[Series 7: The Battle of Zenkunen and the Battle of Gosannen] The bond between the Genji and the warriors of the eastern provinces, the beginning of 100 years of glory for the Oshu Fujiwara clan

Minamoto no Yoshiie was joined by his younger brother, Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, who came

Kanazawa Fortress which was considered impregnable at the time , but were unable to take it and resorted to a siege.

This siege caused the supplies within the stockade to run out, and the allied forces of Ie and Takee set fire to the stockade and fled, but both Ie and Takee were captured and beheaded, and the Gosannen War was won by the allied forces of Yoshiie and Kiyohira

What are the Former Nine Years' War and the Later Three Years' War?

These were two wars fought in the Tohoku region (Iwate and Akita prefectures) at the end of the Heian period, from 1051 (Eisho 6) to 1062 (Kohei 5) and from 1083 (Eiho 3) to 1087 (Kanji 1)

The Battle of Zenkunen was a war in which the Minamoto clan, sent by the Imperial Court, suppressed a rebellion by the Abe clan, who were expanding their power in Mutsu (Iwate Prefecture), with the help of the Kiyohara clan

Then, an internal conflict arose within the Kiyohara clan, which had been strengthening its control from Mutsu to Dewa (Akita Prefecture), and the resulting struggle for succession escalated into the Gosannen War, in which the Minamoto clan was deeply involved

These two wars led to the rise of the Oshu Fujiwara clan in Hiraizumi, Iwate Prefecture, and the ties between the Minamoto clan and the eastern samurai deepened, leading to the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo

Why were the surrenderees killed at Kanazawa Fortress?

It was Yoshihiko Hidetake , who was part of this allied force, who proposed a siege against Kanazawa Castle

Yoshihiko Hidetake was the uncle of Kiyohira, who visited Kiyohara Sanehira to celebrate the wedding of his adopted son, Narihira, but became angry when Sane made him wait, and scattered the gold dust that had been brought as a gift, which started the Gosannen War

Yoshiie protected the non-combatants who surrendered, but agreed with Hidetake Yoshitake's argument that "we should prevent any surrenders in order to increase the effectiveness of the siege," and killed them all to make an example of them and discourage anyone from surrendering

Did the three Genji brothers have a bad relationship with each other, just like the Kiyohara brothers?

Minamoto no Yoshiie had two younger brothers, Yoshitsuna and Yoshimitsu, who had the same parents.

After the Battle of Gosannen, they engaged in a bitter family feud that involved their respective sons, and it is believed that their relationship was just as bad as that of the three Kiyohara brothers

Furthermore, although Yoshiie lagged behind Yoshitsuna in the struggle for promotion within the Imperial Court, his son Yoshikuni took root in the eastern provinces and became the ancestor of the Ashikaga, Nitta, and Satomi clans, among others

Just as Yoshiie was nicknamed Hachiman Taro because he had his coming-of-age ceremony at Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine, Yoshitsuna and Yoshimitsu also had nicknames

Kamo Jiro Yoshitsuna

the second son of Yoriyoshi , and was nicknamed after his coming-of-age ceremony at Kamo Shrine in Kyoto.He was highly esteemed by the Imperial Court, and it is said that at one point he had more power than the master carpenter, Yoshiie.

In 1094 (Kanji 8), he was in charge of suppressing the rebellion of the Taira clan in Dewa as the governor of Mutsu

During the Battle of Zenkunen, he followed his brother Yoshiie and his father Yoriyoshi, but he was not on good terms with Yoshiie, as they almost fought each other due to disputes between their retainers. Yoshiie's son Yoshiaki was executed as an assassin of Yoshitada, who succeeded Yoshiie. Outraged by this, Yoshitsuna fled the Imperial Court with his five sons and barricaded himself in Mount Koga in Omi

However, after all his sons committed suicide, he surrendered, became a monk, and was exiled to Sado, where he was later pardoned and returned to Kyoto

Shinra Saburo Yoshimitsu

His third son, Yoshimitsu, had his coming-of-age ceremony at Shinra Myojin Shrine in Omi and was named Shinra Saburo. He was said to have been skilled in archery, horseback riding, and playing the sho, and was a military commander skilled in both the arts and martial arts.

During the Gosannen War, he learned of his brother Yoshiie's difficulties and asked the Imperial Court if he could go east to provide reinforcements, but this was not permitted, so he went to Mutsu without permission and was stripped of his official position

He married the daughter of a powerful family in Hitachi (Ibaraki Prefecture) and brought her into his power, becoming the ancestor of the Satake clan.He also became the first head of the Kai Genji clan (including the Takeda clan) as the governor of Kai (Yamanashi Prefecture), and was also the ancestor of the Ogasawara clan and the Nanbu clan

Unlike Yoshiie and Yoshitsuna, Yoshimitsu did not have connections with the central government, and it is thought that he was looking to expand his influence in the eastern provinces

Why did the bond between the Genji and the eastern samurai deepen?

When Yoshiie returned to the capital, he reported that he had put down the Oshu Rebellion as Governor of Mutsu Province, but the Imperial Court dismissed him from his position as Governor of Mutsu Province, instead of offering him any reward, claiming that the battle was an internal dispute within the Kiyohara clan and a private war in which Yoshiie had intervened without permission

Furthermore, Yoshiie was forced to pay the taxes that had been outstanding due to his duties, which put him in dire straits

However, Yoshiie had mobilized warriors from the eastern provinces, such as those from Bando, for the Gosannen War, and he had to give them rewards, so despite his financial difficulties he paid them out of his own pocket

When the samurai of the eastern provinces heard of this, they were deeply moved by Yoshiie's actions, took his kindness to heart, and pledged their loyalty to the Minamoto clan. This spirit was passed down and eventually led to the Kamakura shogunate's samurai system

The Oshu Fujiwara clan that began with Kiyohira

After the Gosannen War, Fujiwara no Kiyohira expanded his power into Dewa and Mutsu, and while appealing to the Imperial Court as the ruler of Oshu, he engaged in trade with Song and other countries in mainland China, and seemed to be an independent country, ignoring the conflict between the Genpei and Taira clans in the central region

Kiyohira further moved his residence to Hiraizumi (Iwate Prefecture) in the Okuroku District and constructed the Golden Hall of Chusonji Temple, creating a magnificent utopia centered on Buddhist culture

Then, having severed ties with the Kiyohara clan, he returned to the Fujiwara surname of his biological father, Fujiwara no Tsunekiyo, and took the name "Fujiwara no Kiyohira," laying the foundation for the 100-year reign of the Oshu Fujiwara clan over four generations

summary

The Genji had strengthened their ties with the eastern warriors through the two wars of the Former Nine Years and the Later Three Years, but the Imperial Court feared that the Genji would become too powerful, so they encouraged infighting among themselves to weaken their power and began to favor the Taira clan

This weakened the power of the Minamoto clan, but in return, the power of the Taira clan increased

However, the seeds that the Genji had sown in the eastern provinces gradually sprouted and eventually blossomed into the Kamakura shogunate (end)

Series: The Battle of Zenkunen and the Battle of Gosannen

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

[Series 1: The Battle of Zenkunen and the Battle of Gosannen] Why did the Oshu War occur at the end of the Heian period?

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/27329

Also known as the "Twelve Years' War of Oshu," this late Heian period battle took place between Mutsu and Dewa, now Iwate and Akita prefectures, and served as a bridge to the Kamakura period. These two battles were called "wars" ("wars"), referring to wars with foreign countries, because the Imperial Court at the time referred to the rebellious Tohoku residents as "Emishi" (Emishi) and viewed them as "foreign." Residents grew increasingly dissatisfied with the extortion of taxes by provincial governors dispatched by the Imperial Court and the plundering of their land by the provincial army. The Abe clan, who were in charge of governing the Okurokugun (inland areas of Iwate Prefecture), began to take a counterattacking stance.

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Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

[Series 2: The Battle of Zenkunen and the Battle of Gosannen] The Battle of Zenkunen returns to war after a ceasefire, with the Kokufu army struggling

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/27403

Abe Yoriyoshi, the chief of the Six Counties of the Deep North (Iwate Prefecture), defeated Mutsu no Kami Fujiwara no Narito, who had raised an army to slay the enemy, in the Battle of Onikiribe. However, Fujiwara no Narito was dismissed for the defeat, and Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, a renowned warrior of the Kawachi Genji clan, was appointed as the new provincial governor from Kyoto. Perhaps believing he was no match for Yoriyoshi, Abe Yoriyoshi submitted to Yoriyoshi, so thoroughly that he even changed his name to Yoritoki out of consideration for the fact that his own given name, "Yoriyoshi," was the same as his own. Nine Years of the Former Years...

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Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

[Series 3: The Battle of Zenkunen and the Battle of Gosannen] The unrivaled strength of the Abe army, and Minamoto no Yoriyoshi being driven into a corner

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/27440

Following the Akutogawa Incident in February 1056 (the 4th year of Tenki), Minamoto no Yoriyoshi and Abe no Yoritoki were once again at war, with the battle continuing to swing back and forth. Yoriyoshi then attempted to ally himself with Abe no Tomitada, an Emishi (Emishi) in what is now Aomori Prefecture, north of Mutsu Okurokugun (Iwate Prefecture), and to pincer the Abe forces. While attempting to persuade Tomitada, Yoritoki was attacked and killed in the process. However, the Abe forces, led by his successor Sadato, grew even stronger, and Yoriyoshi was gradually cornered. The end of the Zenkunen War...

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Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

[Series 4: The Battle of Zenkunen and the Battle of Gosannen] The participation of Mr. Kiyohara changed the course of the Battle of Zenkunen

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/27491

Following their crushing defeat at the hands of Abe Sadato in the Battle of the Yellow Sea, Minamoto no Yoriyoshi and his son Yoshiie are said to have worked tirelessly to regain their fighting strength. However, following two crushing defeats following the Onikiribe defeat, they were unable to muster the troops they had hoped for, and had to recruit from the Kanto and Tokai regions. Meanwhile, the Abe clan had expanded beyond their base in Okurokugun (Iwate Prefecture) into the sphere of influence of the provincial capital, demonstrating their strength to the point of collecting taxes and conscripting troops. If this continued, the Abe clan would only grow stronger, and far from subjugating the enemy, they would be forced to destroy the power they had built up in the eastern provinces...

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Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

[Series 5: The Battle of Zenkunen and the Battle of Gosannen] 20 years after the Battle of Zenkunen, signs of war spreading again to Oshu

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/27564

After the Battle of Zenkunen, Minamoto no Yoriyoshi returned to Kyoto, and the six inner districts of Mutsu (inland Iwate Prefecture), which had been under the control of the Abe clan, came under the rule of the Kiyohara clan. By simply participating briefly at the end of a long war, the Kiyohara clan gained a vast territory, including the three districts of Dewa (Akita Prefecture) that they had previously controlled. At the time, the Tohoku region was rich in gold dust and other deposits, and it was also a producer of fine horses. The Kiyohara clan gradually gained power, but they maintained a good relationship with the Imperial Court, paying taxes regularly. The headship of the Kiyohara clan was passed from Mitsuyori to his younger brother, the commander-in-chief of the Battle of Zenkunen...

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Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

[Series 6: The Former Nine Years' War and the Later Three Years' War] The internal conflict within the Kiyohara clan turned into a struggle for succession, and the Later Three Years' War was considered a private war

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/27594

With the death of Kiyohara Sanehira from illness, the internal conflict within the Kiyohara clan temporarily appeared to have subsided. The six Oku districts that had been Sanehira's territory were divided into three districts each between two brothers, Iehira and Kiyohira, by ruling of Mutsu no Kami Minamoto no Yoshiie. However, this incident sparked a succession dispute between the brothers. What are the Zenkunen no Eki and Gosannen no Eki (the Former Nine Years' War and the Later Three Years' War)? Gosannen Emaki (The Later Three Years' War), middle scroll, Tokyo National Museum. Source: ColBase. The late Heian period, 1051 (Eisho 6) - 1062 (Kohei 5)...

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Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

[Series 7: The Battle of Zenkunen and the Battle of Gosannen] The bond between the Genji and the warriors of the eastern provinces, the beginning of 100 years of glory for the Oshu Fujiwara clan

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/27596

Minamoto no Yoshiie's army was joined by his younger brother, Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, who came from Kyoto to help his brother out of his predicament. The allied forces attacked Kanazawa Fortress, which was considered impregnable at the time. However, they struggled to take the fortress, so they resorted to starvation tactics. This tactic caused the supplies within the fortress to run out, and the allied forces of Iemori and Takemori set fire to the fortress and fled. However, both Iemori and Takemori were captured and beheaded, resulting in the victory of Yoshiie and Kiyohira's allied forces in the Gosannen War. What are the Zenkunen War and Gosannen War? Gosannen War Picture Scroll, Tokyo National Museum Collection, Source:...

DaiwaConsilio

I'm a former Edokko man who loves Morioka and the six Tohoku prefectures, and I also love history, food, travel, sports, alcohol, and singing.
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