Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a general of the Minamoto clan during the late Heian and early Kamakura periods, including the Genpei War from 1180-1185, and is considered to be one of the greatest warriors of the period, as well as the older brother of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate.

At age 15, Yoshitsune proved himself an expert swordsman when he defeated a notorious bandit leader in single combat, and would go on defeated the legendary warrior monk, Benkei, in a duel, and Benkei, who survived the fight, pledged himself to his service. When the Emperor Takakura abdicated in 1180, Taira no Kiyomori, the leader of the Taira clan, the Minamoto's long-time rivals, placed his grandson Antoku on the throne. This led to Prince Mochihito calling the Minamoto clan to war against the Taira.

In response, the Taira attempted to arrest Mochihito and Minamoto no Yorimasa. The two fled, however Yorimasa was killed and Mochihito captured and executed at the First Battle of the Uji River soon afterwards.

The Taira won a number of major victories in 1180 and 1181 against the Minamoto, however, the death of Taira no Kiyomori of illness, as well as major famine hitting Japan led to a cessation of hostilities for two years. At the same time, the former Emperor Shirakawa II started ruling as a cloistered emperor, shutting himself in the Buddhist temple of Hojujidono.

In 1183, hostilities resumed, and the Taira were decisively defeated by Yoritomo and Yoshitsune's cousin, Minamoto no Yoshinaka, along with Yoritomo's brother, Yukiie at the Battle of Kurikara, and took Kyoto, the Imperial capital at the time.

Soon aft Yoshinaka betrayed the Minamoto clan, intending to seize power from Yoritomo, and, in 1184, took the cloistered Emperor Shirakawa II prisoner and burned down the Hojujidono. While Minamoto no Yukiie was initially supportive of Yoshinaka's plot, he betrayed Yoshinaka's plans to the Minamoto, allowing Yoshitsune to intervene.

Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his brother Noriyori caught up with Yoshinaka at the Second Battle of the Uji River in 1184, and forced him to retreat. Yoshinaka was later decisively defeated at the battle of Awazu, where he was killed in battle.

After Yoshinaka's defeat, Yoshitsune and Noriyori led a campaign against the Taira, defeating them decisively at the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani. Six months later, he attacked the Taira capital of Yashima, where he set bonfires to the rear of the fortress, making it look like a massive land force attacking. The Taira, unprepared to fight on land, fled the fortress in their ships.

One month later, Yoshitsune's fleet caught up with the Taira ships at Dan-no-Ura, where the Taira held and initial advantage, but the changing tides led to Yoshitsune's fleet gaining the initiative. This, along with the defection of a Taira commander, Taguchi Shigeyoshi, who revealed the location of the Taira-proclaimed boy-emperor Antoku, who was killed in the battle. Many of the Taira leaders committed suicide after the defeat became evident.

After the end of the war, the Emperor conspired with Yoshitsune and Yukiie against Yoritomo after started seizing power. The desperate bid to save Imperial power failed, and Yukiie was captured and executed in 1186. Yoshitsune was survived until 1189, when he was attacked by Fujiwara clan soldiers at the Battle of Koromo River. Benkei died in a last stand defending Yoshitsune, who, after seeing he was overrun, committed seppeku. Two years later, Yoritomo would seize power and declare himself shogun.

While it is generally accepted that Yoshitsune died at Koromo River, there are nonetheless claims by the Ainu that he escaped to Hokkaido, or even that he sailed to mainland Asia, eventually making it to Mongolia and becoming Genghis Khan. These claims are dismissed by historians.