Minamoto no Yoshitsune 

(源 義経, c. 1159 – June 15, 1189) was a military commander of

the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War,
he led a series of battles which toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-
brother Yoritomo consolidate power. He is considered one of the greatest and the most popular
warriors of his era, and one of the most famous samurai fighters in the history of Japan.[1] Yoshitsune
perished after being betrayed by the son of a trusted ally

Early Life of Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and the third and final son and child that
Yoshitomo would father with Tokiwa Gozen.[2] 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 Ushiwakamaru (牛若丸). He was born just before the Heiji
Rebellion in 1160 in which his father and two oldest brothers were killed.[3] 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 (鞍馬寺),[4]: 
61 
 nestled in the Hiei Mountains near the capital of Kyoto. There he was taught swordsmanship and
strategy, according to some legends by Sōjōbō, to others by Kiichi Hōgen (whose book, Six Secret
Teachings, Ushiwakamaru stole). 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

Career
 skillful swordsman, Yoshitsune defeated the legendary warrior monk Benkei in a duel. From then
on, Benkei became Yoshitsune's retainer, eventually dying with him at the Siege of Koromogawa.[4]
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, 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[5] 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 present-day 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
Final Years
Following the Genpei War, Yoshitsune was appointed as Governor of Iyo and awarded other titles by
cloistered emperor Go-Shirakawa.[6] His suspicious brother Yoritomo, however, opposed the
presentation of these titles, and nullified them.
Yoshitsune then secured imperial authorization to ally with his uncle Minamoto no Yukiie in opposing
Yoritomo.[3]: 316 [6]: 140–143  Incurring Yoritomo's wrath, Yoshitsune fled Kyoto in 1185. His faithful
mistress, Shizuka Gozen, carrying his unborn child, fled with him at first, but then was left behind,
and soon taken into custody by forces loyal to Yoritomo.
Yoshitsune eventually made his way to Hiraizumi, Mutsu, once again to the protection of Fujiwara no
Hidehira, and lived undisturbed for a time. Hidehira's son Fujiwara no Yasuhira had promised upon
Hidehira's death to honor his father's wishes and continue to shelter Yoshitsune, but, giving in to
pressure from Yoritomo, betrayed Yoshitsune, surrounding his Koromogawa-no-tachi residence with
his troops, defeating Yoshitsune's retainers, including Benkei (in a famous "standing death"), and
forcing Yoshitsune to commit seppuku. Yasuhira then had Yoshitsune's head preserved in sake,
placed in a black-lacquered chest, and sent to Yoritomo as proof of his death.[3] Historical sources
differ as to the fate of Yoshitsune's mistress Shizuka and their son.
Yoshitsune is enshrined in the Shirahata Jinja, a Shinto shrine in the city of Fujisawa.