Genpei War

TheGenpei War(Nguyên bình hợp chiến,Genpei Kassen,Genpei-Gassen,1180–1185)was a national civil warbetween theTairaandMinamotoclans during the lateHeian periodof Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of theKamakura shogunateunderMinamoto no Yoritomo,who appointed himself asShōgunin 1192, governing Japan as amilitary dictatorfrom the eastern city ofKamakura.

Genpei War (Jishō–Juei War)
Part ofMinamoto–Taira clandisputes of lateHeian period
Scene of the Genpei War
Date June 20, 1180–April 25, 1185 (4 years, 10 months, 2 weeks and 1 day) Location Japan Result Minamoto clanvictory
Belligerents
Minamoto clan(Yoritomo) Miura clan Takeda clan Hōjō clan Chiba clan	Taira clan	Minamoto clan(Yoshinaka)
Commanders and leaders
Minamoto no Yoritomo Minamoto no Yoshitsune	Taira no Munemori Taira no Shigehira Taira no Tomomori†	Minamoto no Yoshinaka† Imai Kanehira†

It followed acoup d'étatby the Taira in 1179 with the removal of rivals from all government posts, and subsequently banishing them, and a call to arms against the Taira, led by the Minamoto in 1180. The ensuingBattle of Ujitook place just outsideKyoto,starting a five-year-long war, concluding with a decisive Minamoto victory in the navalBattle of Dan-no-ura.However, it has been pointed out that theBattle of Ōshūin 1189 was the last battle during this period of civil war, as it completed Yoritomo's nationwide domination through the annexation ofNortheast Japan.

The name "Genpei" (sometimesromanizedasGempei) comes fromalternate readingsof thekanji"Minamoto" ( nguyênGen) and "Taira" ( bìnhHei,pronounced as the second element in some compoundsas-pei). The conflict is also known in Japanese as theJishō–Juei War(Trị thừa ・ thọ vĩnh の loạn,Jishō–Jueino Ran),after the two Imperialerasbetween which it took place. The termGenpei Kassenis sometimes used in Japan, but it has been argued that it is not appropriate to use the term "Genpei" for this war.

Background

TheHeiji rebellion(1159) and the subsequent rise of the Taira were the main cause of the Genpei War 20 years later.

The Genpei War was the culmination of a decades-long conflict between the two aforementioned clans over dominance of the Imperial court and, by extension, control of Japan. In theHōgen Rebellionand in theHeiji Rebellionof earlier decades, the Minamoto attempted to regain control from the Taira and failed.

In 1180,Taira no Kiyomoriput his grandsonAntoku(then only 2 years of age) on the throne after the abdication ofEmperor Takakura.Emperor Go-Shirakawa's sonMochihitofelt that he was being denied his rightful place on the throne and, with the help ofMinamoto no Yorimasa,sent out a call to arms to theMinamoto clanandBuddhistmonasteries in May. However, this plot ended with the deaths of Yorimasa and Mochihito.

In June 1180, Kiyomori moved the seat of imperial power toFukuhara-kyō,"his immediate objective seems to have been to get the royal family under his close charge."

Beginnings of the war

Scene of the Genpei war (1180–1185),Kanō Motonobu(1476–1569),Muromachi period(1336 and 1573).

The Phoenix Hall of theByōdō-in,where Yorimasa committedseppuku

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 ofMii-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 theByōdō-in,just outside Kyoto. The war began thus, with a dramatic encounter on and around thebridge over the River Uji.This battle ended in Yorimasa'sritual suicideinside 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. LeavingIzu Provinceand heading for theHakone Pass,he was defeated by the Taira in thebattle of Ishibashiyama.However, he successfully made it to the provinces ofKaiandKōzuke,where theTakedaand other friendly families helped repel the Taira army. Meanwhile, Kiyomori, seeking vengeance against the Mii-dera monks and others,besieged Naraand burnt much of the city to the ground.

Fighting continued the following year, 1181.Minamoto no Yukiiewas defeated by a force led byTaira no Shigehiraat theBattle of Sunomatagawa.However, the "Taira could not follow up their victory."

Taira no Kiyomori died from illness in the spring of 1181, and around the same time Japan began to suffer from a famine which was to last through the following year. The Taira moved to attackMinamoto 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.

Turning of the tide

Taira no Munemori

In 1183, the Taira loss at theBattle of Kurikarawas so severe that they found themselves several months later under siege in Kyoto with Yoshinaka approaching the city from the north 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 youngEmperor Antokuand theImperial regalia,to the west. The cloistered emperor Go-Shirakawa defected to Yoshinaka. Go-Shirakawa then issued a mandate for Yoshinaka to "join with Yukiie in destroying Munemori and his army".

In 1183, Yoshinaka once again sought to gain control of the Minamoto clan by planning an attack on Yoritomo, while simultaneously pursuing the Taira westward. The Taira set up a temporary Court atDazaifuinKyūshū,the southernmost of Japan's main islands. They were forced out soon afterwards by local revolts instigated by Go-Shirakawa, and moved their Court toYashima.The Taira were successful in beating off an attack by Yoshinaka's pursuing forces at theBattle of 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 theHōjūjidono,taking the Emperor into custody.Minamoto no Yoshitsunearrived soon afterwards with his brotherNoriyoriand a considerable force, driving Yoshinaka from the city. After fighting his cousins at thebridge over the Uji,Yoshinaka made his final stand atAwazu,inŌmi Province.He was defeated by Yoshitsune, and killed while attempting to flee.

Final stages

Duel between Taira no Atsumori (left) and Kumagai Naozane

Battle of Dan-no-ura

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 persuaded to agree to a truce. This was a farce, as neither the Minamoto nor the Emperor had any intentions of waiting until the eighth 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 atIchi-no-Tani,one of the primary Taira camps on Honshū. The camp was attacked from two directions by Yoshitsune and Noriyori, and the Taira not killed or captured retreated to Yashima. However, the Minamoto were not prepared to assaultShikoku;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 was not until nearly a year after thebattle of Ichi-no-Tanithat the main Taira force at Yashimacame under assault.Seeing Yoshitsune's bonfires in their rear, the Taira had not expected a land-based attack and took to their ships. This was a deceptive ploy on the part of the Minamoto, however. The Taira improvised imperial palace fell, and many escaped along with the Imperial regalia and the Emperor Antoku.

The Genpei War came to an end one month later, following thebattle of Dan-no-ura,one of the most famous and significant battles in Japanese history. The Minamoto engaged the Taira fleet in theStraits of Shimonoseki,a tiny body of water separating the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū. 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, a Shikoku warrior who went over to the Minamoto side in the middle of the action. Many of the Taira nobles perished, along with Emperor Antoku and the widow of Kiyomori.

Battle of Yashima folding screen

Battle of Ichi-no-Tani folding screen

Consequences of the Genpei War

The defeat of the Taira armies meant the end of Taira "dominance at the capital". In December 1185, Go-Shirakawa granted to Yoritomo the power to collect taxes, and "appoint stewards and constables in all provinces". Finally, in 1192, after Go-Shirakawa's death, Yoritomo was granted the imperial commissionSei-i Tai Shōgun.This was the beginning of a feudal state in Japan, with real power now inKamakura.However, Kyoto remained the "seat of national ceremony and ritual" and thede jurecapital.

Aftermath

The end of the Genpei War and beginning of the Kamakura shogunate marked the rise to power of the warrior class (samurai) and the gradual suppression of the power of the emperor, who was compelled to govern without effective political or military power, being effectively reduced to a purely symbolical and ceremonial head of state, until theMeiji Restorationover 650 years later, though there was a short-lived attempt to restore imperial rule in the 1330s, theKenmu Restoration.

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 theflag of Japan,and also in banners and flags insumoand other traditional activities.

Definition

Extent

It has been pointed out that theBattle of Ōshūfought between the Kamakura government and theNorthern Fujiwarain 1189 was in fact the last battle during this period of civil war,as it completed Yoritomo's nationwide domination through the annexation ofDewaandMutsu Province,and that its end marked the establishment of the first military government, the Kamakura shogunate.

Name

The termsGenpei Kassen( nguyên bình hợp chiến ),Genpei Sōran( nguyên bình tranh loạn ) andGenpei no Tatakai( nguyên bình の chiến い) are sometimes used in Japan, but it has been argued that it is not appropriate to use the term "Genpei" for this war, as it does not accurately represent the belligerents of the war. In fact, the head of the Minamoto clan at the time was not a samurai but a court noble, and the first samurai to be the head of the clan wasAshikaga Yoshimitsuin the 14th century.

In reality, it was not exclusively a war between the Minamoto clan and the Taira clan, and there were many members of the Taira clan fighting on Minamoto clan's side, as well as members of these two clans serving as court nobles at the Imperial Court that were not samurai and had nothing to do with the war. There is no record of any direct or indirect complicity or assistance by the non-samurai Minamoto and Taira clan members to the war, and no record of any motive for their involvement exists.

Furthermore, the Battle of Ōshū was fought between Minamoto no Yoritomo and his last strong enemy, the Northern Fujiwara, years after the Taira clan had been destroyed.

It is true that many members of the Minamoto clan, such asTakeda NobuyoshiandMinamoto no Yoshinaka,rose to arms against the Taira clan. There were also many who belonged to the Minamoto clan, but who fought for the Taira clan because they had a kinship or a duty to the Taira clan. Although the various Minamoto clans rose up simultaneously, not all of them were under the command of Minamoto no Yoritomo from the beginning. In fact, the actualKawachi Genjihad no single legitimate lineage, and even if we were to limit ourselves to the succession ofMinamoto no Yoshiie,who was the representative samurai of the Kawachi Genji, it was not only Yoritomo who could have claimed that position. Yoritomo was the heir of Yoshitomo, who had risen to that position by killing his father and younger brother during theBattle of Ōkurain 1155. However,Minamoto no Yoshinaka,the heir ofMinamoto no Yoshikata,andYukiie,the younger brother of Yoshitomo and Yoshikata, could have claimed the position as well.

Battles

A sphere map on 1183 at Genpei War. However, it was not clearly divided in this way, and there were conflicts among Genjis as well as Tairas.

• 1180First Battle of Uji– regarded as the first battle in the Genpei Wars, the monks of the Byōdōin fight alongside Minamoto no Yorimasa.
• 1180Siege of Nara– the Taira set fire to temples and monasteries, to cut supplies to their rivals.
• 1180Battle of Ishibashiyama– Minamoto no Yoritomo's first battle against the Taira, who are victorious.
• 1180Battle of Fujikawa– the Taira mistake a flock of waterfowl for a sneak attack by the Minamoto in the night, and retreat before any fighting occurs.
• 1181Battle of Sunomatagawa– the Taira thwart a sneak attack in the night but retreat.
• 1181Battle of Yahagigawa– the Minamoto, retreating fromSunomata,attempt to make a stand.
• 1183Siege of Hiuchi– the Taira attack a Minamoto fortress.
• 1183Battle of Kurikara– the tide of the war turns, in the Minamoto's favor.
• 1183Battle of Shinohara– Yoshinaka pursues the Taira force from Kurikara
• 1183Battle of Mizushima– the Taira intercept a Minamoto force, heading forYashima.
• 1183Siege of Fukuryūji– the Minamoto attack a Taira fortress.
• 1183Battle of Muroyama– Minamoto no Yukiie tries and fails to recoup the loss of the battle of Mizushima.
• 1184Siege of Hōjūjidono– Yoshinaka sets fire to the Hōjūji-dono and kidnaps Emperor Go-Shirakawa.
• 1184Second Battle of Uji– Yoshinaka is pursued out of the capital by Yoshitsune and Noriyori.
• 1184Battle of Awazu– Minamoto no Yoshinaka is defeated and killed by Yoshitsune and Noriyori.
• 1184Battle of Ichi-no-Tani– Minamoto no Yoshitsune attacks and drives the Taira from one of their primary fortresses.
• 1184Battle of Kojima– Taira fleeing Ichi-no-Tani are attacked by Minamoto no Noriyori.
• 1185Battle of Yashima– the Minamoto assault their enemies' fortress, just off Shikoku.
• 1185Battle of Dan-no-ura– Minamoto no Yoshitsune decisively defeats Taira forces in naval battle ending the war.

Major figures

Minamoto Clan (also known as "Genji" )

Minamoto no Yoritomo, from an 1179 hanging scroll byFujiwara no Takanobu

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 theHeiji Rebellionof 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( nguyên phạm lại ), general, younger brother of Yoritomo.
• Minamoto no Yorimasa( nguyên lại chính ), head of the clan at the beginning of the war.
• Minamoto no Yoritomo( nguyên lại triều ), head of the clan upon Yorimasa's death.
• Minamoto no Yoshitsune( nguyên nghĩa kinh ), younger brother of Yoritomo, chief general of the clan.
• Minamoto no Yukiie( nguyên hành gia ), general, uncle to Yoritomo.
• Allies and vassals:
  • Emperor Go-Shirakawa( hậu bạch hà ),cloistered (retired) emperor.
  • Prince Mochihito( dĩ nhân vương ), Imperial Prince.
  • Benkei( biện khánh ),sōhei(warrior monk), ally of Yoshitsune.
  • Hōjō Tokimasa( bắc điều thời chính ), head of theHōjō clan( bắc điều ), father-in-law of Yoritomo.
  • Kajiwara Kagetoki( vĩ nguyên cảnh thời ), officially an ally of Yoshitsune, in fact a spy for Yoritomo.
  • Kumagai Naozane( hùng cốc trực thật ), vassal of Yoritomo.
  • Sasaki Moritsuna( tá 々 mộc thịnh cương ), vassal of Noriyori who commanded the assault at the battle of Kojima.
  • Taguchi Shigeyoshi( điền khẩu trọng năng ), 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( na tu dữ nhất ), celebrated archer and Minamoto ally.
  • Yada Yoshiyasu( thỉ điền nghĩa khang ), vassal of Yoshinaka and commander of Minamoto forces at the battle of Mizushima.
  • Thesōhei(warrior-monks) of Mii-dera and other temples. Three in particular are mentioned in theHeike Monogatarifor their part in the first battle of Uji:
    • Tsutsui Jōmyō Meishū( đồng tỉnh tịnh diệu minh tú ), who fought a last stand on the bridge over the Uji, taking over sixty arrows and still fighting.
    • Gochi-in no Tajima( ngũ trí viện đãn mã ), calledTajima the arrow-cutter,and famous for deflecting the Taira arrows with hisnaginata,upon the bridge over the Uji.
    • Ichirai Hoshi( nhất lai pháp sư ), who is famous for having jumped ahead of Jōmyō Meishū and led the Mii-dera monks to battle.
• Partisans ofMinamoto no Yoshinaka( nguyên nghĩa trọng ), cousin of Yoritomo, who supported his rebellion:
  • Imai Kanehira( kim tỉnh kiêm bình ), who joined Yoshinaka in his escape to Seta.

Taira Clan (also known as "Heike" )

Taira no Kiyomori, by Fujiwara Tamenobu and Takenobu

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( bình đôn thịnh ), youngsamuraikilled by Kumagai Naozane who, because of his youth and innocence, became quite famous in death.
• Taira no Kiyomori( bình thanh thịnh ), head of the clan at the beginning of the war.
• Taira no Koremori( bình duy thịnh ), grandson of Kiyomori.
• Taira no Munemori( bình tông thịnh ), son and heir of Kiyomori; head of the clan for much of the war.
• Taira no Noritsune( bình giáo kinh ), a Tairasamurai.
• Taira no Shigehira( bình trọng hành ), general, son of Kiyomori.
• Taira no Tadanori( bình trung độ ), general, brother of Kiyomori.
• Taira no Tokiko( bình thời tử ), wife of Kiyomori who committed suicide at the battle of Dan-no-ura.
• Taira no Tomomori( bình tri thịnh ), general, son of Kiyomori.
• Taira no Yukimori( bình hành thịnh ), general, commander of the Taira forces at the battle of Kojima.
• Taira no Kagekiyo( bình cảnh thanh ), a Tairasamurai,adopted from theFujiwara clan.
• Allies and vassals:
  • Emperor Antoku( an đức ), Emperor of Japan and grandson of Taira no Kiyomori.
  • Ōba Kagechika( đại đình cảnh thân ), vassal of the Taira.
  • Saitō Sanemori( trai đằng thật thịnh ), former vassal of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, switched sides and became a vassal of Taira no Munenori.
  • Senoo Kaneyasu( muội vĩ kiêm khang ), vassal of the Taira who commanded at the Fukuryūji fortress.
  • Taguchi Shigeyoshi( điền khẩu trọng năng ), Taira general who turned to the Minamoto camp upon seeing the tide turn at the battle of Dan no Ura, thus ensuring Minamoto victory.
  • Thesōhei(warrior-monks) ofEnryaku-ji( diên lịch tự ), at least in theory, on account of their rivalry with the Mii-derasōhei,who were allied with the Minamoto.

In literature

Many stories and works of art depict this conflict.The Tale of the Heike(Bình gia vật ngữ,Heike Monogatari)is the most famous, although manykabukiandbunrakuplays reproduce events of the war as well.Ichinotani Futaba Gunki('Chronicle of the battle of Ichi-no-Tani') byNamiki Sōsukemay be one of the more famous of these.

The novelShikebyRobert Sheafeatures a somewhat fictionalized 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 ofOsamu Tezuka's celebratedPhoenixseriesof comics.

The Genpei War is the backdrop for much ofKatherine Patterson's young adult novel,Of Nightingales That Weep.

In popular culture

Literary fiction

The entire story of Yoshitsune has been told in a novel form by Pamela S. Turner in the bookSamurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune(2016).

Film and television

• Thescience-communicatingbookCosmos(1980) and subsequent television seriesCosmos: A Personal Voyage(1980), presented byCarl Sagan,features the Genpei War in the second episode, "One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue", broadcast on 5 October 1980, as an introduction to discuss the phenomenon of theHeike Crabs.
• The conflict between the Genji and Heike gangs in the 2007 JapaneseWestern filmSukiyaki Western Djangomirrors that of the actual Genpei war, albeit "a few hundred years after."
• The 61stTaiga Drama,The 13 Lords of the Shogun,features the Genpei War in the first 17 episodes.

Games

• Cinemaware's 1989AmigatitleLords of the Rising Sunfeatures the Genpei War.
• On 21 September 2011,The Creative Assemblyreleased a DLC pack forTotal War: Shogun 2entitled "Rise of the Samurai", which allows players to play as members of the Taira, the Minamoto, or the Fujiwara families. Through a complex system of province building, diplomacy, research, and combat, players can decide the outcome of the Genpei War for themselves.
• "The Forgotten", an expansion developed forEnsemble Studios's 1999Age of Empires IIwhich was released for free with 2013'sAge of Empires II: HD Editionincluded a scenario based loosely on theBattle of Kurikara.The player attacks five Taira princes before taking Kyoto.
• Namco's 1986arcadehorror/fantasyGenpei Tōmadenimagines the outcome of the Genpei War bringing an age of darkness to Japan, with a resurrectedTaira no Kagekiyotasked to defeat a demonic rendition of Minamoto no Yoritomo.
• The 2005 action gameGenji: Dawn of the Samuraiand its sequel, are set in a more fantastical reimagining of the conflict.
• In theNioh 2DLCThe Tengu's Disciple,the Protagonist travels back in time to the Genpei War.

See also

• Kuroshima and Taijima,a set of islands off the coast of Wakayama used as a naval base during the war
• Military history of Japan
• Outline of war
• Sanemori (Noh play)
• Sukiyaki Western Django,a film inspired by the events

External links

• Genpei Warat Ancient History Encyclopedia
• Genpei War Mapat Samurai Archives
• The Genpei Warby The Shogunate