupy Hiuchi Castle. Saimei, the chief steward of Heisenji, led a thousand of his men and joined Yoshinaka's side. Hiuchi Castle was the strongest bulwark of the Hokurikudō: to the south it was linked with Aratani Nakayama, to the north with Yuonogi, in the east it bordered Shirayama in Echizen, and in the west it reached the port of Mikuni. The defenders piled up wood and stones to dam the Hino River, so that the water overflowed and the roads became like a sea; the enemy army could not advance, and the two sides faced each other for several days. Saimei, thinking, "My troops are few, and I do not think we can hold out to the end," shot a letter on an arrow to the enemy army telling them how to cut the embankment secretly, and guided the enemy troops in. The enemy forces vied with one another to attack, and the castle fell. Pressing their advantage, the enemy took one castle after another. In the fifth month, Koremori stationed his officer Taira-no-Moritoshi, former Governor of Etchū, at Hannyano. Yoshinaka had Imai Kanehira lead six thousand men and drive him off. Yoshinaka set out from Echigo and entered Etchū, where he obtained fifty thousand men. Arriving at Mudōji, he readied weapons and drew up his army, visited the Shirayama shrine, had the monk Kakumei compose a prayer text asking for a great victory, and advanced to Hannyano. Yoshinaka gave orders to his officers and men, saying: "The enemy are many and we are few, so open plains and broad fields are to our disadvantage. I intend first to take position at the northern foot of Tonami. The enemy will surely halt their troops at Saruga-baba in the mountains and observe our movements. I shall send troops out from the southern foot and strike them from front and rear; how can we fail to win?" And he took position at the northern foot. Koremori and the others did indeed take position at Saruga-baba. The enemy divided their forces into one hundred thousand and advanced side by side along the two roads of Tonami and Shiwo, intending to enter Etchū. Yoshinaka said to Imai Kanehira: "At the battle of Yokotagawara, we broke forty thousand of the enemy with three thousand men. Now we have fifty thousand and the enemy one hundred thousand, so each of us need face only two. Moreover the enemy army has worn itself out in its advance, so we can wait at our ease for the weary foe and break them in a single battle." He therefore divided his troops into seven bodies and had Yukiie and the other commanders advance together by separate roads. He himself led thirty thousand picked troops, crossed the Oyabe River, and encamped at Hanyū. There was a shrine nearby, and when he asked the local people, they answered, "It is a Hachiman shrine." Here too he had Kakumei compose a prayer for victory, and at that moment a white dove flew onto the top of the banner pole. Yoshinaka dismounted and prostrated himself in worship. He advanced his camp to Kurosaka and faced the enemy at a distance of a little over a hundred paces (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki and the Heike Monogatari). They exchanged arrows all day, and Yoshinaka, planning a night attack, deliberately prolonged the time. When dusk fell, he had Higuchi Kanemitsu lead three thousand men carrying some one thousand drums and conch trumpets, and sent them forward from Nakayama beating and blowing them. Imai Kanehira, Nei-no-Yukichika, and the others, in five divisions numbering over ten thousand men in all, advanced to surround Kurosaka from north and south. Yoshinaka had four or five hundred oxen gathered from the neighboring villages, had pine torches bound to their horns, and drove them out. The soldiers charged shouting behind them, shaking mountain and valley, and the enemy army fell into confusion. They rushed in a mass into the southern valley, and those who threw themselves into the cliffs and ravines and died numbered more than eighteen thousand. Men and horses lay heaped upon one another, and the corpses were like hills. Yoshinaka took the heads of the enemy commanders Taira-no-Tomonori, Governor of Mikawa, Taira-no-Tamemori, Uhyōe-no-suke, and Tachi-no-Sadayasu. Koremori barely escaped, gathered his scattered troops, fled to Kaga, and shut himself up on Mount Sarayama at Miyakoshi. Minamoto-no-Yukiie led his own troops toward Mount Shiwo, but the fighting went against him. When Yoshinaka heard of it, he personally led forty thousand horsemen to his aid. The enemy general Taira-no-Moritoshi, hearing of Koremori's defeat, fled into Mount Sarayama. Yoshinaka pursued the fleeing enemy into Kaga and encamped at Hiradakeno. The two armies rested their men and horses and faced each other without fighting. Just then a fodder-gatherer of Yoshinaka's was caught by the enemy's scouts, and the fodder-gatherer falsely said, "There will be an attack tonight." The enemy asked, "How could that be, in such heavy rain and fierce wind?" and the fodder-gatherer answered, "There is an old shrine in the woods, and they mean to take its timbers for torches to light the way of the assault." The enemy army was greatly frightened, gathered their forces, and fled in the night. When they reached Ataka, the river had swollen greatly, and more than a thousand drowned. At dawn they cut the bridge and strengthened their defense. In the sixth month, Yoshinaka joined forces with Yukiie's army and advanced to the ford at Ataka. At that time the water was muddy and its bottom could not be seen, and none could cross. Hayashi Mitsuaki let loose ten horses to test it, and the water barely reached the horses' bellies. Yoshinaka commanded his troops across the river, and they fought a great battle at Shinohara. The enemy army was routed. Yoshinaka pursued them without pause as far as Nariai and Namimatsu, defeating the enemy one after another, and captured Seno Kaneyasu, Saimei, and others. The enemy collapsed utterly, abandoned their weapons and baggage, and fled by byways back to the capital. Yoshinaka, hating Saimei's betrayal, soon had him beheaded (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). Seno Kaneyasu he released, but Imai Kanehira remonstrated, saying: "Kaneyasu's eyes are not those of an ordinary man; if we do not kill him he will surely bring calamity later." Yoshinaka did not listen (Note: following the Heike Monogatari). Soon Yoshinaka and Yukiie moved to enter the capital, advancing side by side by the two routes of the Tōsandō and the Hokurikudō. Arriving at the provincial capital of Echizen, Yoshinaka took counsel with his officers, saying: "I have heard that the warrior monks of Mount Hiei hold the difficult terrain and have strengthened their defenses. If so, it will not be easy to enter the capital. What should we do?" Kakumei said: "Even if the Taira have lured the mountain monks with generous gain, it cannot be that all three thousand of the monks are of one mind. Among them there must be some who are sympathetic to us. Let us send a letter and win them over." Yoshinaka agreed. He advanced to Gamō in Ōmi and waited for the reply of the mountain monks (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki; the Hōreki Kanki was also consulted), but his provisions ran out. He requisitioned supplies from Kudaraji temple and obtained five hundred koku of rice. Yoshinaka was pleased and granted the temple five villages to provide for incense and flowers. Kōmyō, a monk of Enryakuji who was on friendly terms with Kakumei, came to visit Kakumei. Yoshinaka said to Kōmyō: "I hear that the monks of the mountain gate side with the Taira and mean to oppose my righteous army. For that reason I first sent the monks a letter explaining the principle of whether they should join us or oppose us, but have not yet had their consent. I beg that you go quickly and persuade the monks on my behalf. If they will follow us, please raise a fire on the mountain as a signal." Kōmyō returned and conveyed Yoshinaka's intention. The monks all agreed, and Yoshinaka was greatly pleased. In the seventh month, with Kakumei as guide, he crossed the lake, climbed the mountain, and encamped at the Sōjiin. The Taira, hearing of this, were greatly alarmed, and escorting the Emperor Yōwa (Emperor Antoku) they fled westward to the western seas. Yoshinaka crossed the lake again, led the troops of Shinohara and Yasu, and entered the capital from Seta, and Yukiie likewise arrived from Uji (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki).

¶The two commanders had audience with the Retired Emperor at the Rengeōin and received an imperial edict to pursue and destroy the Taira (Note: following the Gyokuyō, the Kikki, the Heike Monogatari, and the Genpei Jōsuiki). By imperial decree a residence in the capital was granted to Yoshinaka (Note: following the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Jōsuiki). Before this, Minamoto-no-Yoritomo had been at Kamakura and had more or less pacified the Kantō. The provinces answered him, and the Taira were pressed harder with each passing day. When the Retired Emperor weighed their merits, Yoritomo was placed first and Yoshinaka second; Yoshinaka was granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower and appointed Sama-no-kami, Director of the Left Stables, and Governor of Echigo (Note: following the Gyokuyō). Yoshinaka was displeased by this, and was reappointed Governor of Iyo (Note: following the Hyakurenshō and the Genpei Jōsuiki). He was also permitted to enter the palace hall. The Retired Emperor confiscated more than five hundred former Taira holdings and gave one hundred and forty of them to Yoshinaka. Yukiie sought rewards for his officers and men, but Yoshinaka would not listen. In the eighth month, in view of the fact that Emperor Yōwa (Emperor Antoku) had fled to the western seas, the Retired Emperor deliberated on setting up a new sovereign. One speaker said: "When the world is in disorder, an elder prince should be set up. It would be well to enthrone Hokuriku-no-miya, the son of the late Sanjō-no-miya." Hokuriku-no-miya had formerly taken Buddhist orders, but had taken refuge in the northern provinces to escape the disorders. When the righteous troops arose, Yoshinaka had escorted him into the capital. Now Yoshinaka too wished to place Hokuriku-no-miya on the throne. He had Takashina-no-Yasutsune, Ōkura-kyō, Minister of the Treasury, present the proposal to the throne, but the Retired Emperor had from the first intended to set up one of Emperor Takakura's two princes. Finding it hard to oppose the proposal, he nevertheless ordered the monk Shunkyō to sound out Yoshinaka's real intentions, and had him explain as follows: "By the custom of the state, those who carry on the true line and keep the laws of the ancestors are honored. Now, since two princes of the late Retired Emperor (Takakura) are living, if we were to set aside the main line and seek among the collateral descendants, neither men nor gods would be at ease. You should not raise objections to this" (Note: following the Gyokuyō). Yoshinaka submitted a further memorial, saying: "The question of whom to set up is a most weighty one, and not something on which one such as I should dare to speak. But since I have already been asked, how can I not open my heart? After Your Majesty descended from the throne, the Taira ran rampant and held the court in contempt, and so the late Sanjō-no-miya raised the banner of righteousness. His undertaking was not accomplished, but the great principle was already shown to all under heaven. If now his son is cast aside and another set up, what shall the officers and men who hastened to answer the call of righteousness rely upon?" (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). The Retired Emperor had the court nobles discuss it (Note: following the Gyokuyō). All said: "There is reason in Yoshinaka's memorial. But since Hokuriku-no-miya once took Buddhist orders, he is not suited to ascend the throne." Yet they feared Yoshinaka's violent power and could not decide. The diviners were ordered to divine concerning the two princes of Emperor Takakura and Hokuriku-no-miya, and the result for the Third Prince (the third son of the late Retired Emperor Takakura) was auspicious. The Retired Emperor, having accepted the words of Nōhime Tanba, favored the Fourth Prince (the fourth son of the late Retired Emperor Takakura, later Emperor Go-Toba). Divination was made once more, and the Fourth Prince also proved auspicious, while the Third Prince was half auspicious and half inauspicious, and Hokuriku-no-miya was inauspicious; so in the end the Fourth Prince was set up. Yoshinaka was furious and said: "By age, Hokuriku-no-miya should be set up; by divination, the Third Prince should be set up. How can the Fourth Prince be set up? Now that matters have come to this, how can I help but be bitterly grieved for the late Sanjō-no-miya?" (Note: the Gyokuyō and the Genpei Jōsuiki were consulted). Soon Yoshinaka gradually grew arrogant, and the soldiers under him behaved as they pleased in the capital, damaging the estates of the Retired Emperor's own domain as well as those of the court nobles and plundering the property of the people's houses, so that the whole city was in uproar. When the Retired Emperor was about to summon Yoritomo, Yoshinaka was displeased and tried to obstruct it. Yoritomo sent a messenger to complain that Yoshinaka meant to attack him, and also to state that it would be more convenient for him not to enter the capital. The Retired Emperor therefore gave Yoshinaka the two provinces of Kōzuke and Shinano, hoping to quiet his plundering and violence, and sought to reconcile Yoritomo and Yoshinaka. He explained this to Yoritomo. Yoritomo in turn sought that imperial edicts be sent to the three circuits of Tōkaidō, Hokurikudō, and Tōsandō, requiring that the provincial lands and estates seized by the Taira be returned to their original owners. The decree followed his request, and those who did not obey the order were to be investigated and punished by Yoritomo. But out of consideration for Yoshinaka, no edict was sent to the Hokurikudō (Note: following the Gyokuyō). At that time the Taira were holed up at Yashima, and when Yukiie asked to attack them, the Retired Emperor permitted it. Yoshinaka submitted a memorial: "Yukiie is a brave man, to be sure, but he has repeatedly met defeat. Another man should be chosen." The Retired Emperor again gave the command to Yoshinaka (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki), and took a sword in his own hand and bestowed it on Yoshinaka (Note: following the Gyokuyō). Yoshinaka left the capital and reached Harima, where he first dispatched Ashikaga Yoshikiyo, Takanashi Takanobu, and Unno Yukihiro to attack them (the Taira). In the tenth month, Yoshinaka set out from Harima for Bitchū, with Seno Kaneyasu as his guide. Kaneyasu took up position at Itakura and defended it. Yoshinaka was greatly angered and attacked it urgently (Note: following the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Jōsuiki. That Yoshinaka reached Harima follows the Rekidai Kōki, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Hyakurenshō). In the intercalary tenth month, Yoshikiyo, Takanobu, Yukihiro, and the others fought Taira-no-Shigehira and others at Mizushima, were defeated, and died (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). Yoshinaka meant to attack Yashima, but just then he heard that "Yoritomo has had his younger brother Yoshitsune lead tens of thousands of troops and enter the capital," and so drew back his troops and returned. The Retired Emperor sent a messenger to try to stop him, but Yoshinaka did not obey the edict and at last returned to the capital to prepare against Yoshitsune (Note: the Genpei Jōsuiki states that on the second day of the eleventh month, as Yoshinaka was about to leave Bitchū, Higuchi Kanemitsu told Yukiie from the capital of the secret intent of the Retired Emperor to attack Yoshinaka, and so Yoshinaka hurriedly turned his army back toward the capital. At this time the Taira clan was at Murotsu, and Yukiie, under the pretext of pursuing them, marched out but in fact was avoiding Yoshinaka. But according to this work, Yoshinaka entered the capital on the fifteenth day of the intercalary month, and in the eleventh month received together with Yukiie the edict to pursue and destroy. The Jōsuiki's account seems mistaken and is not adopted). Yoshinaka submitted a memorial to the Retired Emperor: "At Mizushima the Taira gained an advantage for a time, but their momentum will not last long. Many of the soldiers of the San'indō are in Bitchū, which is sufficient to defend against them. Your Majesty need not be further troubled." Yoshinaka secretly planned with Yukiie to escort the Retired Emperor to the northern provinces, but Yukiie would not follow, and on the contrary informed on it in secret. The Retired Emperor was startled and sent Hōin Jōken to admonish Yoshinaka, saying: "We hear that you intend to escort Us somewhere and carry Us off. We also hear that, without Our command, you mean to raise troops and go to the Kantō. If what We hear is true, We cannot tell what your real intention is." Yoshinaka submitted a memorial in explanation: "I have two grievances against Your Majesty. When you earlier summoned Yoritomo, I held it improper, but my words were not heard. Moreover, edicts were sent to the Tōkaidō, Tōsandō, and Hokurikudō, saying that 'if any should disobey this edict, they are to follow Yoritomo's orders in every respect and pursue and punish them.' This is truly what I resent. I merely mean to go to the Kantō and resolve my enmity with Yoritomo, and I would never think of escorting the imperial palanquin to a battlefield. I am greatly alarmed that Your Majesty has heard such rumors from somewhere. I beg that you grant an edict commanding me to attack Yoritomo, and give me one written directive. I wish to show it to the officers and men of the eastern provinces. This is my wish." After Jōken had gone, Yoshinaka thought that Yukiie had leaked the matter, and went to the Retired Emperor's residence, where he submitted a written oath in the presence of Jōken and Takashina-no-Yasutsune and memorialized: "The one who slanders me must be among my own kin. I beg that you find him out and let me deal with him as I please." The Retired Emperor comforted and instructed him: "What was said to have been heard in the streets did not come from your party. We never believed it in the first place. Do not let it trouble your mind." Yoshinaka further memorialized that "if the edict and directive to Yoritomo did not issue from Your Majesty's own thinking, I ask that those who handled the matter be investigated and punished," but this was not granted. The plundering by Yoshinaka's soldiers grew still worse, and the people suffered. The Retired Emperor, too, quietly strengthened his defenses. In the eleventh month, the Retired Emperor sent Kageyori (Note: Kageyori's surname is not known), Sakan-dai, Clerk of the Archives, to reprove Yoshinaka, saying: "You keep insisting that there is no treason, but the evidence has already come out. How will you prove your innocence? We earlier ordered you to march to the western seas, but you dawdle, using the preparation against Genkurō (Yoshitsune) as a pretext, and have not set out. Is there not some ill design? If in truth there is no such thing, go to the western seas at once." Yoshinaka answered: "Slander and calumny arise constantly, but I am fortunate to be under inquiry. I have no disloyal heart, as I have already made clear in my written oath. What more is there for me to say? The reason that I have received the order for the western campaign yet have not set out is that I fear that Yoritomo's deputies will come into the capital with tens of thousands of troops. If they could be kept from entering the capital, I could go to the western seas immediately." The Retired Emperor sent a further edict to Yoshinaka: "Yoritomo has tribute to present, and for that reason has had his envoys enter the capital; that the troops they lead are many also means nothing else. You are not to be suspicious." Yoshinaka was inwardly dissatisfied, but did not dare to defy it (Note: following the Gyokuyō). The Retired Emperor also sent Taira-no-Tomoyasu, Kebiishi, Police Commissioner, to admonish him to keep his men under control. Yoshinaka's manner toward Tomoyasu was arrogant and his words discourteous. Yoshinaka mocked Tomoyasu, saying: "The children of the capital call you Tsuzumi Hōgan, the Drum Magistrate. Are you not just like a drum that people beat?" Tomoyasu was indignant, returned to the capital, reported the whole affair in detail to the Retired Emperor, and at last urged an attack on Yoshinaka. The Retired Emperor sent edicts to the Tendai Zasu, Abbot of Enryakuji, and the Chōri of Onjōji, summoned warrior monks to guard the Hōjūji Palace, and put Tomoyasu in charge of military affairs. Hearing of this, Yoshinaka was angry and said to his attendants: "I was the first to raise a righteous army and drove the rebellious ministers to the western seas. Is this not an unparalleled merit? What crime have I committed that I am suddenly to be put to the sword? Now the roads east and west are cut, and the transport of provisions does not continue. I have fifty thousand troops protecting the capital, but the court does not issue provisions, and my soldiers are on the verge of starving. If we do not take the stores of the wealthy, how can we feed our troops? Moreover, what is most precious in a military state is the horse. If the horses grow thin, officers and men cannot fight bravely either. For that reason we have cut the wheat of the fields near the capital and fed it to the horses. The plundering by the soldiers truly arises from hunger and weariness, and never have they broken into the residences of princes, dukes, ministers, and officers and seized their property. Though high and low differ in station, the urgency of hunger and thirst is the same. However strong oxen and horses may be, they are of no use without food. There is such a thing as expediency in affairs; why dwell on this point alone? All of this is the work of the Drum Magistrate. I am now going to smash him. You too must prepare quickly." Higuchi Kanemitsu and Imai Kanehira remonstrated earnestly, saying: "If now, over a private quarrel, you bear a grudge against the Most August One (the Retired Emperor), the gods will surely punish you. It would be best to withdraw, return to obedience to the court, and clear your fault by bringing Tomoyasu to account. Even now it is not too late. Please consider it carefully." But Yoshinaka was by nature stubborn and set on having his own way, and what he wanted he was bound to carry through. Yoshinaka said to Kanemitsu and the others: "Since I raised troops in Shinano, I have never shown weakness to anyone. Even if it is the Most August One, why should I docilely fold my hands and be held in check? If I follow your words and await judgment beneath the palace, I shall only be struck down by the Drum Magistrate instead. Yoshinaka's life or death will be decided in this one battle. Choose to make the king your enemy rather than a common fellow." And at last he raised troops and turned his banners against the court. He also divided his troops into seven bodies and surrounded the Hōjūji Palace, sending Imai Kanehira with more than three hundred horsemen toward Kawarazaka, and himself leading more than four hundred horsemen toward the west gate. Tomoyasu climbed onto the wall and hurled abuse at them in a loud voice. Yoshinaka was enraged and, taking advantage of the wind, set fire to the place. The halls and buildings were wholly reduced to burnt ground. Tomoyasu fled without shooting a single arrow. The imperial forces were utterly defeated, and the court nobles and palace people were humiliated by the soldiers. Zasu Myōun, the Abbot, and Chōri Enne Hōshinnō, the abbot-prince, were also shot to death by the rioting troops. The Emperor was then moved to the Kan'in Palace, the Retired Emperor was moved to the residence of the Regent Fujiwara-no-Motomichi, and the court nobles were confined. Having gained his desire, Yoshinaka boasted to his officers and men: "The affairs of the realm are as I please. If you too want the rank of court noble, I will give each of you what you wish. I have thought of becoming emperor, but the emperor is a small child, and I cannot now become a child. I have thought of becoming Retired Emperor, but the Retired Emperor is an old priest, and I do not wish to become a priest either. Yet when I look at the Regent, he is well matched to me in age and fitting in appearance, so I wish to take his place. From now on you are to call me Lord Regent." Imai Kanehira remonstrated: "The Regency is, after all, an office hereditary through the generations among the descendants of the Taishokkan (Fujiwara-no-Kamatari). There has never been a case of a man of another surname being appointed to it" (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). Yoshinaka said, "Then I shall become Hangandai," but Kanehira said, "That is not a good office" (Note: following the Nagatobon Heike Monogatari). After thinking for a while, Yoshinaka said: "Then I shall become Chief of the Retired Emperor's Stables. How exhilarating it will be to ride fine horses as much as I please!" And he made himself Chief of the Stables (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). Since he had lain hidden in the northern frontier from his childhood, Yoshinaka was handsome in appearance but coarse in conduct. The people of the time spoke of this as a byword and laughed at him (Note: following the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Jōsuiki). The former Chancellor Fujiwara-no-Motofusa had an especially beautiful daughter whom he doted on and expected to make a Nyōgo or an empress, but Yoshinaka took her as his wife by force (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). He then meant to make his wife's elder brother, Gon-dainagon Moroie, Regent, but there was no vacancy among the ministers, so he plotted with Motofusa to seize the Regency from Fujiwara-no-Motomichi, borrowed Fujiwara-no-Sanesada to serve as Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior, and made Moroie Naidaijin and Regent. And he suspended the offices of more than forty civil and military officials, namely Chūnagon Fujiwara-no-Tomokata, Sangi Fujiwara-no-Motoie, Dazai-no-daini Fujiwara-no-Sanekiyo, Ōkura-kyō Takashina-no-Yasutsune, Sangi Taira-no-Chikamune, Ukonoe-no-chūjō Minamoto-no-Masakata, Uma-no-kami Minamoto-no-Sukedoki, Hizen-no-kami Minamoto-no-Yasutsuna, Izu-no-kami Minamoto-no-Mitsutō, Hyōgo-no-kami Fujiwara-no-Akitsuna, Etchū-no-kami Taira-no-Chikaie, Izumo-no-kami Fujiwara-no-Tomotsune, Iki-no-kami Taira-no-Tomochika, Noto-no-kami Takashina-no-Takatsune, Wakasa-no-kami Minamoto-no-Masaie, Bitchū-no-kami Minamoto-no-Sukesada, Saemon-no-jō Taira-no-Tomoyasu, and others (Note: following the Gyokuyō and the Genpei Jōsuiki). Motofusa admonished him on every occasion and spoke of calamity and fortune. Yoshinaka gradually put away his savagery, relaxed the confinement of the court officials he had held guilty, and moved the Retired Emperor to his residence at Rokujō-Higashi-no-Tōin (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). The Retired Emperor in turn had Yoshinaka take general charge of all the former Taira holdings, hoping to please his heart (Note: following the Kikki and the Hyakurenshō). Soon Yoshinaka resigned as Sama-no-kami and was granted Junior Fifth Rank Upper (Note: following the Gyokuyō and the Azuma Kagami). Yoritomo, hearing of Yoshinaka's arrogant conduct, sent his younger brothers Noriyori and Yoshitsune with a great army to attack him (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). Arriving in Ise, they announced that they would investigate, by the two roads of the Tōkaidō and the Tōsandō, those who did not return estates to their original owners. Before this, the people throughout the land had all been suffering from the violence of Yoshinaka's soldiers, and holding Mount Suzuka they answered Yoritomo and faced the troops of Yoshinaka and Yukiie, so Yoshinaka again sent troops to strike them (Note: following the Gyokuyō). At this time a rumor spread that "the Taira, winning victory after victory in the battles of Murouyama and Mizushima, are about to attack the capital." Yoshinaka thought: "If I am attacked from front and rear, my undertaking can no longer be accomplished," and he sought to make peace with the Taira and join them in attacking Yoritomo. He sent a letter to Munemori and to the Nii-no-ama (Taira-no-Tokiko), asking to take a daughter of their clan as his wife, but Munemori would not listen (Note: following the Nagatobon Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Jōsuiki. The Gyokuyō says that Yoshinaka cast a mirror one shaku across, copying the sacred body of the god Hachiman, cast a written oath on its back and sent it to seek reconciliation and friendship; but since at that time all sorts of groundless rumors were flying about, this work has recorded matters as they were heard, and they are not necessarily reliable. This account is therefore not adopted).

¶In the first month of the third year of Juei (1184), Yoshinaka was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Azuma Kagami. The Genpei Jōsuiki gives Senior Fifth Rank Lower), and soon afterwards was appointed Seii Taishōgun, Barbarian-Subduing Generalissimo (Note: following the Azuma Kagami, the Shokugen Shō, and the Genpei Jōsuiki. The Gyokuyō and the Hyakurenshō write "Seitō," Eastern-Subduing, in place of "Sei-i," and the Shokugen Shō and the Jōsuiki lack the character for "Tai," Grand). The Retired Emperor, weary of Yoshinaka's violence, outwardly pretended to treat him generously while inwardly intending to remove him with the strength of Yoshitsune and the others, and for that reason bestowed this office. Yoshinaka did not realize this and was greatly pleased with himself. When Munemori sought peace, the Retired Emperor had Yoshinaka and the others debate it, but Yoshinaka held it improper. Soon he heard that Noriyori and Yoshitsune, leading a great army, were advancing side by side on Uji and Seta, and that the Taira, having largely subdued Chinzei, were returning to Fukuhara by way of Shikoku and were about to attack the capital in force, and Yoshinaka was thrown into a panic. On the seventeenth day of this month, Yukiie rebelled against Yoshinaka and took up position in Ishikawa Castle in Kawachi. Yoshinaka had Higuchi Kanemitsu lead more than five hundred horsemen and crush him, taking more than seventy heads. As the army of the eastern provinces gradually closed in, Yoshinaka sent Imai Kanehira and Minamoto-no-Yoshihiro with more than five hundred horsemen to Seta, and Nei-no-Yukichika and Tate Chikatada with more than three hundred horsemen to Uji, and had them break the bridges and guard them. On the twentieth day, the eastern army had already crossed the river, and Yukichika and the others, unable to hold, withdrew their troops and returned (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). The commanders whom Yoshinaka had dispatched separately had not yet returned, his troops were few, and his position was isolated (Note: following the Gyokuyō). He had earlier made plans, in case the army should be defeated, to escort the Retired Emperor and flee to the Hokuriku (Note: the Hokuriku follows the Gyokuyō; this work reads "the western seas," which is an error), and had chosen twenty sturdy soldiers as his own escort and had them guard the Retired Emperor at his residence at Nishi-no-Tōin. Now he memorialized the Retired Emperor, saying: "The rebels of the eastern provinces are already upon us. It would be well for you to take refuge at Daigoji." The Retired Emperor did not comply, so Yoshinaka came to the foot of the steps, laid his hand on his sword, glared, and repeatedly urged the imperial progress. All in the palace lost color. The Retired Emperor, having no choice, was about to leave his residence. At that moment a soldier of Yoshinaka's came galloping and reported that the enemy had reached Kohata and Fushimi. Yoshinaka then went out with more than a hundred horsemen. The scattered troops of Yukichika and Chikatada gathered, and his force at last reached a little over three hundred horsemen. The eastern army already filled Shichijō, Hachijō, and Hōshōji Yanagihara, their banners covering the sky. Looking out on this, Yoshinaka said to the soldiers who followed him: "My life is now over as of today. Let those who wish to flee, go." The officers and men all said: "No man lives who does not die. Those who eat a lord's stipend ought to die for his cause." Yoshinaka was pleased, and himself urged his officers and men on to the decisive battle. He met Hatakeyama Shigetada and others, and again and again charged into the enemy lines in all directions and came out again. The elite hundred and more horsemen of Yukichika, Chikatada, and the others all fell in battle. Yoshitsune loosed more than three hundred horsemen and pressed the attack fiercely, and Yoshinaka was at last utterly defeated; with only seventy or eighty horsemen he went toward the Retired Emperor's residence. Fujiwara-no-Narisuke, Konoe-no-shōshō, Lesser Captain of the Imperial Guards, closed the gate and would not let him in. Yoshitsune, with eleven brave warriors, shot arrow after arrow. Yoshinaka was routed once again. Yoshitsune's troops pursued. Yoshinaka fought as he fled, and reached the Sanjō riverbank. Teshigawara Arinao and his younger brother Arinori, with more than three hundred horsemen, pressed on after him, calling out in a loud voice: "General Asahi of the Hokurikudō (Note: the Heike Monogatari says that when Yoshinaka was appointed Sama-no-kami he received a retired emperor's decree naming him General Asahi, but the other works give no firm basis for this, and it was probably Yoshinaka's own title for himself), why do you turn your back to the enemy? Will you not bring down the renown of the whole Minamoto clan?" Yoshinaka turned his horse about and fought fiercely; Arinao's troops broke and scattered, and Arinao himself was wounded and fled, but soldiers of the eastern provinces came pressing on one after another. The mounted warriors who followed Yoshinaka fought with all their strength, and many fell. By this time only thirteen horsemen remained. Yoshinaka meant to go to Seta and passed through Sanjō-Shirakawa. Hatakeyama Shigetada called out to him from across the river. Yoshinaka turned his horse about and exchanged arrows. Soon Noriyori, leading thirty thousand horsemen, advanced from Seta. Imai Kanehira had taken position at Kokubunji, but fought without winning, and Minamoto-no-Yoshihiro fell in battle. Kanehira, withdrawing his troops, met Yoshinaka at Awazu on the way. Yoshinaka was pleased and, gripping Kanehira's hand, said: "A little while ago in the capital I meant to take my own life, but wishing to see you once more I have come this far with great difficulty. Now my troops are defeated and my strength is spent, and I am also gravely wounded. To be taken prisoner would be a disgrace, so there is nothing for it but to kill myself." Kanehira said: "A renowned commander endures death in order to wipe out disgrace. Now Yoritomo holds the eastern provinces, the Taira are in the western seas, and if the General (Yoshinaka) returns to the northern provinces, the realm will be divided in three, standing side by side like the legs of a tripod. Let the General first return to Echizen. I, Kanehira, will remain here and hold off the enemy." He then gathered scattered troops and obtained four or five hundred horsemen. Soon the eastern army pressed in in great force, and Nikawa Yorishige of Yoshinaka's men met them with thirty horsemen and died fighting hard. Ichijō Tadayori and others attacked one after another. Yoshinaka encouraged his remaining troops and broke through the encirclement several times. When Noriyori advanced his troops and attacked from both sides, Yoshinaka's soldiers at last fought to the end and were annihilated, and only Kanehira remained with him. Yoshinaka said to Kanehira: "I have always worn thin armor and found it very light, but today I find it heavier." Kanehira said: "How could the armor suddenly become heavier? Is it not that the General's fighting spirit has been broken and he has become this faint-hearted?" And pointing to the pine grove of Awazu, he said: "Let the General go there and take his own life. I, Kanehira, will hold off the pursuers." Yoshinaka said, "I wish to die together with you," and whipped his horse to go forward together. Kanehira seized the bridle of Yoshinaka's horse and remonstrated, saying: "The General's body is worn out and his horse is weak. If you lose your life in the midst of the fighting, will it not be a disgrace?" Yoshinaka rode alone toward the woods ahead. The day was growing dark, and he tried to cross a rice paddy. His horse was exhausted and would not move, and did not advance though he whipped it. Yoshinaka was in desperate straits. Ishida Tamehisa shot an arrow that pierced Yoshinaka's face; dizzy, he fell forward on his horse's mane and was cut down by a pursuing horseman (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). He was thirty-one years old at the time (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Yasakabon Heike Monogatari. The Genpei Jōsuiki gives thirty-seven, which is an error). Yoshitsune sent Yoshinaka's head to the capital (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki and the Hyakurenshō); a red silk was tied to the topknot, "Rebel Minamoto-no-Yoshinaka" was written, the head was impaled on a sword (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki), and it was exposed on the ōchi tree at the eastern prison gate (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki and the Hyakurenshō). Yoshinaka had two sons (Note: the Nagatobon Heike Monogatari lists four sons, Yoshitaka, Rikiju, Tsuruō, and Yomyōō, but they are not found in other works). They were Yoshitaka and Yoshimune.

¶Yoshitaka was called Shimizu Kanja (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku. The name follows the Azuma Kagami. This work has Yoshimoto, which is an error), and was sent to Kamakura as a hostage. Yoshinaka admonished him: "Serve Yoritomo well, and take care not to be shunned or driven out. If you can establish yourself by your own strength, you may hope for charge of a region." He had him accompany Yoritomo's messenger and sent him off. Yoshitaka's retainer Unno Yukiuji (Note: the name follows the Azuma Kagami. This work has Yukiuji written with a different character), being of the same age as Yoshitaka, was especially ordered to go with him (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). Yoritomo made his own daughter Yoshitaka's wife. When Yoshinaka was put to death, Yoritomo meant to kill Yoshitaka, but a lady-in-waiting detected it and told Yoshitaka's wife. Thus Yoshitaka was able to slip out of the residence and flee. Yoshitaka was fond of sugoroku, and Yukiuji used to play with him. That night, Yukiuji went into Yoshitaka's sleeping place, covered himself with the bedclothes, and pretended to sleep. The next day he made it look as though he were playing sugoroku alone, and those outside did not notice. Soon Yoritomo heard that Yoshitaka had fled and was greatly enraged, and ordered Hori Chikaie to pursue him. At the bank of the Iruma River he was caught and beheaded (Note: following the Azuma Kagami). Yoshimune was called Kiso-no-Shirō (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Higuchi Kanemitsu

¶Higuchi Kanemitsu, whose clan name was Nakahara, was a son of Nakahara-no-Kanetō, Shinano Gon-no-kami, and was called Higuchi-no-Jirō (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). Together with his younger brother Kanehira, Nei-no-Yukichika, and Tate Chikatada he served Yoshinaka, becoming his claws and fangs, and the four were called in the world the Four Heavenly Kings of Kiso (Note: following the Heike Monogatari. The Genpei Jōsuiki gives Takanashi Tadanao in place of Tate Chikatada). At the battle of Tonami, Kanemitsu led three thousand men and struck the Taira army from Shinohara and defeated it. The Taira withdrew and shut themselves up at Shinohara. Yoshinaka pursued as far as Ataka, gazed from afar at the enemy camp, and asked Kanemitsu, "About how many troops are there?" Kanemitsu answered, "No more than three hundred." Yoshinaka asked, "Who is their commander?" and he answered, "Hatakeyama Shigeyoshi." Yoshinaka said, "Those are elite troops of the Kantō. Be our vanguard and break them." Kanemitsu chose one hundred and fifty men, formed a fish-scale formation, and charged straight into the enemy lines, killing more than two hundred of the enemy, but he himself lost a hundred horsemen, and the two armies broke off evenly (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki. The various texts of the Heike Monogatari say that Imai Kanehira and Ochiai Kaneyuki led five hundred horsemen as the vanguard and fought a decisive battle with Hatakeyama Shigeyoshi, Oyama Arishige, and others, that both armies suffered many casualties, that Shigeyoshi gathered his scattered troops and withdrew, and that Kanemitsu with Kaneyuki led three hundred horsemen against Takahashi Nagatsuna and killed him. Which is correct is not known). When Minamoto-no-Yukiie turned against Yoshinaka and took up position in Ishikawa Castle (Note: the Heike Monogatari gives Nagano Castle), Kanemitsu led five hundred men, attacked and took it, and obtained more than seventy heads. Yukiie fled alone, and Kanemitsu pursued as far as Kii. Soon, as Yoshinaka's army was in difficulty, he released his prisoners, gathered his troops, and hurried back to the capital. When he reached Akiyama at Toba, the troops who followed him gradually slipped away, and his followers were reduced to only thirty horsemen. The eastern army, hearing that Kanemitsu was coming, met him on the Suzaku road. When Kanemitsu reached Yotsuzuka, the Kodama band, being related to Kanemitsu by marriage, urged him to surrender, and Kanemitsu at last surrendered. The Kodama band went to Minamoto-no-Noriyori and Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune and asked that Kanemitsu be spared the death penalty. Earlier, in the disturbance at Hōjūji, Kanemitsu had loosed his troops and humiliated great numbers of court nobles and palace people. The palace people therefore said with one voice, "Kanemitsu is a fierce commander of Yoshinaka's. If he is allowed to live he will surely bring calamity later." The court's deliberation at last decided on the death penalty. When the heads of Yoshinaka and Yoshihira (Note: as in the original text; perhaps Yoshitaka) were paraded through the capital, Kanemitsu was made to follow behind them, and on the following day he was beheaded at Suzaku (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki and the Heike Monogatari). His younger brother was Kanehira.

Imai Kanehira

¶Imai Kanehira. Kanehira was called Imai-no-Shirō. When Hiuchi Castle could no longer be held, he led six thousand troops into Etchū, met Taira-no-Moritoshi at Hannyano, and fought him. They fought from morning till dusk, and he utterly defeated him and cut down more than two thousand men. When Yoshinaka attacked the Hōjūji Palace, Kanehira, leading more than three hundred horsemen, advanced from Kawarazaka and set fire to the palace buildings (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki and the Heike Monogatari), and himself shot and killed Kiyohara-no-Chikanari, Mondo-no-kami, Director of the Water Office (Note: the Yasakabon Heike Monogatari gives Chikanari as Chikanari with a different character, and the Johakubon gives Tomonari, but here the Gyokuyō and the Genpei Jōsuiki are followed). When the eastern army came to attack, he led more than five hundred horsemen together with Minamoto-no-Yoshihiro, defended Seta against them, and broke the bridge and held it. He fought Inage Shigenari and Hangaya Shigetomo, and Yoshihiro was killed in battle. Hearing that Uji had already been broken and the enemy had entered the capital, Kanehira led his remaining several hundred troops and turned back (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki and the Nagatobon Heike Monogatari). At Awazu he met Yoshinaka, and the scattered troops gradually gathered until they numbered four or five hundred horsemen. They fought the eastern army again, and Yoshinaka's soldiers were almost all killed or wounded. Kanehira urged Yoshinaka to take his own life, and himself held off the pursuers alone on horseback. When he had seen Yoshinaka's death, he cried out in a loud voice, "I am Imai-no-Shirō Kanehira." He then charged into the enemy lines and fought. People feared his fierceness and none dared come near. Looking into his quiver, he found that eight arrows still remained, shot them and brought down eight horsemen, and again cried out in a loud voice: "A warrior without equal in Japan is now about to kill himself. Look upon this and take it as your example." Then he took the point of his sword in his mouth, threw himself from his horse, and died (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki).

Imai Tomoe

¶Imai Tomoe. Kanehira's younger sister Tomoe was beautiful and fierce, excelled in the martial arts, and enjoyed Yoshinaka's favor. In every battle she was given command of a detachment, and in the campaigns of the northern provinces she won merit wherever she went. When Yoshinaka was defeated and the mounted warriors who followed him were reduced to just thirteen, Tomoe was among them. When the eastern troops pursued, Tomoe defended fiercely and fought, and the eastern troops flinched. When Yoshinaka reached Shinomiya-gawara, the horsemen who followed him were only seven, but Tomoe was still there. Uchida Ieyoshi, a man of Tōtōmi (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki. The various texts of the Heike Monogatari give Onda Moronaga, and the Johakubon gives Onda Tameshige), who boasted that he had the strength of sixty men, brought his horse alongside Tomoe's and grappled with her, but Tomoe at once cut off his head and took it to show Yoshinaka. Yoshinaka pitied her and said: "A pity, that a fine warrior should be struck down by a single woman. I too do not know by whose hand I shall die. People of later ages will surely say, 'Even at the point of death Yoshinaka was still accompanied by a woman. That only sullies his hard-won name.' Go away from here." Tomoe earnestly begged to go with him, but Yoshinaka comforted and instructed her tenderly. Tomoe returned to her province sobbing. She was twenty-eight years old at the time (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki. The Heike Monogatari was also consulted). Later she is said to have become a nun and lived at Tomosugi in Echigo (Note: following the Nagatobon Heike Monogatari. The Genpei Jōsuiki says that afterwards Yoritomo, hearing of Tomoe's fierceness, summoned her to Kamakura and meant to marry her to Mori Gorō, but Tomoe was resolved to die; Wada Yoshimori asked for her as his wife and she bore a son, who was the man known as Asahina Saburō Yoshihide. When the Wada clan fell, Tomoe secretly fled to Etchū, took refuge with the Ishiguro clan, became a nun, and died at the age of ninety-one. But according to the Azuma Kagami the Wada clan was destroyed in the first year of Hōgen, when Yoshihide was thirty-eight years old. Reckoning backward from the year of Yoshinaka's death in the first year of Genryaku (1184), Yoshihide's birth would fall nine years before it, which does not fit; for this reason this account is not adopted).

Nei Yukichika

¶Nei-no-Yukichika, whose clan name was Shigeno, was a son of Shigeno-no-Kunichika, Saemon-no-jō, Third-Ranking Officer of the Left Gate Guards. He was called Nei-no-Koyata (Note: following the Shigeno Keizu). When Yoshinaka first raised troops, the Taira summoned Nakahara-no-Kanetō and reproached him. Kanetō falsely submitted a written oath, promising to seize Yoshinaka and send him in, and returned, but he did not wish to break his oath. He therefore entrusted Yoshinaka to Yukichika and had him act as the times allowed. Yukichika agreed, secretly sent out instructions, and summoned troops of his home province and the neighborhood, and those who joined him increased day by day (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). In the first year of Yōwa (1181), Yukichika defeated the army of Jō Nagamochi at Yokotagawara (Note: following the Nagatobon Heike Monogatari). Soon, when Taira-no-Michimori came to attack, Yoshinaka met him, and Yukichika, serving as the vanguard, defeated him at Suizu in Echizen (Note: following the Azuma Kagami and the Hyakurenshō). At the battle of Tonami he led two thousand troops up Mount Miroku, and together with the other commanders caught the enemy between two forces and utterly defeated them, pursuing the fleeing enemy as far as Kaga. Yukichika, leading two hundred and fifty horsemen, met the five hundred horsemen of Hida Kagetaka, and they fought so fiercely that nearly all on both sides were killed or wounded. Yukichika shot Kagetaka's horse, and Kagetaka fell from it. Yukichika too dismounted, and they fought hand to hand. When Kagetaka's sword broke, Yukichika thought, "To take advantage of a man in danger is not courage," and himself threw down his sword and grappled with him, and at last killed Kagetaka. When Yoshinaka attacked the Hōjūji Palace, Yukichika shot and killed Enne Hōshinnō. When the eastern army entered the capital, Yukichika, together with his son Chikatada, led more than three hundred horsemen toward Uji, but the fighting went against them and they withdrew their troops. The eastern troops pursued, and Yukichika fought as he withdrew. When Kawaguchi Genzō and Funakoshi Kojirō pressed upon Yukichika side by side, Yukichika spread his arms to the left and right and met them. Genzō and Kojirō urged their horses forward and tried to seize Yukichika from left and right, whereupon Yukichika clamped the two under his arms, pulled Kojirō by his sash, threw him into a muddy swamp and killed him. Genzō clung to his saddle and would not move, so Yukichika threw himself down together with his horse and killed him. The eastern troops flinched, and none dared to advance. Yukichika then gathered his scattered troops and went back to the capital. He met Yoshinaka at the Rokujō riverbank, fought a great battle with the eastern troops, and at last fell in battle in the midst of the field (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki).

¶His son Chikatada was called Tate-no-Rokurō (Note: following the Shigeno Keizu and the Genpei Jōsuiki). He followed Yoshinaka and repeatedly won distinction in battle, and fell in battle with Yukichika at the Rokujō riverbank (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki).

Asahara Tamenori

¶Asahara Tamenori (Note: Asa is also written with a different character) was called Hachirō, a man of Kai and a branch of the Ogasawara clan. His appearance was imposing, he had great physical strength, and he excelled at drawing a strong bow. He was by nature a ruffian, did not engage in any family occupation, and constantly gathered bands in the various provinces and became a robber chief, so that the common people suffered greatly from him. The court ordered the officials of the places where he was to seize him, but they could not catch him (Note: following the Hōreki Kanki). In the spring of the third year of Shōō (1290), Tamenori secretly came to the capital. At night, in armor with his two sons, he rode into the imperial palace (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki), and asked a nyoju, a lady attendant, "Where is His Majesty resting?" The nyoju falsely answered, "He is resting because of illness." He asked further, "Where is the Shinden?" and she answered, "In the northeast corner of the Nanden." Tamenori went in as he had been told. The nyoju hurried inside and reported the incident by way of Naga-hime. At that time the Emperor was actually in the Empress's residence, so he put on women's clothing and took refuge in the Kasuga Palace. Some among the palace people followed the Emperor carrying the treasured regalia, and others took refuge with the Crown Prince in their arms at the Tokiwai Palace (Note: following the Masukagami). Tamenori had already entered the Shinden, and Kageyori (Note: Kageyori's surname is not known), a guard of the Empress's household, grappled with him and was wounded. More than fifty soldiers of the kagariya guard post at Nijō-Kyōgoku came in from outside, broke down the gate and chased him. Tamenori, realizing that he could not escape, went with his two sons to the Shishinden, and each cut open his belly and died. The remains of the three were sent together to Rokuhara (Note: following the Masukagami and the Shimazu and Imagawa texts of the Taiheiki). When the arrows he had shot were examined at the time, six were found engraved with the words "to strike the Daijō-daijin" and with Tamenori's name (Note: following the Hōreki Kanki). The sword Tamenori carried was a treasured blade formerly handed down in the house of Fujiwara-no-Sanemori, Sangi, Counsellor, named Namazuo, "Catfish Tail." Sanemori and his son were arrested on account of their involvement in this affair (Note: following the Masukagami, the Hōreki Kanki, the Shimazu and Imagawa texts of the Taiheiki, and the Rekidai Kōki). Now, when Emperor Fushimi ascended the throne, the Retired Emperor Kameyama had been angry, holding that it did not accord with the last testament of Emperor Go-Saga (Note: following the Masukagami). That Tamenori had invaded the palace was rumored in the world to have been done at the Retired Emperor's instigation. Fujiwara-no-Kinhira, Gon-dainagon, memorialized Emperor Go-Fukakusa and asked that the Retired Emperor be moved to Rokuhara, but this was not granted. He therefore forged an edict of Emperor Fushimi in an attempt to lay the guilt on the Retired Emperor. The Retired Emperor then made a written oath and gave it to Hōjō Tokimune, proving his own innocence. In this way the affair was settled (Note: following the Masukagami, the Hōreki Kanki, and the Shimazu and Imagawa texts of the Taiheiki).

Fujiwara-no-Kinmune

¶Fujiwara-no-Kinmune was a son of Fujiwara-no-Saneane, Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior. In the second year of Shōchū (1325) he was appointed Sangi, Counsellor, and concurrently Sakonoe-no-chūjō, Middle Captain of the Left Imperial Guards. In the second year of Gentoku (1330) he was gradually promoted to Gon-dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor, and granted Senior Second Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). At the time of the Jōkyū disturbance, an ancestor of his, Kintsune, had secretly sided with Hōjō Yoshitoki, and Yoshitoki felt deeply obliged to him. For this reason the Fujiwara house was tied to Kamakura through the generations, and the two supported each other; their power overshadowed court and country alike, none in the court could match them, and many consorts also came from this house. Ever since Hōjō Takatoki was put to death, Kinmune had been inwardly uneasy and constantly wished for the restoration of the Hōjō. He sheltered Takatoki's younger brother Yasuie, and day and night they plotted rebellion together. His retainer Miyoshi Bunkō urged him, saying: "If one wishes to know the rise and fall of a state, the best way is to observe whether its government is good or bad. If one wishes to know whether the government is good or bad, the best way is to see whether worthy ministers are being employed or cast aside. Now the only one standing in the court and keeping to principle is Fujiwara-no-Fujifusa alone. His remonstrances were not heeded, and he has withdrawn and vanished. One can tell from this how the times stand. Why does my lord not summon your old retainers at once and work for the restoration of Kamakura?" Kinmune then planned to have Yasuie raise a revolt in the capital. Takatoki's son Tokiyuki raised troops in the Kantō, and Nagoshi Tokikane raised troops in the northern provinces. In the second year of Kenmu (1335), he secretly plotted to murder the Emperor: in his residence at Kitayama he built a bathhouse, set many blades beneath the floor, and made contrivances by which the Emperor could be trapped. When this was finished, he invited the Emperor to a banquet, wishing to liken it to an imperial visit to the Huaqing Palace in Tang. The Emperor consented. That night the Emperor saw in a dream a woman who had come from the Shinsen'en garden, saying: "In front are tigers and wolves, behind is a male bear." The Emperor awoke and found it strange. On the way to Kitayama, as he passed the Shinsen'en he prayed to the god of the pond, and the water suddenly boiled up. The Emperor found this stranger still, and stopped his carriage and would not proceed. Just then Kinmune's younger brother Kinshige came galloping to give urgent warning, and the carriage turned back at once. The Emperor sent an edict to Minamoto-no-Sadahira, Sakonoe-no-chūjō, and to Yūki Chikamitsu and Nawa Nagatoshi, ordering them to lead troops and seize Kinmune and his younger brother Toshisue. Toshisue escaped, but Sadahira and the others seized Kinmune. Kinmune wept and said: "Our house has enjoyed deep favor through the generations, and we are so fortunate as to be connected by marriage. How could we harbor the discontent that leads to rebellion? I hope that this was contrived by someone who envies and hates our house." The Emperor commanded, "Confine him at Sadahira's residence." When Chikamitsu was ordered to put Miyoshi Bunkō to the question, he confessed on the third day, and was beheaded at the Rokujō riverbank. The Emperor did not wish to execute a minister, and decided to banish Kinmune to Izumo. As he set out, Nawa Nagatoshi and the others at last killed Kinmune, and also beheaded his maternal relative Fujiwara-no-Ujimitsu, Uhyōe-no-suke, Assistant Captain of the Right Gate Guards (Note: following the Taiheiki. The beheading of Ujimitsu follows the Tenshō text). At that time Kinmune's wife was with child; some months later she gave birth and was hiding near Ninnaji. The Emperor ordered Sadahira to search out her dwelling. A lady-in-waiting, Kasuga-no-tsubone, came out to meet the envoy, and falsely answered: "My lady, in her anguish, finally miscarried, and the child did not survive." And she swore to it by composing a poem, saying that if her words were false, then like the dew resting in the Forest of Tadasu, the Forest of Truth, vanishing away, her sleeves would be wet with tears. The Emperor pitied her words and let the matter pass without inquiry. This child later grew up and took the name Sanetoshi (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin, the Sonpi Bunmyaku, and the Taiheiki), served the Retired Emperor Gokōgon, and rose in office as far as Udaijin, Minister of the Right (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Kinmune was skilled at playing the biwa, and during the time he was plotting rebellion he shut himself up for seven days at the Kitano shrine to pray, and by chance played the tune "Gyokuju," the Jade Tree. Takashige, Moku-no-kami, Director of the Bureau of Carpentry (Note: his surname is not known), heard it and said: "The Jade Tree is the sound of a ruined state. Moreover, in the way it is played there are far too many murderous notes." Soon, it is said, the affair indeed failed (Note: following the Taiheiki).