1
Minamoto Yoshitsune
(1159–1189)
JAMES BOYD
Minamoto Yoshitsune is an important medi-
eval Japanese samurai commander who was
responsible for the three victories that helped
the Minamoto defeat the Taira during the
Genpei Wars. He is also, because of the cir-
cumstances surrounding his upbringing and
his death, Japan’s foremost tragic hero.
Yoshitsune, the youngest child of
Minamoto Yoshimoto, who died during the
Heiji War of 1160, only survived the custom-
ary massacre of family members because of
his mother’s great beauty. Yoshitsune was
subsequently dispatched to Kurama temple
on the outskirts of Kyoto, where it was
expected that he would become a Buddhist
monk. At the age of 11, however, Yoshitsune
learned his true identity and stubbornly
refused to take the tonsure. Instead, he
secretly devoted himself to martial practice
and the study of military strategy in the
unfrequented wilds near the temple. It is
here that the first of the legends that grew
up around Yoshitsune appeared. According
to these, Yoshitsune was aided in his training
by tengu, traditional long-nosed Japanese
goblins, who were so impressed by the
young warrior’s ability that they taught
him many of their military secrets. Others
have suggested that it was actually sup-
porters of his late father who undertook to
train the young Yoshitsune.
Regardless of where his military acumen
came from, in 1180 when Yoshitsune joined
his older brother Minamoto Yoritomo
(1147–1199) in his fight against the Taira
clan, Yoshitsune was an able commander.
Yoshitsune’s first important victory was in
1184 at the Second Battle of Uji, on the
outskirts of Kyoto, where he defeated his
cousin Minamoto Yoshinaka (1154–1184).
The battle established Yoshitsune’s
The Encyclopedia of War, First Edition. Edited by Gordon Martel.
© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Published 2012 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
reputation as a samurai commander, as it
was marked by the decisiveness, speed, and
aggressive spirit that were to characterize all
of his subsequent campaigns.
Yoshitsune’s second victory over the
Taira followed shortly after, at the Battle of
Ichinotani, in which Yoshitsune again dem-
onstrated his military acumen and courage.
The fortress at Ichinotani commanded a
strategically important stretch of the coast-
line in Settsu Province (near modern Kobe),
allowing the Taira forces stationed there
to control movement on a large part of the
coastline, effectively checking any numeri-
cal advantage that the Minamoto forces
might have. Yoshitsune quickly assessed
the situation and determined that a frontal
attack on the fortress, positioned atop a
hill, would be both costly and ineffective.
Instead, he opted to assault the fortress
from the rear, which was relatively un-
guarded, as the Taira believed it to be
inaccessible because of the steep cliff behind
the fortress. Yoshitsune led a surprise attack
by a small mounted force on the rear of
Ichinotani. This assault was a particularly
dangerous operation, as it entailed a fast
ride through the treacherous Hiyodorigoe
Pass, often portrayed as being an almost
vertical incline. The element of surprise
was essential, so speed was of the essence,
but Yoshitsune was again successful,
routing the Taira defenders and burning the
fortress.
Yoshitsune’s third and final victory over
the Taira was at the naval battle of Dan no
Ura in 1185. At this battle, despite com-
manding a smaller fleet, Yoshitsune’s skillful
use of the changing tidal currents allowed
him to destroy the remaining Taira forces,
a victory that enabled his brother Yoritomo
to consolidate his position and to establish
the Kamakura shogunate (1185–1333).
Yoritomo, however, concerned about
Yoshitsune’s closeness to the court and the
devotion that Yoshitsune inspired among his
2
followers, now saw Yoshitsune as a potential
rival. There were also those among Yoritomo’s
followers who saw the elimination of
Yoshitsune as a way to ensure their own posi-
tions and convinced Yoritomo that
Yoshitsune sought his downfall. The last
phase of Yoshitsune’s life was marked with
tragedy. After leading a half-hearted revolt
against his older brother, a revolt that was
badly planned and poorly organized,
Yoshitsune was forced to flee northwards,
pursued by troops loyal to Yoritomo. Accom-
panied by only a handful of faithful retainers,
among them the monk Benkei, Yoshitsune
was finally run to ground at Koromogawa in
northern Japan. Outnumbered and out-
maneuvered, Yoshitsune killed both his wife
and daughter before killing himself, an act
that was only possible because Benkei, fight-
ing alone to the death, bought the time that
allowed Yoshitsune to commit an honorable
suicide.
Following his death in 1189, legends began
to grow up around Yoshitsune’s life and by
the twelfth century there was a growing
canon of tales extolling Yoshitsune’s virtues,
in part because he was seen as the underdog.
These tales can be divided into two distinct
categories. The first dealt with Yoshitsune’s
“career as a public figure . . . [and] seem to
contain a strong historical element . . . pre-
sent him as a military genius, a warrior first
and last . . . loyal, affectionate, kind hearted
and trusting . . . as well as courteous and
considerate to subordinates and defeated
enemies, fearless in battle, and scrupulously
honorable” (McCullough 1966: 31–32).
These are examples of the well-known var-
iant form of the war tale (gunki
monogatari), an important literary genre
of the medieval period. The second category
includes the more fanciful tales that often
involve the supernatural element, such as
those telling of the tengu who aided the
young Yoshitsune in his early military train-
ing. The oldest extant collection of stories
concerning Yoshitsune’s boyhood and
fugitive years is the Gekkeikan, an anony-
mous fifteenth-century collection, but his
life continues to resonate with the Japanese
and the tales of Yoshitsune and his faithful
companion, Benkei, remain a staple in
all areas of Japanese culture and especially
in the kabuki theater.
SEE ALSO: Bushidō.
REFERENCES
McCullough, H. (1966) Yoshitsune: A Fifteenth-
Century Japanese Chronicle. Stanford: Stanford
University Press.
FURTHER READING
Mass, J. (1999) Yoritomo and the Founding of the
First Bakufu: The Origins of Dual Government in
Japan. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
McCullough, H. (1988) The Tale of the Heike.
Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Varley, P. (1994) Warriors of Japan as Portrayed
in the War Tales. Honolulu: University of Hawaii
Press.