Minamoto no Yoshinaka made his final stand at Awazu, after fleeing from his cousins' armies, which confronted him after he attacked Kyoto, burning the Hōjūjiden, and kidnapping Emperor Go-Shirakawa. During the pursuit he was joined by his foster brother Imai Kanehira and Tomoe Gozen.[1][2]

During the battle, they fought valiantly, holding off Noriyori's large force of thousands of men for a time. However, in the end, they both died in battle.

Yoshinaka was struck dead by an arrow when his horse became mired in a paddy field. Kanehira committed suicide by leaping off his horse while holding his sword in his mouth.[3][4][5]

Gallery

  • Woodblock print of the battle of Awazu, by Utagawa Toyoharu, ca. 1760s. Yoshinaka and Kanehira's deaths are depicted in the left middle distance.
    Woodblock print of the battle of Awazu, by Utagawa Toyoharu, ca. 1760s. Yoshinaka and Kanehira's deaths are depicted in the left middle distance.
  • Tomoe Gozen in the Battle of Awazu—by Utagawa Yoshikazu.
    Tomoe Gozen in the Battle of Awazu—by Utagawa Yoshikazu.

References

  1. ^ Sansom, George (1958). A History of Japan to 1334. Stanford University Press. pp. 296–297. ISBN 0804705232.
  2. ^ Turnbull, Stephen (2016-07-28). The Gempei War 1180–85: The Great Samurai Civil War. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 58–63. ISBN 978-1-4728-1385-5.
  3. ^ Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. Cassell & Co. p. 204. ISBN 1854095234.
  4. ^ Turnbull, Stephen (1977). The Samurai, A Military History. MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 66. ISBN 0026205408.
  5. ^ The Tales of the Heike. Translated by Burton Watson. Columbia University Press. 2006. p. 88. ISBN 9780231138031.