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Yoshiie Biography & Facts

Minamoto no Yoshiie (源 義家; 1039 – 4 August 1106), also known as Hachimantarō (八幡太郎) and his title Most Valorous Warrior in the Land (天下第一武勇之士), was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and Chinjufu-shōgun (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North). The first son of Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, he proved himself in battle with the Abe clan in the Zenkunen War (Former Nine Years' War) and the Kiyohara clan in the Gosannen War (Later Three Years' War). Subsequently, he became something of a paragon of samurai skill and bravery. Oe no Masafusa was his teacher for the art of war. He was the third generation leader of the Kawachi Genji. In legends he is thought to be the son or avatar of Hachiman. After his death, Yoshiie was elevated to Kami status, renamed “Hachimantaro”, lit. “son of Hachiman”, the Shinto god of war, and was made by the Minamoto clan into their Patron Ancestral Kami. Yoshiie was also a great-great-great-grandson of Prince Sadasumi, a son of Emperor Seiwa, through a junior line. The Zenkunen War In 1050, Abe no Yoritoki wave the post of Chinjufu-shōgun, as the Abe clan had for many generations. Effectively, however, Yoritoki commanded the entire region, denying the official Governor any true power. As a result, Yoshiie's father was appointed both chinjufu shōgun and governor, and Yoshiie traveled north with him to resolve the situation. The campaign against the Abe clan lasted twelve years. Yoshiie fought alongside his father in almost every battle, including the Battle of Kawasaki and the Siege of Kuriyagawa. Abe no Yoritoki died in 1057, but his son Abe no Sadato took up command of his father's forces. But in 1062, Yoshiie defeated and kill Sadato, winning the war a year later. Yoshiie returned to Kyoto in early 1063 with the heads of Abe no Sadato and a number of others. As a result of his dramatic prowess in battle, he earned the name Hachiman taro, referring to him as the "son of Hachiman", the god of war. The following year, Yoshiie took several followers of the Abe, who he had taken as captives, as attendants. The Later Three Years' War Over twenty years later, Yoshiie was the chief commander in another important conflict of the Heian period. Beginning in 1083, he battled the Kiyohara family, who had fought alongside him and his father against the Abe, but who had since proven themselves poor rulers of the northern provinces. Named Governor of Mutsu province in 1083, Yoshiie took it upon himself, without orders from the Imperial Court, to bring some peace and order to the region. A series of disputes between Kiyohara no Masahira, Kiyohara no Narihira, and Kiyohara no Iehira over leadership of the clan had turned to violence. There emerged a series of battles and skirmishes between Yoshiie's forces and those of the various Kiyohara sub-factions. Everything came to a head in 1087, at the Kanazawa stockade. Yoshiie, along with his younger brother, Minamoto no Yoshimitsu and Fujiwara no Kiyohira, assaulted the position held by Kiyohara no Iehira and his uncle Kiyohara no Takahira. After many months of failed starts and skirmishes, the stockade was set aflame, and both Takahira and Iehira were killed. The Minamoto forces suffered great losses as well. But it is said that Yoshiie was an especially skilled leader, keeping morale up and preserving a degree of discipline among the warriors. Later life He and his younger brother Minamoto no Yoshitsuna were imperial guards for Emperor Shirakawa forming the Hokumen no Bushi. At 1098 he was invited to the Imperial Palace which was a high honor at the time. In 1106, Yoshiie’s son Yoshichika disapproved the government and started a revolt which was put down in by Taira general Masamori, father of Taira no Tadamori. That same year he died. Despite his early death, Yoshiie was remembered by many as a skilled warrior and a respected leader. He was revered as a patron saint of the warrior class and was celebrated in Japanese literature and folklore for centuries after his death. Yoshiie "would go on to be admired by his contemporaries as the greatest warrior." Emperor Goshirakawa compiled the Ryojin Hishō, a collection of short stories and poems that were well-known during his time. One poem in the collection says: “In the deep mountains where all the birds live, there lives the Minamoto clan. Of all of them, Hachimantarō is the most formidable.” This poem is proof that Minamoto no Yoshiie was especially feared among the Genji clan because of his brutal demeanor and strength. Legacy As sung in the Ryōjin Hishō, Hachimantarō — or Minamoto no Yoshiie — was known for his exceptional skills as a warrior and was highly regarded as a hero of the Heian period. By other countless famous figures from Minamoto no Yoritomo to Tokugawa Ieyasu, Yoshiie was considered to be the model of an ideal military commander. Ashikaga Takauji, the first and founding shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate, had reportedly considered Yoshiie to be of a “world-renowned” military commander and revered him as such. Tokugawa Ieyasu, born Matsudaira Takechiyo, had later changed his name to Ieyasu for the reason being it shared a kanji character with Yoshiie’s name (both Ieyasu and Yoshiie’s names share the kanji character 家). Some also say he may have claimed Minamoto lineage due to how high of a regard he held Yoshiie. The relationship between Yoshiie and his vassals, particularly during the Later Three Year War, developed into the basic principle of “loyalty and reward” that rose to prevalence in the Kamakura shogunate, during Minamoto no Yoritomo’s time. For example, a samurai’s vassals would promise their loyalty to the samurai, whilst the samurai would personally reward them for their loyalty. This allowed the Kawachi Genji to easily gain the loyalty of lower-level samurais without directly requiring authority comparable to that of the Imperial Court. By implementing and passing down the “loyalty and reward” principle, Minamoto no Yoshiie’s legacy as the ideal military commander continued to live on through the later generations of the Minamoto clan. Yoshiie is noted in Japanese history as one of its most brilliant warriors. Nobles of the day referred to him as "The Samurai of The Greatest Bravery Under Heaven." Courageous in battle, he is also remembered as an accomplished poet and a motivating leader. As the Heian period drew to a close, and the stability that had marked this phase of Japanese history became increasingly fractured and strained, the imperial court frequently called Yoshiie and his Minamoto warriors into service to subdue rebels and quiet unruly segments of the country. It was partially based on the gains made by Yoshiie during his career that the Minamoto clan established themselves as one of the pre-eminent military clans in the realm, positioning themselves for the ultimate wresting of political power from the emperor and the court in Kyoto, or those who controlled it, and the establishment of the shōg.... Discover the Yoshiie popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Yoshiie books.