thumb|250px|Minamoto no Yoshiie by [[Yashima Gakutei, 1825.]]

thumb|"Minamoto no Yoshiie" by [[Tsukioka Yoshitoshi|Tsuioka Yoshitoshi. This woodblock print depicts a story from the 9th chapter of the Kokon Chomonju. A husband suspects his wife is having an affair with a samurai, Yoshiie, and surrounds his house with brambles. When Yoshiie simply jumps over the brambles, the husband places a Go board by the balcony in hopes of tripping him. Instead, Yoshiie slices the Go board.]]

, also known as and his title , was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and Chinjufu-shōgun (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North).

The first son of Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, he proved himself in battle with the Abe clan in the Zenkunen War (Former Nine Years' War) and the Kiyohara clan in the Gosannen War (Later Three Years' War). Subsequently, he became something of a paragon of samurai skill and bravery. Oe no Masafusa was his teacher for the art of war.

As a result of his dramatic prowess in battle, he earned the name Hachiman taro, referring to him as the "son of Hachiman", the god of war. The following year, Yoshiie took several followers of the Abe, who he had taken as captives, as attendants Abe no Munetō became his retainer.

The Later Three Years' War

thumb|The Later Three Year War

Over twenty years later, Yoshiie was the chief commander in another important conflict of the Heian period. Beginning in 1083, he battled the Kiyohara family, who had fought alongside him and his father against the Abe, but who had since proven themselves poor rulers of the northern provinces.

Genta ga Ubukinu is a suit of armour that is said to have been used and extensively passed down the Minamoto clan. It is also sometimes written or known as “Genta ga Ubuginu”, “Kuwantaka Ubuginu”, “Armour of Guwatsuta”, and “Armour of Maruta”.

It is said that Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, who served Koichijo-in faithfully, had witnessed the birth of his son Minamoto-no-Yoshiie and was notably overjoyed at his birth, eventually passing the armour down to him.

It is said that the deities Amaterasu and Hachiman were depicted on the chest plate, and wisteria flowers were displayed on its sleeves. During the Heiji Rebellion, Minamoto-no-Yoritomo donned the Genta ga Ubukinu. At the time, he was around twelve years old. It is one of the eight armor of the .

In the legends of The Tale of Tsuru no Hanagata Castle (鶴の羽形城物語) and The Legend of Princess Unohana (卯の花姫伝説) the daughter of Abe no Sadato was a woman named Hanahime who was known to be a stubborn, beautiful woman who excelled in martial arts and wanted to end the war as soon as possible. When Minamoto no Yoriyoshi became the Governor of Mutsu Province, the Abe clan held a grand feast to celebrate Yoriyoshi’s promotion, which is where Hanahime met Yoshiie and eventually formed a close relationship with him. Yoshiie and Hanahime’s relationship later reached a point where they regularly sent letters to each other, and Hanahime once received a letter from Yoshiie saying, “I will welcome you to the capital as my wife”, but their relationship was sadly torn apart due to the Former Nine Years’ War.

After the Abe family was defeated, Hanahime and Yoshiie fled to Dewa and traversed the Ishikari mountain range. Hanahime set up camp on one of the mountains near a river, and with the help of monks and soldiers, she fought against the Abe clan alongside the Minamoto, but her struggle was futile and she was eventually overpowered. Hanahime threw herself off the cliff in Mibuchi Valley, committing suicide because she refused to surrender. The handmaids who had accompanied her followed suit, also throwing themselves into the valley, while the remaining soldiers were killed in battle. After this, she was worshipped as a dragon god.

Family

  • Father: Minamoto no Yoriyoshi (源頼義, 988–1075)
  • Mother: Daughter of Taira no Naokata (平直方の娘)
  • Wife: Daughter of Fujiwara no Aritsuna (藤原有綱の娘)
  • Son: Minamoto no Yoshichika (? - 1108)
  • Son: Minamoto no Yoshikuni (源義国, 1082–1155)
  • Son Minamoto no Yoshimune
  • Son Minamoto no Yoshitaka
  • Son Minamoto no Yoshitada
  • Son Minamoto no Yoshitoki

Family tree

See also

  • Seiwa Genji
  • Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate.
  • Ashikaga Takauji, the first shōgun of the Ashikaga shogunate.
  • Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate.
  • Scroll of the Latter Three Years' War
  • Heike Tsuruginomaki
  • Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa
  • Tsūhō-ji
  • Nue

References

  • Minamoto no Yoshiie at the Samurai-Archives.com