Genpei War
The
Genpei Wars (源平合戦、寿永・治承の乱) (
1180-
1185) between the
Taira and
Minamoto clans of
Japan resulted in the fall of the Taira clan and establishment of the
Kamakura shogunate under
Minamoto Yoritomo in
1192. The name "Genpei" comes from alternate readings of the
kanji 'Minamoto' and 'Taira'.
It began with the Minamoto's support of a different candidate for the throne to the Taira's nomination. The ensuing
Battle of Uji took place just outside
Kyoto, and the war ended five years later, with a decisive Minamoto victory in the naval
Battle of Dan-no-ura.
The Genpei Wars were the culmination of a decades-long conflict between the two clans over dominance of the Imperial court, and by extension, control of Japan. In the
Hogen Rebellion and
Heiji Rebellion of earlier decades, the Minamoto attempted to regain control from the Taira, and failed. The Taira then began a series of executions, intended to eliminate their rivals.
In
1177, relations between the Taira clan and the retired
Emperor Go-Shirakawa became highly strained, and the latter attempted a
coup d'État to oust the
Dajō Daijin (
prime minister),
Taira no Kiyomori. Kiyomori defeated the former emperor and abolished the
Insei system. This provoked strong anti-Taira sentiment.
On
March 21 1180, Taira no Kiyomori put his grandson,
Antoku (then only two years of age), on the throne, after the abdication of
Emperor Takakura. Go-Shirakawa's son,
Prince Mochihito, felt that he was being denied his rightful place on the throne, and, with the help of
Minamoto no Yorimasa, sent out a call to arms to the various
samurai families and
Buddhist monasteries on
May 5.
*
1180 First Battle of Uji - regarded as the first battle in the Genpei Wars, the monks of the
Byodoin fight alongside
Minamoto no Yorimasa.
*
1180 Siege of Nara - the
Taira set fire to temples and monasteries, to cut supplies to their rivals.
*
1180 Battle of Ishibashiyama -
Minamoto no Yoritomo's first battle against the
Taira. Minamoto Yoritomo loses the battle.
*
1180 Battle of Fujigawa - the
Taira mistake a flock of waterfowl for a sneak attack by the
Minamoto in the night, and retreat before any fighting occurs.
*
1181 Battle of Sunomata - the
Taira thwart a sneak attack in the night but retreat.
*
1181 Battle of Yahagigawa - the
Minamoto, retreating from
Sunomata, attempt to make a stand.
*
1183 Siege of Hiuchi - the
Taira attack a
Minamoto fortress.
*
1183 Battle of Kurikara - the tide of the war turns, in the
Minamoto's favor.
*
1183 Battle of Mizushima - the
Taira intercept a
Minamoto force, heading for
Yashima.
*
1183 Siege of Fukuryuji - the
Minamoto attack a
Taira fortress.
*
1184 Battle of Awazu -
Minamoto no Yoshinaka is defeated and killed by
Yoshitsune and
Noriyori.
*
1184 Battle of Ichi-no-Tani - the
Minamoto attack one of the
Taira's primary fortresses.
*
1185 Battle of Yashima - the
Minamoto assault their enemies' fortress, just off of
Shikoku.
*
1185 Battle of Dan-no-ura - the decisive naval battle ending the war.
Minamoto victory was followed by the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate; though
Minamoto no Yoritomo was not the first to ever hold the title of
Shogun, he was the first to wield it in a role of nationwide scope. The end of the Genpei War and beginning of the Kamakura shogunate marks the rise of military (samurai) power and the suppression of the power of the emperor, who reigned, but did not rule, until the
Meiji Restoration, over 650 years later.
Many stories and works of art depict this conflict.
The Tale of the Heike (
Heike Monogatari, 平家物語) is one of the most famous.
*
List of wars*
Military history of Japan* Genpei War Map[
1]
* Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.
