Everything about Gempei War totally explained
The (
1180–
1185) were a conflict between the
Taira and
Minamoto clans and in late-
Heian period Japan. They resulted in the fall of the Taira clan and establishment of the
Kamakura shogunate under
Minamoto Yoritomo in
1192.
The name "Genpei" (pronounced and sometimes romanised as
Gempei) comes from alternate readings of the
kanji 'Minamoto' (源) and 'Taira' (平). The conflict is also known in Japanese as the, after the two
eras between which it took place.
It began with Minamoto support for a different candidate to take the throne, in conflict with the Taira's nomination. The ensuing
Battle of Uji took place just outside
Kyoto, starting a five-year long war, concluding with a decisive Minamoto victory in the naval
Battle of Dan-no-ura.
Background
The Genpei Wars were the culmination of a decades-long conflict between the two afore-mentioned clans over dominance of the Imperial court, and by extension, control of Japan. In the
Hōgen Rebellion and in the
Heiji Rebellion of earlier decades, the Minamoto attempted to regain control from the Taira and failed. The Taira then began a series of executions, intended to eliminate their rivals.
In
1177, relations between the Taira clan and the retired
Emperor Go-Shirakawa became highly strained, and the latter attempted a
coup d'État to oust the
Daijō Daijin (
prime minister),
Taira no Kiyomori. Kiyomori defeated the former emperor and abolished the
Insei system. This provoked strong anti-Taira sentiment.
On
March 21 1180, Taira no Kiyomori put his grandson,
Antoku (then only two years of age), on the throne, after the abdication of
Emperor Takakura. Go-Shirakawa's son,
Prince Mochihito, felt that he was being denied his rightful place on the throne and, with the help of
Minamoto no Yorimasa, sent out a call to arms to the various
samurai families and
Buddhist monasteries on
May 5.
In June, Kiyomori moved the seat of imperial power to
Fukuhara (modern day
Kobe), in the hope of promoting trade with
Song Dynasty China, and on the
fifteenth of that month, Prince Mochihito fled
Kyoto to take refuge in
Mii-dera.
Beginnings of the war
The actions of Taira no Kiyomori having deepened Minamoto hatred for the Taira clan, a call for arms was sent up by
Minamoto no Yorimasa and Prince Mochihito. Not knowing who was behind this rally, Kiyomori called for the arrest of Mochihito, who sought protection at the temple of
Mii-dera. The Mii-dera monks were unable to ensure him sufficient protection, so he was forced to move along. He was then chased by Taira forces to the
Byōdō-in, just outside Kyoto. The war began thus, with a dramatic encounter on and around the
bridge over the River Uji. This battle ended in Yorimasa's ritual suicide inside the Byōdō-in and Mochihito's capture and execution shortly afterwards.
It was at this point that
Minamoto no Yoritomo took over leadership of the Minamoto clan and began traveling the country seeking to rendezvous with allies. Leaving
Izu Province, heading for the
Hakone Pass, he was defeated by the Taira in the
battle of Ishibashiyama. However he successfully made it to the provinces of
Kai and
Kozuke, where the
Takeda and other friendly families helped repel the Taira army. Meanwhile, Taira no Kiyomori, seeking vengeance against the Mii-dera monks and others,
besieged Nara and burnt much of the city to the ground.
Fighting continued the following year.
Minamoto no Yukiie launched an unsuccessful sneak attack attempt against the army of
Taira no Tomomori at the
Battle of Sunomatagawa. He was pursued by them to
the Yahahigawa, destroying the bridge over the river in order to slow the Taira progress. He was defeated and forced to withdraw once again, but Taira no Tomomori fell ill and called off his pursuit of Yukiie's forces.
Taira no Kiyomori died from illness in the spring of 1181, and around the same time Japan began to suffer from a famine which would last through the following year. The Taira moved to attack
Minamoto no Yoshinaka, a cousin of Yoritomo, who had raised forces in the north but were unsuccessful. For nearly two years, the war ceased, only to resume in the spring of 1183.
The turning of the tide
Minamoto no Yoritomo, suspicious of the strength of his cousin, launched a series of attacks against Yoshinaka. Yoshinaka had sought to take for himself lands controlled by Yoritomo, which had earlier belonged to Yoshinaka's father. Though the two reconciled with one another and agreed to focus on their common enemy, the Taira, this rivalry would remain strong throughout the war. Forced to recognize Yoritomo as the head of the clan and to send his son
Yoshitaka to
Kamakura as a hostage, Yoshinaka wouldn't truly fight alongside his cousin for much of the war. He sought to defeat the Taira himself and to reach Kyoto before Yoritomo, claiming victory and the according honor and power.
Placating Yoritomo's suspicions of treachery or betrayal, Yoshinaka survived an assault on his fortress at
Hiuchiyama by
Taira no Koremori and engaged Koremori again at the
battle of Kurikara. Yoshinaka's victory for the Minamoto at Kurikara, also known as the battle of Tonamiyama, would prove to be the turning point in the war. Through creative tactics, skillful division of his forces and a series of bluffs and diversions, Yoshinaka inflicted heavy losses on the Taira, who fled, confused and demoralized.
The Taira loss at Kurikara was so severe that they found themselves, several months later, under siege in Kyoto, with Yoshinaka approaching the city from the northeast and Yukiie from the east. Both Minamoto leaders had seen little or no opposition in marching to the capital and now forced the Taira to flee the city.
Taira no Munemori, head of the clan since his father Kiyomori's death, led his army, along with the young
Emperor Antoku and the
Imperial regalia, to his clan's fortresses in western Honshū and Shikoku.
Internal Minamoto clan hostilities
The Taira clan set fire to their Rokuhara palace and the surrounding district, leaving Minamoto no Yoshinaka with the only force of any significant power in the
Home Provinces surrounding the capital. Empowered with a mandate by
Emperor Go-Shirakawa to pursue the Taira and destroy them, Yoshinaka once again sought to gain control of the Minamoto clan and regain his ancestral lands from his cousins Yoritomo and
Yoshitsune.
Meanwhile, the fleeing Taira set up a temporary Court at
Dazaifu in
Kyūshū, the southernmost of Japan's main islands. They were forced out soon afterwards by local revolts, spurred by Emperor Go-Shirakawa and sought refuge at Yashima, a small island in the
Inland Sea.
Yoshinaka sent a force to pursue the Taira, while he led a second force back to Kamakura to delay his cousins' actions. While his men lost to the Taira at
Mizushima, Yoshinaka conspired with Yukiie to seize the capital and the Emperor, possibly even establishing a new Court in the north. However, Yukiie revealed these plans to the Emperor, who communicated them to Yoritomo.
Betrayed by Yukiie, Yoshinaka took command of Kyoto and, at the beginning of 1184, set fire to the
Hōjūjidono, taking the Emperor into custody. Minamoto no Yoshitsune arrived soon afterwards with his brother
Noriyori and a considerable force, driving Yoshinaka from the city. After fighting his cousins at the
bridge over the Uji, where the war began, Yoshinaka made his final stand at
Awazu, in
Ōmi province.
Final stages of the conflict
As the united Minamoto forces left Kyoto, the Taira began consolidating their position at a number of sites in and around the Inland Sea, which was their ancestral home territory. They received a number of missives from the Emperor offering that if they surrendered by the seventh day of the second month, the Minamoto could be convinced to agree to a truce. This was a farce, as neither the Minamoto nor the Emperor had any intentions of waiting until the eight day to attack. Nevertheless, this tactic offered the Emperor a chance to regain the Regalia and to distract the Taira leadership.
The Minamoto army, led by Yoshitsune and Noriyori, made their first major assault at
Ichi-no-Tani, one of the primary Taira fortresses on Honshū. The fortress was surrounded, and the Taira retreated to Shikoku. However, the Minamoto were not prepared to assault Shikoku; a six-month pause thus ensued during which the Minamoto took the proper steps. Though on the retreat, the Taira enjoyed the distinct advantages of being in friendly, home territories, and of being far more adept at naval combat than their rivals.
It wasn't until nearly a year after Ichi-no-Tani that the main Taira fortress at
Yashima came under assault. Seeing bonfires on the mainland of Shikoku, the Taira expected a land-based attack and took to their ships. This was a deceptive play on the part of the Minamoto, however, who lay in wait with their own navy. The Yashima fortress fell, along with the improvised imperial palace built there by the Taira, many of whom however escaped along with the Imperial regalia and the Emperor Antoku.
The Genpei War came to an end one month later, following the
battle of Dan-no-ura, one of the most famous and important battles in Japanese history. The Minamoto engaged the Taira fleet in the
Straits of Shimonoseki, a tiny body of water separating the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū. After a series of archery duels, hand-to-hand fighting broke out. The tides played a powerful role in the development of the battle, granting the advantage first to the Taira, who were more experienced and abler sailors and later to the Minamoto. The Minamoto advantage was considerably enhanced by the defection of
Taguchi Shigeyoshi, a Taira general who revealed the location of Emperor Antoku and the regalia. The Minamoto redirected their attention on the Emperor's ship, and the battle quickly swung in their favor.
Many of the Taira samurai, along with Emperor Antoku and his grandmother
Taira no Tokiko, widow of Taira no Kiyomori, threw themselves into the waves rather than live to see their clan's ultimate defeat at the hands of the Minamoto.
Consequences of the Genpei War
The Taira clan was destroyed, and the Minamoto victory was followed by the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate. Though
Minamoto no Yoritomo wasn't the first to ever hold the title of
Shogun, he was the first to wield it in a role of nationwide scope. The end of the Genpei War and beginning of the Kamakura shogunate marked the rise of military (samurai) power and the suppression of the power of the emperor, who was compelled to preside without effective political or military power, until the
Meiji Restoration over 650 years later.
In addition, this war and its aftermath established red and white, the colors of the Taira and Minamoto standards, respectively, as Japan's national colors. Today, these colors can be seen on the
flag of Japan, and also in banners and flags in
sumo and other traditional activities.
Battles
Major figures in the Genpei War
Minamoto Clan
The Minamoto were one of the four great clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period (794-1185). They were, however, decimated by the Taira in the
Heiji Rebellion of
1160. Minamoto no Yoshitomo had been the head of the clan at this time; upon his defeat at the hands of Taira no Kiyomori, two of his sons were killed and the third, Minamoto no Yoritomo, was banished. Following the call to arms of Prince Mochihito and Minamoto no Yorimasa in 1180, the clan would gather together and rise to power again. The Genpei war would see the Minamoto clan defeat the Taira and take command of the entire country.
Minamoto no Noriyori (源範頼), general, younger brother of Yoritomo.
Minamoto no Yorimasa (源頼政), head of the clan at the beginning of the war.
Minamoto no Yoritomo (源頼朝), head of the clan upon Yorimasa's death.
Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源義経), younger brother of Yoritomo, chief general of the clan.
Minamoto no Yukiie (源行家), general, uncle to Yoritomo.
Allies and vassals:
- Emperor Go-Shirakawa (後白河), cloistered (retired) emperor.
- Prince Mochihito (以仁王), Imperial Prince.
- Benkei (弁慶), sōhei (warrior monk), ally of Yoshitsune.
- Hōjō Tokimasa (時政 北条), head of the Hōjō clan (北条), father-in-law of Yoritomo.
- Kajiwara Kagetoki (景時 梶原), officially an ally of Yoshitsune, in fact a spy for Yoritomo.
- Kumagai Naozane (直実 熊谷), samurai vassal of Yoritomo.
- Sasaki Moritsuna (盛綱 佐々木), vassal of Noriyori who commanded the assault at the battle of Kojima.
- Taguchi Shigeyoshi (重能 田口), Taira general who turned to the Minamoto camp upon seeing the tide turn at the battle of Dan no Ura, thus ensuring Minamoto victory.
- Nasu no Yoichi (那須与一), celebrated archer and Minamoto ally.
- Yada Yoshiyasu (矢田 義康), vassal of Yoshinaka and commander of Minamoto forces at the battle of Mizushima.
- The sōhei (warrior-monks) of Mii-dera and other temples. Three in particular are mentioned in the Heike Monogatari for their part in the first battle of Uji:
- Ichirai Hoshi (一来 法師), who is famous for having jumped ahead of Jomyo Meishu and led the Mii-dera monks to battle.
- Gochin no Tajima (ごちん忽), called Tajima the arrow-cutter, and famous for deflecting the arrows of the Taira with his naginata, upon the bridge over the Uji.
- Tsutsui Jomyo Meishu (筒井 浄妙 めいしゅ), who fought to his last on the bridge over the Uji, taking over sixty arrows and still fighting.
- Partisans of Minamoto no Yoshinaka (源義仲), cousin of Yoritomo, who supported his rebellion:
- Imai Kanehira (兼平 今井), who joined Yoshinaka in his escape to Seta.
Taira Clan
The Taira clan was one of the four great clans which dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period (794-1185). As a result of the near-total destruction of their rival clan, the Minamoto, in the Heiji Rebellion of 1160, Taira no Kiyomori, head of the clan, initiated the Genpei War at the height of his power. The end of the war, however, brought destruction to the Taira clan.
Taira no Atsumori (平敦盛), young samurai killed by Kumagai Naozane who, because of his youth and innocence, became quite famous in death.
Taira no Kiyomori (平清盛), head of the clan at the beginning of the war.
Taira no Koremori (平維盛), grandson of Kiyomori.
Taira no Munemori (平宗盛), son and heir of Kiyomori; head of the clan for much of the war.
Taira no Noritsune (平教経), a Taira clan samurai
Taira no Shigehira (平重衡), general, son of Kiyomori.
Taira no Tadanori (平忠度), general, brother of Kiyomori.
Taira no Tokiko (平時子), wife of Kiyomori who committed suicide at the battle of Dan-no-ura.
Taira no Tomomori (平知盛), general, son of Kiyomori.
Taira no Yukimori (平行盛), general, commander of the Taira forces at the battle of Kojima.
Allies and vassals:
- Emperor Antoku (安徳), Emperor of Japan and grandson of Taira no Kiyomori
- Ōba Kagechika (景親 大庭), vassal of the Taira.
- Saitō Sanemori (実盛 斎藤), former vassal of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, switched sides and became a vassal of Taira no Munenori.
- Seno Kaneyasu (兼康 妹尾), vassal of the Taira who commanded at the Fukuryūji fortress.
- Taguchi Shigeyoshi (重能 田口), Taira general who turned to the Minamoto camp upon seeing the tide turn at the battle of Dan no Ura, thus ensuring Minamoto victory.
- The sōhei (warrior-monks) of Enryaku-ji (延暦寺), at least in theory, on account of their rivalry with the Mii-dera, which was allied with the Minamoto.
The Genpei War in literature
Many stories and works of art depict this conflict. The Tale of the Heike (Heike Monogatari, 平家物語) is one of the most famous, though many Kabuki and bunraku plays reproduce events of the war as well. Ichinotani futaba gunki (Chronicle of the battle of Ichi-no-Tani) by Namiki Sōsuke may be one of the more famous of these.
"Shike" by Robert Shea features a somewhat fictionalised account of the wars, as seen from the perspectives of his two main characters, the Zinja Monk Jebu, and the Noblewoman Lady Shima Taniko. The names of the two rival clans have been changed, "Minamoto" to "Muratomo" and "Taira" to "Takashi".
Another fictionalized account of the conflict forms the central plot of Civil War (also known as Turbulent Times), the ninth volume of Osamu Tezuka's celebrated Phoenix series.
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