Changes

==Opening Moves==

==Opening Moves==

In May [[1180]] [[Prince Mochihito]], the son of Retired [[emperor Go-Shirakawa]], issued a statement urging the [[Minamoto clan|Minamoto]] to rise against the [[Taira clan|Taira]]. While Mochihito would be killed in June and [[Minamoto Yorimasa]] crushed at the [[Battle of Uji]], a fire had been set. In September [[Minamoto Yoritomo]], who had recieved Mochihito's call from [[Miyoshi Yasukiyo]], set about raising an army in the Province of [[Izu province|Izu]], where he had been in exile. There was an irony in the preceeding events, as [[Taira Kiyomori]] had himself sown the seeds of the war, so the poetic tale goes. His great error, we are told, had been to spare the sons of Minamoto Yoshitomo in the wake of the [[Heiji disturbance]], allowing these three boys - Yoritomo, [[Minamoto Noriyori|Noriyori]], and [[Minamoto Yoshitsune|Yoshitsune]] - to mature and form the leadership of a new and dangerous threat.

In the aftermath of the [[Hogen Disturbance|Hôgen Disturbance]] of [[1156]] and the [[Heiji Disturbance]] of [[1159]], [[Taira no Kiyomori]] had risen to power within the Imperial Court. Rising to the position of ''[[dajo daijin|dajô daijin]]'', he married his daughter [[Taira no Tokuko]] to [[Emperor Takakura]] (a son of Retired [[Emperor Go-Shirakawa]]), and in [[1180]]/4, arranged to have their infant son, his grandson, take the throne as [[Emperor Antoku]]. Passed over for the succession, Antoku's uncle, [[Prince Mochihito]] (another son of Go-Shirakawa) issued a statement urging the [[Minamoto clan|Minamoto]] to rise against the [[Taira clan|Taira]]. While Mochihito would be killed the following month and [[Minamoto Yorimasa]] crushed at the [[Battle of Uji]], a fire had been set. In September [[Minamoto Yoritomo]], who had recieved Mochihito's call from [[Miyoshi Yasukiyo]], set about raising an army in the Province of [[Izu province|Izu]], where he had been in exile. There was an irony in the preceeding events, as Taira no Kiyomori had himself sown the seeds of the war, so the poetic tale goes. His great error, we are told, had been to spare the sons of Minamoto Yoshitomo in the wake of the [[Heiji Disturbance]], allowing these three boys - Yoritomo, [[Minamoto Noriyori|Noriyori]], and [[Minamoto Yoshitsune|Yoshitsune]] - to mature and form the leadership of a new and dangerous threat.

In fact, Yoritomo's own call to arms in the east was recieved cautiously at best. He did manage to kill the local Taira governor, but was defeated at the [[Battle of Ishibashiyama]] by [[Oba Kagechika]]. In the wake of this hard setback, however, Yoritomo did recieve the valuable additon of [[Kajiwara Kagetoki]] to his staff. Elsewhere in the Kanto, local families began to respond to Yoritomo in varying degrees and in Shimosa and elsewhere set about eliminating Kyoto-appointed officals. This often provoked inter-province and occasionally inter-clan civil war, a common and oft-overlooked element of the Gempei War. By the Spring of the following year, Yoritomo could count on at least the tacit support of most of the notable families in the Kanto, although the Chubu, though by now nominally Minamoto dominated, existed beyond his immediate control. Yoritomo's Kanto domain is occasionally referred to as the Tôgaku, and rather then surge forward against the Taira, he contented himself for the time being with consolidating his hold locally.

In fact, Yoritomo's own call to arms in the east was recieved cautiously at best. He did manage to kill the local Taira governor, but was defeated at the [[Battle of Ishibashiyama]] by [[Oba Kagechika]]. In the wake of this hard setback, however, Yoritomo did recieve the valuable additon of [[Kajiwara Kagetoki]] to his staff. Elsewhere in the Kanto, local families began to respond to Yoritomo in varying degrees and in Shimosa and elsewhere set about eliminating Kyoto-appointed officals. This often provoked inter-province and occasionally inter-clan civil war, a common and oft-overlooked element of the Gempei War. By the Spring of the following year, Yoritomo could count on at least the tacit support of most of the notable families in the Kanto, although the Chubu, though by now nominally Minamoto dominated, existed beyond his immediate control. Yoritomo's Kanto domain is occasionally referred to as the Tôgaku, and rather then surge forward against the Taira, he contented himself for the time being with consolidating his hold locally.

==[[Battle of Yashima]]==

==[[Battle of Yashima]]==

By January 1185 Noriyori was reporting that as he had no boats and few provisions, he was unable to prosecute his mission to Kyushu. He reached as far as the Shimonoseki Straight (that separated Honshu and Kyushu) before being forced to sit idly, and his requests for shipping yielded no definitive reply from Yoritomo. Disquiet began to swell in the ranks and Noriyori feared desertion; luckily, word came that a number of sea-faring samurai from Kyushu desired to join the Minamoto cause. These two, Ogata Koresaka and his brother Jirô Koretaka of Bungo, came across with some 82 vessels and finally, in February, Noriyori’s weary and demoralized army landed on Kyushu.

By January 1185 Noriyori was reporting that as he had no boats and few provisions, he was unable to prosecute his mission to Kyushu. He reached as far as the Shimonoseki Straits (that separated Honshu and Kyushu) before being forced to sit idly, and his requests for shipping yielded no definitive reply from Yoritomo. Disquiet began to swell in the ranks and Noriyori feared desertion; luckily, word came that a number of sea-faring samurai from Kyushu desired to join the Minamoto cause. These two, Ogata Koresaka and his brother Jirô Koretaka of Bungo, came across with some 82 vessels and finally, in February, Noriyori’s weary and demoralized army landed on Kyushu.

In March 1185, with Noriyori preparing to invade Kyushu, Yoshitsune was authorized to return to the war. Intending to launch an assault on Yashima, he assembled a fleet of ships at Watanabe ([[Settsu province]]). During the preparations he argued with [[Kajiwara Kagetoki]], one of his elder bother’s closest retainers, about strategy, an incident which may very well have come back to haunt Yoshitsune later. On the stormy night of 22 March Yoshitsune decided the time was right to sail, and ordered his men to board ship. Observing that the weather was extremely bad the sailors refused to put to sea, and did so only after Yoshitsune threatened to kill any man who disobeyed his orders. Even still, not all of the ships followed Yoshitsune into the night. Unperturbed, Yoshitsune landed on Shikoku at dawn<ref>In modern terms, he went from the northern coast of Osaka Bay, south through the strait between the Kii peninsula and Awaji Island, and landed on the NE coast of Shikoku, in the region of Tokushima City, a distance of about 100 km.</ref> and set out for Yashima, some thirty miles distant. He learned from a local warrior that despite the importance of the fort, the Taira’s garrison at Yashima was presently reduced owing to an expedition into Iyo, a welcome piece of news that prompted him onward.

In March 1185, with Noriyori preparing to invade Kyushu, Yoshitsune was authorized to return to the war. Intending to launch an assault on Yashima, he assembled a fleet of ships at Watanabe ([[Settsu province]]). During the preparations he argued with [[Kajiwara Kagetoki]], one of his elder bother’s closest retainers, about strategy, an incident which may very well have come back to haunt Yoshitsune later. On the stormy night of 22 March Yoshitsune decided the time was right to sail, and ordered his men to board ship. Observing that the weather was extremely bad the sailors refused to put to sea, and did so only after Yoshitsune threatened to kill any man who disobeyed his orders. Even still, not all of the ships followed Yoshitsune into the night. Unperturbed, Yoshitsune landed on Shikoku at dawn<ref>In modern terms, he went from the northern coast of Osaka Bay, south through the strait between the Kii peninsula and Awaji Island, and landed on the NE coast of Shikoku, in the region of Tokushima City, a distance of about 100 km.</ref> and set out for Yashima, some thirty miles distant. He learned from a local warrior that despite the importance of the fort, the Taira’s garrison at Yashima was presently reduced owing to an expedition into Iyo, a welcome piece of news that prompted him onward.