| Minamoto no Yoshitsune | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Other Names |
Minamoto Yoshitsune, Ushiwakamaru |
|
Born |
1159 |
|
Died |
June 15, 1189 |
Origin[]
Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a 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 that 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 in the history of Japan. Yoshitsune perished after being betrayed by the son of a trusted ally and was labelled as a tragic hero.
Born Ushiwakamaru as the youngest child of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, with his mother being Tokiwa Gozen, the Heiji Rebellion were at the onset of breaking in Japan. The rebellion claimed the lives of his father and many of his brothers, but Yoshitsune survived and fled with his mother. He was placed in the care of the monks of Kurama temple at the age of 10, but he didn't want to be a monk. Thus when a gold merchant that happened to know his father passed by, Yoshitsune took a ride. And already in young age, he displayed incredible martial prowess, singlehandedly defeating a group of bandits led by Kumasaka Chohan at the tender age of 15.
As Yoshitsune grew up, he heard about the exploits of his half brother Yoritomo. While Yoshitsune fled his home, Yoritomo was banished, but nevertheless he grew to become a famous and powerful man, reclaiming the position of the head of the Minamoto clan. Yoritomo made a call-to-arms to obey the request of Prince Morihito to defeat the Taira clan, an exploit that would be immortalized in The Tale of the Heike. Despite never meeting his brother personally, Yoshitsune answered his call to arms, along with his other half brothers that he also never met. Along the way, Yoshitsune stumbled upon a warrior monk Saito Musashibo Benkei and bested him in combat as opposed to getting his sword stolen for Benkei's 1000th's collected sword, and made Benkei his most loyal retainer.
Yoshitsune went on to become Yoritomo's ace samurai. Many tales about his feats in battles, from obliterating the army of betraying brother Yoshinaka in Awazu (although Yoshitsune never personally encountered Tomoe Gozen), being the headline of the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani, reportedly the greatest battle in the Genpei era or finally finishing the Taira clan in the Battle of Dan-no-Ura, where one of the most famous myth of Yoshitsune originated: Dan-no-Ura is practically a naval battle between Minamoto and Taira. Through Yoshitsune's command, he managed to get the commanding Taira commander, Noritsune to admit defeat or prepare to surrender, but instead attempted suicide. Yoshitsune, with his own feet, decided to leap through 8 boats to either escape from Noritsune's suicide because it was causing chaos that could drown his navy; or he leapt through 8 boats to make sure Noritsune didn't get the chance to commit suicide, and severed his head.
Regardless, Yoshitsune's 'eight boat leap' (originally written as 'Hassou Tobi') became one of his biggest feats, historically accurate or not. But after the war with the Taira, everything just went to hell for Yoshitsune.
For his services, Emperor Go-Shirakawa granted Yoshitsune several titles such as the Governor of Iyo. However, Yoritomo—who was already in the process of consolidating the Kamakura Shogunate—didn't like how much attention Yoshitsune got and how Go-Shirakawa's actions essentially undermined his authority. He thus proceeded to nullify all those titles, despite Yoshitsune's ever strong loyalty. Yoritomo's suspicion grew to the extent of actively shunning Yoshitsune, such that he was forced to ally with his uncle Yukiie to force a resolution. But Yoritomo's forces were too many, so Yoshitsune had to flee and was tragically separated from his faithful mistress Shizuka who carried his unborn child.
Yoshitsune took shelter in the Oshu region, specifically within the home of Fujiwara no Hidehira. Hidehira protected him well, but his son Yasuhira, pressured with the might of Yoritomo's forces, ended up selling out Yoshitsune to Yoritomo. Surrounded with no hope of victory, Yoshitsune was forced to commit Seppuku while Benkei made sure his Seppuku went undisturbed, including his mighty Last Stand against Yoritomo's forces culminating in him dying while standing up. Yasuhira eventually beheaded the dead Yoshitsune and then gave his head to Yoritomo as proof of the death of his brother. Not that this ultimately worked out for him—as Yoritomo, already long-designing to unify Japan under his hegemony in ending the Heian period, would ultimately assault Oshu and bring down the Fujiwara.
There were other rumors that Yoshitsune didn't actually die, but fled somewhere else and took another identity either to Hokkaido becoming Oinakamui or to mainland Asia becoming Genghis Khan. Tales of Yoshitsune's bravery and tragic end continued to permeate the stories of Japan, turning Yoshitsune into one of the nation's most famous and romanticized Samurai.
Yoshitsune has long been a popular figure in Japanese literature and culture due to his appearance as the main character in the third section of the Japanese literary classic Heike Monogatari (Tale of the Heike). The Japanese term for "sympathy for a tragic hero", Hōgan-biiki, comes from Yoshitsune's title Kurō Hōgan, which he received from the Imperial Court.
Many of the literary pieces that Yoshitsune appears in are legend rather than historical fact. Legends pertaining to Yoshitsune first began to appear in the fourteenth century. In early works at that time, Yoshitsune was described as a sharp-witted military leader. Then, romantic stories about his early childhood and last years of his life appeared as people began to know more about him. The legends that deal with his public career show Yoshitsune as a great, virtuous warrior. He was often shown as kind to those around him and honorable, but was also shown to be naive.
Legends dealing with Yoshitsune's childhood show young Yoshitsune (or Ushiwakamaru) with heroic qualities. He is portrayed as a brave and skilled swordsman, despite being a young boy. He was also skilled in music and his studies, and was also said to be able to easily sway the hearts of young women. These legends delve into fantasy more so than the legends about his later life. Legends which pertain to the time when his half-brother, Yoritomo, turned against him take away some of Yoshitsune's heroic qualities. He is no longer portrayed as a great warrior, but he retains his knowledge and skills that are valuable in the emperor's court.
Yoshitsune's escape through the Ataka barrier is the subject of Noh play Ataka and the Kabuki play Kanjinchō. The Gikeiki, or "Chronicle of Yoshitsune" relates events of Yoshitsune's life after the defeat of the Heike.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Minamoto no Yoshitsune before January 1, 1930 are public domain.
Some Notable Appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Tale of the Heike
- Gikeiki
Public Domain Theatrical and musical appearances[]
- Ataka
- Kanjinchō
- Yoshitsune Shin Takadachi
- Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura
Notes[]
- In the manga One Piece, the character Shimotsuki Ushimaru is named after Ushiwakamaru, Minamoto no Yoshitsune's childhood name.