was a Japanese samurai commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. His older half-brother was Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate. His common name was Kurō, and his formal name was Yoshitsune.
Born as the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo of the Kawachi Genji clan, his childhood name was Ushiwakamaru. Due to his father's defeat and death in the Heiji Rebellion, he was entrusted to Kurama-dera temple. He later traveled down to Hiraizumi, where he received the protection of Fujiwara no Hidehira, the head of the Ōshū Fujiwara clan.
When his half-brother Yoritomo raised an army to overthrow the Taira clan (the Jishō-Juei War), Yoshitsune rushed to join him. He became the greatest contributor to the Minamoto victory, destroying the Taira clan through the battles of Ichi-no-Tani, Yashima, and Dan-no-ura. Although Yoritomo and Yoshitsune initially had a close relationship, described as being like "father and son," Yoshitsune incurred Yoritomo's wrath by accepting court titles without permission and acting independently during the war against the Taira.
When Yoshitsune showed signs of seeking his own independence in response, he came into conflict with Yoritomo and was declared an enemy of the court. After an order for his capture was issued nationwide, he fled and once again sought refuge with Fujiwara no Hidehira. However, after Hidehira's death, Hidehira's successor, Fujiwara no Yasuhira, under pressure from Yoritomo, attacked Yoshitsune. He was forced to commit suicide at the Koromogawa-no-tachi mansion in what is now Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture.
He is considered one of the greatest and the most popular warriors of his era, and one of the most famous samurai in the history of Japan. Later labelled as a tragic hero, his dramatic end drew great sympathy from the public, giving rise to the term hōganbiiki (sympathy for the underdog, from one of Yoshitsune's titles, Hōgan), as well as numerous legends and stories.
Early life
thumb|The fight between Ushiwakamaru and the bandit chief [[Kumasaka Chohan in 1174. Yoshitsune was only 15 when he defeated the notorious bandit leader. Ukiyo-e printed by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. Warriors Trembling with Courage .|upright=1]]
thumb|Yoshitsune and [[Benkei defending themselves in their boat during a storm created by the ghosts of conquered Taira warriors. Made by Utagawa Kuniyoshi|upright]]
Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and the third and final son and child that Yoshitomo would father with Tokiwa Gozen. Yoshitsune's older half-brother Minamoto no Yoritomo (the third son of Yoshitomo) would go on to establish the Kamakura shogunate. Yoshitsune's name in childhood was or young bull (). He was born just before the Heiji Rebellion in 1160 in which his father and two oldest brothers were killed. He survived this incident by fleeing the capital with his mother, while his half-brother Yoritomo was banished to Izu Province. When he was 10, Yoshitsune was placed in the care of the monks of Kurama temple (), Not wanting to become a monk, Yoshitsune eventually left and followed a gold merchant who knew his father well, and in 1174 relocated to Hiraizumi, Mutsu Province, where he was put under the protection of Fujiwara no Hidehira, head of the powerful regional Northern Fujiwara clan.
In 1180, Yoshitsune heard that Yoritomo, now head of the Minamoto clan, had raised an army at the request of Prince Mochihito to fight against the Taira clan (also known as the Heike), which had usurped the power of the emperor. In the ensuing war between the rival Minamoto and Taira samurai clans, which is known as the Genpei War, Yoshitsune joined Yoritomo, along with Minamoto no Noriyori, all brothers who had not previously met.
Yoshitsune, together with his brother Noriyori, defeated the Taira in several key battles. He also attacked and killed his cousin Minamoto no Yoshinaka, a rival for control of the Minamoto clan, at the Battle of Awazu in Ōmi Province in early 1184 on the orders of Yoritomo.
Yoshitsune, who had by then been given the rank of general, went on to defeat the Taira at the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani in what is now Kobe in March 1184, and again at the Battle of Yashima in Shikoku in March 1185. He finally destroyed them one month later at the Battle of Dan-no-ura in present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture. His suspicious brother Yoritomo, however, opposed the presentation of these titles, and nullified them.
thumb|An [[ivory carving depicting Yoshitsune and his retainers looking at the rough sea while fleeing from Yoritomo's pursuers, by Ishikawa Komei, circa 1880. Walters Art Museum|upright]]
Yoshitsune then secured imperial authorization to ally with his uncle Minamoto no Yukiie in opposing Yoritomo. This theory was popular in Japan from the late 19th to the early 20th century. It's believed that the theory was convenient for Japan at the time, which was promoting "enriching the country, strengthening the military" as its national slogan. After World War II ended in 1945, the theory's popularity waned due to the belief that it was disrespectful to the Mongolian people.
According to the tradition of the Henshoji temple in Mooka, Tochigi, and as printed in their magazine, Hitachibō Kaison entrusted a monk Hitachi Nyūdō Nensai with a child of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Keiwaka, as demanded by Fujiwara Hidehira. Furthermore, according to the tradition of Enmyō-ji temple in Hirosaki, Aomori, Chitose Maru, also known as Keiwakamaru, was a child of Yoshitsune, entrusted to Date Tomomune by Kaison. Kaison disappeared after the adoption.
Koshigoe Letter
The "Koshigoe Letter" was written by Yoshitsune on the 24th day of the 5th month of the second year of Genryaku (June 23, 1185) as he waited in Koshigoe for approval from Yoritomo to enter Kamakura. The letter was Yoshitsune's "final appeal" to Yoritomo of his loyalty. The letter is a "mixture of bravado and an almost masochistic indulgence in misfortune." An excerpt: Then, romantic stories about his early childhood and last years of his life appeared as people began to know more about him.
The legends that deal with his public career show Yoshitsune as a great, virtuous warrior. He was often shown as kind to those around him and honorable, but was also shown to be naive.