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34-631: In the 12th century, Japan experienced a period of political change and conflict, as the powerful Taira and Minamoto clans struggled for control of the country. Their conflict also involved other families, including the Jo clan which was descended from a Taira branch and based in Echigo Province . The rivalry eventually resulted in the Genpei War of 1180–1185 during which the Taira were defeated by

68-417: A samurai named Fujisawa Kiyochika climbed up a mountain close to the castle, positioned himself at a blindspot to the castle's rear, and shot an arrow at Hangaku Gozen. She was hit in the thigh, with the arrow piercing her legs at a spot unprotected by her armour. Unable to stand, she collapsed. With her wounding, the castle's garrison surrendered on 9 May, and Hangaku Gozen was taken prisoner. Jo Sukemori fled

102-497: A decisive Taira defeat in the naval Battle of Dan-no-Ura , which resulted in the deaths of Antoku and Taira leaders. Following the war, the victorious Minamoto established Japan's first shogunate in Kamakura . The name "Genpei" comes from alternate readings of the kanji "Minamoto" (源 Gen ) and "Taira" (平 Hei ). The clan is commonly referred to as Heishi ( 平氏 , "Taira clan") or Heike ( 平家 , "House of Taira") , using

136-584: A final fight at Tossaka Castle. The main battle took place in May, as Sukemori's troops fought outside the castle and Hangaku Gozen led the garrison. She proved to be an inspirational and capable leader, as she was already highly respected among her followers for her exceptional archery skills. Dressed like a male samurai in full armour, she led the castle's defense from a tower and killed many attackers with her bow. Later records claimed that she shot one hundred arrows, hitting and killing an opponent each time. Eventually,

170-557: A force of over 5000 men. The road was greatly resented by the Emishi tribes, and after an uprising in 767, pacification expeditions were carried out in 776, 778, 794, 801 and 811. During the Nara period , under the Engishiki classification system, Dewa was ranked as a "greater country" (上国). Under the ritsuryō system, Dewa was classed as a "far country" (遠国). The name of the province

204-662: A statue at Nakajō Station in her memory. Taira clan The Taira ( 平 ) was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period of Japanese history – the others being the Minamoto , the Fujiwara , and the Tachibana . The clan is divided into four major groups, named after the emperors they descended from: Kanmu Heishi, Ninmyō Heishi, Montoku Heishi, and Kōkō Heishi,

238-591: A warrior in Yoriie's retinue, Asari Yoichi Yoshitō, was so captivated by Hangaku Gozen's demeanor and bravery that he wished to marry her. Minamoto no Yoriie requested Asari to explain himself, and the samurai reasoned that she would surely have a "strong son who would defend the shogun". Yoriie initially ridiculed him, claiming that Hangaku Gozen was so unwomanly that she surely had "no attraction to men", but his retainer persisted and he relented. Asari and Hangaku Gozen married and later had at least one child. Some tellings of

272-619: The Kamakura period , which developed into the centers of numerous rival samurai clans. In 1335, Shiba Kaneyori received the Dewa Province as a fief from Ashikaga Takauji , but ruled it only in name. By the end of the Sengoku period , the Mogami clan had emerged as the strongest local force in the southern portion of the province, whereas the Akita clan dominated the northern portion of

306-497: The 50th Emperor Kanmu , who reigned from 781 to 806 ) proved to be the strongest and most dominant line during the Heian period . A great-grandson of Takamochi, Taira no Korehira , moved to Ise Province (currently part of Mie Prefecture ) and established an important Daimyo dynasty. Masamori , his grandson; and Tadamori , his great-grandson, became loyal supporters of Emperor Shirakawa and Emperor Toba , respectively. Later, Tadamori's son, Taira no Kiyomori , created what

340-659: The Heian period, the province was organized into eleven districts. It was later a battleground in the Gosannen War and the Former Nine Years War . Following the destruction of the Northern Fujiwara clan by the forces of the Kamakura shogunate in 1189, many Fujiwara partisans fled to the mountains of Dewa and continued to resist central authority. The area was divided into numerous shōen during

374-527: The Jo clan's holdings in Echigo. The remaining forces of the Jo clan were led by Jo Nagamochi's nephew Jo Sukemori and sister Hangaku Gozen who prepared as well as they could for the coming governmental operation, resolving to make their last stand . They gathered about 1,000 warriors, with their main base being the wooden fortress of Tossaka Castle near modern-day Tainai . After the mountain passes opened following

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408-724: The Kanmu Heishi bloodline, was eventually destroyed by Minamoto no Yoritomo 's armies at the Battle of Dan-no-ura , the last battle of the Genpei War. This story is told in the Heike Monogatari . This branch of the Kanmu Heishi had many collateral branches, including Hōjō , Chiba , Miura and Hatakeyama . The other major branch of Kanmu Heishi was founded by Takamune-ō (804–867), the eldest son of Prince Imperial Kazurahara and grandson of Emperor Kanmu, who received

442-503: The Minamoto clan weakened. His young son Minamoto no Yoriie became the clan's formal leader, but true power passed to Yoritomo's wife Hōjō Masako who consequently worked to keep de facto control and strengthen her own family, the Hōjō clan . The rise of the so-called "nun shogun" and attempts by Minamoto no Yoriie to gain more power caused considerable tensions. In 1200, the unrest resulted in

476-502: The Minamoto in defeating other still-autonomous families such as the Northern Fujiwara . The Jo clan's survival was partially owed to Kajiwara Kagetoki , an influential figure in the government who had been an ally to Jo Nagamochi. Regardless, the Jo clan's power was in sharp decline; accordingly Jo Nagamochi continued to resent the Kamakura shogunate and planned to overthrow it. In 1199, Minamoto no Yoritomo died in an accident, leaving

510-464: The Minamoto. The Jo clan fought alongside the Taira during the war. After his victory over the Taira, Minamoto no Yoritomo established the Kamakura shogunate , a military dictatorship which ruled Japan alongside the weakened Imperial Court in Kyoto (then known as " Heian-kyō "). He pardoned the Jo clan, allowing the family's leader Jo Nagamochi to gradually gain the new authorities' trust by assisting

544-431: The Taira clan. The mon (crest, emblem) of the Taira clan is an Agehanochō (揚羽蝶, Swallowtail butterfly ) with raised wings. Dewa Province Dewa Province ( 出羽国 , Dewa no kuni ) was a province of Japan comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture , except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka . Dewa bordered on Mutsu and Echigō Provinces. Its abbreviated form name

578-460: The area, with armed colonists forming settlements with wooden palisades across central Dewa in what is now the Shōnai area of Yamagata Prefecture . The capital of the new province was initially established at Dewanosaku (出羽柵), a fortified settlement in what is now part of Sakata, Yamagata , which served as a vital military stronghold in the expansion of Yamato control and settlement in the region. In 733,

612-629: The capital was moved north, and a new military settlement, later named " Akita Castle ", was built what is now in the Takashimizu area of the city of Akita. Abe no Yakamaro was sent as Chinjufu-shōgun . In 737, a major military operation began to connect Akita Castle with Taga Castle on the Pacific Coast. Over the next 50 years, additional fortifications were erected at Okachi in Dewa Province and Monofu in Mutsu Province involving

646-489: The character's On'yomi hei ( 平 ) for Taira , while shi ( 氏 ) means " clan ", and ke ( 家 ) is used as a suffix for " extended family ". The clan is the namesake of The Tale of the Heike , an epic account of the Genpei War. Along with the Minamoto , Taira was one of the honorary surnames given by the emperors of the Heian period (794–1185) to their children and grandchildren who were not considered eligible for

680-424: The downfall and death of Kajiwara Kagetoki. Jo Nagamochi finally took up arms on New Year's Day , January 1201. He exploited the conflicts within the shogunate to raise an army and storm Heian-kyō, hoping to topple the government. At first, he assaulted the mansion of Tomomasa Oyama, an official who had been involved in destroying Kajiwara Kagetoki. However, Tomomasa managed to escape. Nagamochi then attempted to get

714-645: The events claim that it was a son, whereas other historians such as Bun'ei Tsunoda state that it was a girl. The rebellion of 1201 subsequently became known as the "Kennin Rebellion" due to having taken place mainly during the Kennin era . In coming centuries, the Kennin Rebellion remained a relatively unknown event, mainly remembered due to Hangaku Gozen's involvement. Over time, many legends about her feats and strength sprung up. The city of Tainai erected

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748-607: The field. His fate is unclear; it was rumoured that he was able to hide in Dewa Province . In June 1201, Hangaku Gozen was sent to Kamakura and presented to Minamoto no Yoriie, impressing observers with her fearlessness. Her proud stance was remarkable as being captured alive and being presented as some kind of curiosity to Yoriie would have been extremely humiliating. For her role in the rebellion, she would usually have been ordered to commit ritual suicide ( seppuku ) or been sentenced to lifelong exile in some remote area. However,

782-420: The first to bear the name of Taira, after 825 . Later, descendants of Emperor Nimmyo , Emperor Montoku and Emperor Koko also received the surname. The specific hereditary lines of these emperors are referred to by the posthumous name of the emperor followed by Heishi, for example Kanmu Heishi . The Kanmu Heishi line has two major branches. One was founded in 889 by Taira no Takamochi (great-grandson of

816-408: The imperial court's backing, requesting retired Emperor Go-Toba to issue an official order to depose the Minamoto clan. However, the imperial court did not comply; instead, an army loyal to the shogunate launched an unexpected counter-attack and crushed Jo Nagamochi's force. He tried to hide at Mount Yoshino , but was captured and beheaded. Minamoto no Yoriie proceeded to order a reliatory attack on

850-548: The most influential of which was the Kanmu Heishi line. In the twilight of the Heian period, the Taira controlled the boy emperor Antoku (himself the grandson of the powerful Kugyō Taira no Kiyomori ) and had effectively dominated the Imperial capital of Heian . However, they were opposed by their rivals the Minamoto clan (the Genji), which culminated in the Genpei War (1180–1185 AD). The five-year-long war concluded with

884-680: The province. Both clans sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara , and were thus secured in their holdings at the start of the Tokugawa shogunate . During the early Edo period , both the Mogami and the Akita were dispossessed, and their territories broken up into smaller domains , the largest of which were held by the Sakai clan and Uesugi clans . During the Bakumatsu period , all of

918-473: The spring thaw, the shogunate's armies began their offensive against the Echigo-based rebels. In April 1201, Tossaka Castle's garrison repulsed a first attack. The government loyalists were consequently reinforced, with Sasaki Moritsuna assuming command of the shogunate forces. At this point, the government troops vastly outnumbered the rebels. Sasaki sent a message to the rebels, and Jo Sukemori agreed to

952-497: The third son of Yoshitomo, into exile. In 1180 , Yoritomo organized a large-scale rebellion against the rule of the Taira (the Genpei War or Taira-Minamoto ), culminated with the destruction of the Taira by the Minamoto clan and the subjugation of eastern Japan in five years. In 1192 , Minamoto no Yoritomo received the title shogun and created the first bakufu based in Kamakura (Kanagawa Prefecture). The Taira clan had four main branches: These were important members of

986-506: The throne. The clan was founded when the Imperial Court grew too large, and the emperor ordered that the descendants of previous emperors from several generations ago would no longer be princes but would instead be given noble surnames and ranks. The decision became applicable during the reign of Emperor Kanmu (782–805) and thus, together with the Minamoto clan, the Taira clan was born. Some grandchildren of Emperor Kanmu were

1020-813: The title of Taira no Ason in the year 825. Members of this branch served as middle-class kuge in the Imperial Court of Kyoto. The Oda clan at the time of Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) also claimed Taira descent, they were descendants of Taira no Chikazane , grandson of Taira no Shigemori (1138–1179). During the Heiji Rebellion (1160), the Seiwa Genji leader, Minamoto no Yoshitomo , died in battle. Taira no Kiyomori gained power in Kyoto forging alliances with retired emperors Shirakawa and Toba . Kiyomori sent Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199),

1054-604: Was Ushū ( 羽州 ) . Prior to the Asuka period , Dewa was inhabited by Ainu or Emishi tribes, and was effectively outside of the control of the imperial dynasty . Abe no Hirafu conquered the native Emishi tribes at what are now the cities of Akita and Noshiro in 658 and established a fort on the Mogami River . In 708 AD Dewa District ( 出羽郡 , Dewa-gun ) was created within Echigō Province. The area of Dewa District

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1088-497: Was considered the first samurai government in the history of Japan. Taira no Kiyomori, son and heir of Tadamori, rose to the position of Daijō Daijin (great Minister of State), after his victories in the Hōgen Rebellion (1156) and the Heiji Rebellion (1160). Kiyomori succeeded in enthroning his youngest grandson as Emperor Antoku in 1180, an act that led to the Genpei War (Genpei no Sōran, 1180–1185). The last leader of

1122-522: Was originally pronounced "Idewa". The Ichinomiya of Dewa Province was the Chōkaisan Ōmonoimi Shrine in what is now Yuza, Yamagata . During the Heian period , in 878, a major rebellion known as the Gangyo Disturbance ( 元慶の乱 , Gangyo no ran ) erupted in the region against Yamato rule. Another major uprising occurred in 939, as part of East Japan war Tengyō no Ran . Towards the end of

1156-472: Was roughly that of the modern Shōnai area of Yamagata Prefecture, and was gradually extended to the north as the Japanese pushed back the indigenous people of northern Honshū . Dewa District was promoted to the status of a province ( Dewa Province ( 出羽国 , Dewa no kuni ) ) in 712 AD, and gained Okitama and Mogami Districts, formerly part of Mutsu Province. A number of military expeditions were sent to

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