User:BRPXQZME/Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源 義経) was a late Heian period military commander of the Kawachi Genji clan. He was a younger brother by a different mother of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate. His lineage is of the Seiwa Genji, a branch of the Kawachi Genji led by Minamoto no Yorinobu. His alias alias (Haikōmei) was Kurō (九郎); his true name (Imina) is Yoshitsune.

Born to Minamoto no Yoshitomo, the eldest-son descendant of the Kawachi Genji, he was the ninth son; his childhood name was Ushiwakamaru (牛若丸). Because of the fact that his father was defeated in the Heiji Rebellion, he was left in the care of the Kurama-dera, but later on he would go on to Hiraizumi in Ōshū, and receive protection from head of the Northern Fujiwara, Fujiwara no Hidehira. When his elder brother Yoritomo raised an army to defeat the Heishi (the Jishō-Juei War), he hastened to join; experiencing the battles of Ichi-no-Tani, Yashima, and Dan-no-Ura and the overthrow of the Heishi, he was renowned for his distinguished service. Afterwards, without obtaining his brother’s permission, and with the office and rank he received, he had gained Yoritomo’s contempt. Moreover, for showing off his opposing independent activities, he was considered “chōteki” (朝敵) for his opposition to Yoritomo. When a decree for his arrest was issued to all the land, he once again escaped apprehension through Fujiwara no Hidehira’s protection; however, after Hidehira’s death, the next head (Fujiwara no Yasuhira) gained the wrath of Yoritomo and turned on Yoshitsune, who killed himself at the Koromogawa Castle to avoid disgrace.

The circumstances concerning his death have provoked the sympathy of many people. The term Hōgan Biiki (判官贔屓) meaning “sympathy for the judge”, today indicates sympathy for a tragic hero, or correspondingly rooting for the underdog in modern Japanese. His story has also given rise to many legends and tales.

Lifetime

 * ''The parenthesized dates in this article use the Julian calendar; all dates use the historical Japanese calendar, in accordance with the Senmyō Calendar of the Chōryaku era.

The parts of the history of Genkurō Yoshitsune that can be ascertained for certain span from when he met with Yoritomo at Kisegawa at the age of 22 until his suicide at the age of 31, a period of nine years; there is no document that could be called a record concerning the preceding portion of his life, so it is shrouded in mystery. Tales of Ushiwakamaru that have been passed down to this day include the history book Azuma Kagami, where is he is briefly noted in the record, and gunki monogatari such as Tale of Heiji and Genpei Seisuiki; in comparison to those compilations, there are also stories like the Gikeiki, into which fabrications have been added.

Early Life
Born the ninth son to Minamoto no Yoshitomo, the head of the Kawachi Genji descending from the Seiwa Genji, he was named Ushiwakamaru. His mother Tokiwa Gozen was a Kujō-In zōshi. When his father was killed in the Heiji Rebellion of the first year of Heiji (1159), Ushiwaka was still an infant; he was taken to his mother, and along with two of his older brothers – Imawaka and Otowaka, both of the same mother – she escaped to the mountains of Yamato (now Nara Prefecture). However, Tokiwa, knowing that the real mother had been captured, appeared at Kiyomori’s location and made an entreaty to spare the lives of Ushiwaka, the two brothers, and their mother; that pardon was obtained, and the three brothers were to take monastic vows. That is the story as told in the Tale of Heiji.

Later on, Tokiwa married the Kuge Ichijō Naganari. When Ushiwakamaru was seven years old, he was left in the care of the Kurama-dera (Sakyō-ku, Kyoto), where he gave himself the nickname “Shana-ō” (遮那王). And then, when he was eleven years old (fifteen according to some), he knew of his own birth. A legend of Ushiwakamaru on Mount Kurama gave rise concerning this part of his life (the legend goes as such: at Mount Kurama, he learned the basics of sword-fighting from a defeated soldier who wore a Tengu mask. He may have been a follower of Yoshitomo, who when defeated in the Heiji Rebellion, actually escaped and hid by way of temples, monks, and sōhei in extraterritorial lands).

Shana-ō, maturing somewhat, and harboring a desire for revenge against the Heike who had destroyed his father, ran away from Kurama-dera when he was sixteen years old. He performed the Genbuku by his own hands; relying on the Northern Fujiwara suzerain, Chinjufu Shogun Fujiwara no Hidehira, he went down to Hiraizumi in Ōshū. Through Hirehida’s father-in-law, Fujiwara no Motonari, who was a government advisor, was Ichijō Naganari’s male cousin’s child, and it is very likely he was considering pursuing that connection. In the Gikeiki, he had his Genbuku in the very same Owari Province that was the land of his father Yoshitomo’s last moments (in the Tale of Heiji, he did it in the town of Ryūō, Ōmi Province). The ceremony itself took place at Atsuta Shrine. By combining the character related to the Genji “義” (meaning “justice”, “morality”, and “honor”), and a character from the name of his progenitor Tsunemoto, “経” (meaning “sutra”), he obtained his true name Yoshitsune (義経). Concerning his obtainment of Fujiwara no Hidehira’s protection, it was when Shana-ō was sixteen years old, according to tradition, that he went along with a money merchant called Kaneuri Kichiji, but that such a person ever existed is doubtful.

Jishō-Juei War
On the 17th of Hazuki in the fourth year of Jishō (8 September 1180), as his elder brother Yoritomo was raising an army in Izu, Yoshitsune, wishing to enter his tent, hastened to join under his brother. He was accompanied by about 80 riders sent by Hidehira, including the likes of the brothers Satō Tsugunobu and Satō Tadanobu. Yoshitsune, at the Battle of Fuji River, had a tearful meeting with Yoritomo (whom he had never met before) at his camp at the Kise River (now Shimizu, Suntō, Shizuoka). Yoritomo, in addition to Yoshitsune, had another younger brother Noriyori, to whom he entrusted the command of an expeditionary force; settling at his stronghold of Kamakura, he then turned his attention to the management of the eastern lands.

Having defeated the Heishi, Minamoto no Yoshinaka (who was ruling the capital) and Yoritomo were opposed to each other. In the second year of Juei (1183), Noriyori and Yoshitsune led a large army in an advance on Ōmi Province. In the first month of the next year of Juei (early 1184), Noriyori and Yoshitsune emerged victorious in the Battle of Uji River, later defeated Yoshinaka, and Yoritomo entered the capital as the new governor.

Meanwhile, the Heishi had been rallying back their power in the western lands, and pressed near Fukuhara (now Kobe, Hyōgo). Yoshitsune, along with Noriyori, was ordered to track down and kill Heishi. On the 4th of Kisaragi (17 March), Yoshitsune, leading a flanking force, made a detour into Harima Province; in the ensuing Battle of Mount Mikusa, he crushed Taira no Sukemori’s force in a night attack. Noriyori left leading the main force. On the 7th of the same month (20 March), their forces from Kamakura dealt a crushing defeat to the Heishi force in the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani. According to Tale of Heike and Genpei Seisuiki, in this battle, Yoshitsune commenced a charge straight down the steep cliffs of Hiyodorigoe; this audacious surprise attack upon the Heike stronghold of Ichi-no-Tani ended up being a great victory for the Genji, or so the tales say. The more credible Azuma Kagami also notes that Yoshitsune had about 70 elite riders attack Ichi-no-Tani from Hiyodorigoe; either way, Yoshitsune played a large role in the battle.

After the engagement at Ichi-no-Tani, in Minazuki of the first year of Genryaku (roughly July 1184), he conducted himself as a minor jimoku of the imperial court. By the recommendation of Yoritomo, three Genji (including Noriyori) were appointed to the office of kokushi, but Yoshitsune, who had been hoping for the appointment, was not one of them. On the 6th of Hazuki (12 September), Yoshitsune, without obtaining Yoritomo’s recommendation, was appointed to the offices of Saemon no Shōjō and Kebiishi no Shōjō (Hōgan) through Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa; now conferred the title of Jugoi-ge, he was allowed access to the imperial court. He reported to Kamakura, “This is something that I did not want for myself, but since the Hōō forcefully appointed me for various merits he was unable to ignore, I could not decline.” Yoritomo fumed, “This is not the only time you would go against my will!” and completely cut off Yoshitsune from hunting down Heishi. That same month, Noriyori commanded a large army on San'yōdō, crossing over towards Kyūshū, off on a campaign to encircle the Heishi. In Nagatsuki (roughly October), Yoshitsune took a daughter of Kawagoe Shigeyori (Sato Gozen) as his legal wife.

Noriyori’s expeditionary force was suffering for want of provisions and warship supplies, and the advance was halted. Reluctantly, Yoritomo decided to promote Yoshitsune. In Kisaragi of the second year of Genryaku (roughly March 1185), Yoshitsune, set out having formed a fresh force, but he would have to begin his sortie after a storm left him with a minority of his ships. Though the distance would normally require three days, he arrived in a few hours; along the Inland Sea of Sanuki Province on Shikoku, he surprise-attacked the Heishi base on Yashima. By setting fire to the mountains and homes, he used the tactic of feigning to have a large army, causing the Heishi to flee (the Battle of Yashima).

Noriyori also succeeded in crossing over to Kyūshū; at Hikoshima, Nagato Province, which was the their last base, he cut off the rear of the Heishi stationed there. Yoshitsune organized his naval force and headed for Hikoshima; on the 24th of Yayoi (25 April), he emerged victorious at the Battle of Dan-no-Ura, and at last the Heishi were crushed. Yoshitsune, having fulfilled this longstanding desire, received an imperial messenger sent from the Hōō bearing praise for the victory. For being the central figure doing meritorious service at Ichi-no-Tani, Yashima, and afterwards, and for his loyalty in recovering two of the Three Sacred Treasures from the Heike, he triumphantly returned to Kyoto on the 24th of Uzuki (25 May).

As for gunki monogatari such as the The Tale of the Heike and Genpei Seisuiki, regarding the Jishō-Juei War, engagements Yoshitsune participated in were depicted as if his tactics as well as his tact controlled the progress of battle (however, they often tell stories of a rather mean strategy Yoshitsune employed where he shot sailors and boatmen to death, though The Tale of the Heike does not have any scene where Yoshitsune ordered such a thing, and such accounts are also absent from the historical record).

After the war, from the time Yoritomo was the governor of the capital (Heian-kyō), successive generations of the Kawachi Genji dwelled in the “Horikawa Palace” (堀川御所).

Conflict with Yoritomo
After destroying the Heike, Yoshitsune clashed with his older brother Yoritomo, hoping for more independence, but to his chagrin, that would not come to pass; he was labeled chōteki (traitor) and pursued as such.

On the 15th of Uzuki in the second year of Genryaku (16 May 1185), Yoritomo, with a lack of insiders for recom&shy;men&shy;da&shy;tions, received appointments from the imperial court, some bushi from Kantō; he spoke ill of the appointments, appointed equivalent officials who were in the capital (Heian-kyō), and prohibited their return to the eastern lands. Then, on the 21st (22 May), while Yoshitsune was tracking down and killing the Heishi, as a vice-director of the Samurai-dokoro and aide to Yoshitsune, Kajiwara Kagetoki noted down, “Yoshitsune is frequently getting credit for tracking down and killing them personally,” and sent it to Yoritomo. Meanwhile, Yoshitsune, without giving much heed to Yoritomo’s commands given beforehand, escorted father and son Taira no Munemori and Taira no Kiyomune, whom had been captured at Dan-no-Ura; on the 7th of Satsuki (6 June), he was in the capital, and made his triumphant return at Kamakura. However, Yoritomo, who harbored suspicion against Yoshitsune, did not allow his entry into Kamakura, so only Munemori and his entered. On that occasion, in the mountains on the outskirts of Kamakura, at the manor Koshigoe (in the modern city of Kamakura), Yoshitsune was detained at Manpuku-ji. On the 24th (23 June), he entrusted a letter explaining that he held no spirit of rebellion towards his older brother Yoritomo to Yoritomo’s close aide Ōe no Hiromoto; this is the now-famous Koshigoe-Jō, in which Yoshitsune wrote the following:

"“I, for my elder brother the Daikan, have destroyed chōteki, have revealed to the world my discipline in the bow and arrow handed down to us by our forefathers, and have taken revenge for our father, restoring his honor. Naturally, at the place I should have been commended I met with unexpected defamation, had my vast merits ignored, and although my achievements were not crimes, I bore them as disfavors; now I cry in vain.

Father died soon after I was born, and embraced in Mother’s bosom, I proceeded to become Yamato; henceforth, not even for a moment, my heart could not be at ease. I wandered the provinces, hiding myself in various places, and even worked for those of low status. However, when the chance arrived, in order to track down and kill the Heike family, I proceeded to the capital and killed Kiso Yoshinaka; in order to ruin the Heishi, one time I galloped my horse down a crag, dropping my life without concerning myself; one time I defied the wind and wave of the open sea, and did not grudge that my corpse could have sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

Using my armor and helm as pillows, I could have taken a break from my dead father’s rage, but in order to accomplish this longstanding desire, I did no such thing. My being appointed a Goi Kebiishi was a credit for the family, and a rare promotion at that. What else could there be?

If you would please convey this to my elder brother, I suppose that Your Excellency (Ōe no Hiromoto) would certainly profit the family and our posterity.”"

The reasons Yoshitsune had stirred Yoritomo’s wrath included receiving an official rank without his permission, among other things: when he was tracking down and killing Heishi, he did not heed the opinions of the Gunkan sent by Yoritomo, Kajiwara Kagetoki; the fact that he made progress acting on his own authority, without reporting his reasons to Yoritomo; although Yoritomo had appointed Noriyori to control Kyūshū and Yoshitsune to control Shikoku, Yoshitsune, after the battle of Dan-no-Ura, by exceeding his authority in Kyūshū where Noriyori had jurisdiction, encroached on his job; and while he did not overlook the matter concerning his samurai followers from Kantō as a mere faux pas, this was not only fault-finding, but also a point where if any of the samurai did not overlook Yoritomo (with their possibly arbitrary judgment), he would have incurred their enmity; and so forth. This all seemed to him to be self-interested behavior that stood out. It has also been noted that Yoritomo, who was merely the leader of the Genji, was probably afraid of the threat posed by Yoshitsune, who was the central figure with distinguished war service when tracking down and killing the Heishi.

In particular, accepting an official rank without having the permission of the former was particularly grave, as for Yoritomo, not yet being in a position in which he could be presented with an official rank, this was a thing that shook his existence to the core. Also, the Koshigoe-Jō was even signed, “Minamoto no Yoshitsune”, with the intent that their common family title “Minamoto” would be considered. Instead, this identification is said to have strengthened Yoritomo’s anger. Recently, Yoritomo had, in order to confer honors within his administration, issued a decree permitting only people such as himself, some relatives, and senior officials to officially give their name with the Minamoto title (the Go-Mon'you). However, Yoshitsune was of course not put in this, and neither was Noriyori.

Eventually (Yoshitsune not being permitted to enter Kamakura this entire time) on the 9th of Minazuki (7 July), when Yoritomo ordered that Yoshitsune accompany Taira no Munemori, Kiyomune, and Shigehira to arrive at the capital, Yoshitsune deeply resented Yoritomo; he declared, “Comrades in Kantō who are bitter, you should belong to Yoshitsune!” When Yoritomo heard of this, he rescinded Yoshitsune’s territory altogether. Yoshitsune beheaded Munemori and his son in Ōmi Province, and sent Shigehira to Tōdai-ji for justice (Shigehira himself had set fire to the temple). On the other hand, for Yoshitsune who had now returned to Kyoto, Yoritomo followed in Nagatsuki (roughly October); in order to keep track of Yoshitsune’s actions in the Rokujō Horikawa mansion in Kyoto, he sent Kajiwara Kagetoki’s eldest son Kagesue to demand of him to track down and kill the uncle and former follower of Yoshinaka, Minamoto no Yukiie. Yoshitsune declined on the pretexts that his body had wasted away somewhat due to illness, and that Yukiie was still of the same Genji blood.

Rebellion
By Kannazuki (roughly November), Yoshitsune’s illness was a feigned illness; Yoritomo had already judged that he was of the same mind as Yukiie, and decided to suppress Yoshitsune, sending his family member Tosabō Shōshun to the capital. On the 17th (10 November), Tosabō and some 60-odd riders assailed Yoshitsune’s mansion in the capital, in the so-called Horikawa Night Attack (堀川夜討). However, Yoshitsune himself appeared at the door and accepted the challenge, and Yukiie joined in with him. The engagement ended in defeat for the offenders. Upon confirming that it was his brother’s command from the captured Shōshun, he gibbeted the severed head of the same, and along with his likewise anti-Yoritomo uncle Yukiie, raised a flag for Yoritomo’s defeat in the capital. They once again made a report to Go-Shirakawa, and received an imperial decree to track down and kill Yoritomo, but Yoritomo was at a memorial service for his father Yoshitomo on the 24th (17 November), where retainers were also assembled, so the pro-Yoritomo influence there was not a trifle. The bushi near Kyoto did not side with Yoshitsune, either; on the contrary, opposing ones were coming forth. Furthermore, as the Hōō was afterwards forced to give a decree to track down and kill him, Yoshitsune had fallen even deeper into his predicament.

On the 29th (22 November), Yoritomo led a force towards tracking down and killing Yoshitsune, as Yoshitsune planned to go to Kyūshū in order to reorganize in the western lands. On the 1st of Shimotsuki (24 November), Yoritomo reached the Kise River in Suruga Province, while on the 3rd (26 November), Yoshitsune’s company relied on Ogata of Kyūshū’s family; he led 300 riders, descending on the capital. On the way, he was attacked by Tada Yukitsuna of the Settsu Genji, whom he attacked back. On the 6th (29 November), his party put together a fleet and made ready to set sail for Kyūshū at Daimotsu no Ura in Settsu Province (modern Amagasaki, Hyōgo), but it was shipwrecked due to a storm on the way, and so lord and retainer had become separated; both were completely pushed back to Settsu. Due to this, it became impossible for Yoshitsune to escape to Kyūshū. In turn, on the 11th (4 December), the decree for Yoshitsune and Yukiie’s arrest was passed on through the various provinces. Moreover, for the pursuit and capture of Yoshitsune’s band, Yoritomo wished to establish the offices of Shugo and Jitō in the provinces, and at the end of discussions with Hōjō Tokimasa, who was sent to Kyoto, the institutions were approved.

The shipwrecked Yoshitsune, taking along followers such as his retainers and the shirabyōshi Shizuka Gozen, he hid himself in Yoshino (the southern area of modern Nara Prefecture), but even there he was hunted, and Shizuka was captured. Yoshitsune (who escaped) was sheltered through the influence of anti-Kamakura nobles and temples, and he managed to hide in the outskirts of Kyoto, but in Satsuki the following year, the second year of Bunji (roughly May–June 1186), his uncle Yukiie was arrested by Kamakura’s agents in Izumi Province; in various places, his retainers who were hiding would also be discovered and killed, one by one. Yoritomo, suspecting that institutions and nobles and such were letting Yoshitsune escape, in Shimotsuki threatened, “If one is an ally of Yoshitsune near Kyoto, I will dispatch a large army after him.”

Yoshitsune (who was no longer in Kyoto), relying on Fujiwara no Hidehira, proceeded to Ōshū. According to the Azuma Kagami, in the record for the 10th of Kisaragi in third year of Bunji (21 March 1187), Yoshitsune slipped through the net for his pursuit and capture, headed for Ōshū passing through the provinces of Ise and Mino, and accompanied by his wife and children, lived under the auspices of Hiraizumi. It is said that the party was disguised as mountain priests (yamabushi) and acolytes (chigo).

Last Days
Fujiwara no Hidehira of Hiraizumi, due to the pursuit of Yoshitsune, was wary that Yoritomo, having conquered Kantō and westward, would extend his influence to Ōshū; Like Yoshitsune, he was wholeheartedly in opposition to the Shogun and Kamakura, but on the 29th of Kannazuki in the third year of Bunji (30 November 1187), he died of natural causes. Yoritomo, after hearing of Hidehira’s death, strongly pressed the successor Fujiwara no Yasuhira to apprehend Yoshitsune, communicating with the imperial court. In Kisaragi of the fourth year of Bunji (roughly March 1188), Yoshitsune frequently appeared in Dewa Province, doing battle with supporters of Kamakura. In Mutsuki of the fifth year of Bunji (roughly January–February 1189), through such events the capture of a monk of Mount Hiei holding a letter of intent to return to Kyoto that Yoshitsune wrote, it is known that he was planning a comeback. However, caving in to incessant pressure from Kamakura, Yasuhira violated his father’s last request, and murdered his younger brother Yorihide, who admired Yoshitsune. So on the 30th of intercalary Uzuki (15 June), 500 riders assailed Yoshitsune, with about a dozen of his retainers, at Fujiwara no Motonari’s Koromogawa Castle. Yoshitsune’s retainers fought a defensive battle, but in the end they were entirely destroyed.

Surrounded by the soldiers of Hirazumi, Yoshitsune, instead of fighting it out to the end, secluded himself at a private chapel (持仏堂); after killing his wife and four-year-old girl, he perished by his own hand. He died at the age of 31.

Yasuhira displayed Yoshitsune’s head, same as he had done to his brother Yorihide; he also killed another younger brother Tadahira, who was in Yoshitsune’s faction, and applied for clemency to Yoritomo. However, Kamakura had sent forces to track down and kill him in Ōshū; in flight, Yasuhira was betrayed and killed by one of his own.

Yoshitsune’s head was hoisted for 43 days, guarded by Yasuhira’s younger brother Takahira, and was sent to Kamakura. Although the head was embalmed in high-grade sake for transport, it had already decayed due to the heat, so it could no longer be said whose head it really was. Due to this, a legend arose that Yoshitsune did not die (see below). On the 13th of Minazuki in the fifth year of Bunji, (27 July 1189年), the head identification was performed by Wada Yoshimori and Kajiwara Kagetoki at the inlet of Koshigoe.

According to tradition, after this, the head was interred at Fujisawa, and he was enshrined at Shirahata; near it, the well they are said to have used to wash the head is still left. Also, the body is said to be buried at the Hangan Forest in Numakura, Kurikoma, Kurihara.

Genealogy
Yoshitsune, as evident from nickname Kurō (九郎), was considered the ninth son of Yoshitomo. By other accounts, he was the eighth, but his uncle who had won military fame, Tametomo, had the kemyō Chinzei Hachirō (鎮西八郎), so a more tactful “Kurō” was chosen, but this is not found outside the realm of folklore. That he was the youngest child of Yoshitomo is certain.

Minamoto no Yoshihira, Minamoto no Yoritomo, and Minamoto no Noriyori were his older brothers by a different mother; his older brothers born by the same mother, Tokiwa Gozen, were Ano Zenjō (Imawaka) and Gien (Otowaka). Also, he had a younger brother Ichijō Yoshinari through Ichijō Naganari, who was his mother’s second husband.

As for wives, his legal wife (through Yoritomo’s matchmaking) was a daughter of Kawagoe Shigeyori, Sato Gozen. Another was a prostitute shirabyōshi Shizuka Gozen famous for her dancing at Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine; she was offered by her father Taira no Tokitada after the ruin of the Heike for the sake of self-preservation.

He had three confirmed children. One was a daughter born during the flight from Kyoto (the one who died at the age of 4 at Koromogawa Castle). Another was a son born with Shizuka Gozen as the mother; soon after he was born, he was abandoned at Yuigahama in Kamakura. Finally, he had a daughter who became the wife of Minamoto no Aritsuna of Izu (the grandson of Minamoto no Yorimasa of the Settsu Genji).

Appearance
In regard to Yoshitsune’s appearance, neither objective writings from the same period nor contemporary portraits of Yoshitsune exist. For nearly two years, Yoshitsune kept in touch with the ready writers of Kyoto’s aristocratic society, but even there, there is nothing in regards to his appearance, good or bad. But regarding his stature, since his armor and helmet are presented at Ōyamazumi Shrine, conjecturing using them as a basis, it is said that he may have stood at around 150 centimeters (5 ft). A portrait of Yoshitsune in the possession of Chūson-ji that is often published in books and such pairs him with Benkei; the Gikeiki depicts a scene in which he is attacked by Fujiwara no Yasuhira. In the works of the Warring States period, or for that matter in the Edo period, there are no descriptions of his figure.

Relatively soon after Yoshitsune’s death, in The Tale of the Heike summing up the period, regarding Yoshitsune’s looks, the bushi Taira no Moritsugu mentioned a rumor of his form: “Kurō is fair-skinned and short, but I’ve come to understand that his front teeth are particularly pronounced.” This was at a cockfight before the battle of Dan-no-Ura where the Heishi samurai scorned their enemies, the Genji samurai; it comes forth in a scene showing the inspiration of their fighting spirit. This Moritsugu had also exchanged volleys at at the battle of Yashima, disparagingly calling Yoshitsune an “orphaned child, a small young man who became a servant to gold dust sellers”. Also, during archery in battle, there is an anecdote concerning his retrieval of a bow he had dropped in the water: he himself called it a “weak bow”, a portrayal suggesting that he was not physically very powerful.

Although this impression of Yoshitsune is established, in the highly influential Gikeiki, he is compared to the likes of Yang Guifei and Matsura Sayohime, portrayed as having a beautiful face like that of a woman. In that case, the quote from Tale of the Heike, taken at its word, would be at odds with this account. The Genpei Seisuiki describes him as “fair-skinned and short, his features graceful, his demeanor also elegant.” (continuing on its similar vein, Tale of the Heike states, “Compared to Kiso Yoshinaka, he was more metropolitan, but was no match even for the worst of Heike trash.”) In the Tale of Heiji’s “On Ushiwaka’s Descent to Ōshū” part, states (where Fujiwara no Hidehira’s words, meeting with Yoshitsune, are): “If you were a good-looking young man, those who have princesses would even take you for their son-in-law!” In the same book, his mother Tokiwa is of matchless beauty, and it is stressed that she was a beautiful woman; she became a concubine of Yoshitomo. Meanwhile, his father Yoshitomo is said to be a handsome (if bitter) man.

In the Edo period, as a subject for sarugaku (now noh) and kabuki, a genre of tales about Yoshitsune grew and generally gained him popular favor, but the Yoshitsune in those glorified his looks, establishing the impression of a handsome son of a noble.

Personality
In a series drawing conclusions solely from historical records (and excluding legends), the author commented in regard to Yoshitsune:

"‘At battle, certainly he was strongly skilled. The standing of the merits of his service at Ichi-no-Tani, Yashima, and Dan-no-Ura go without saying. Quick though he was, reckless he was not. After working out a plan for all measures, it would be a decisive battle. After the battle of Ichi-no-Tani and his great encirclement tactic facing the Heike at the Inland Sea of Kamakura, he called out the war-weary tendencies of the eastern bushi in Noriyori’s forces which had caused him to become completely tied up. Accordingly, were it not for Yoshitsune’s prompt actions putting the capital on standby, Kamakura’s agenda could never have been carried out satisfactorily.

In regards character, he was frank and had a one-track mind. As an earnest bushi of Kamakura, part of its armed might at the time, Yoshitsune had a co-operative and flexible personality; he was loved by people and was obedient. Kujō Kanezane, who lived at the same time, left a note behind regarding his “bravery and virtue” as an outstanding person of the time. He gained distinguished service with bold tactical operations, and when it came to post-battle, while strictly following military regulations, he treated the defeated with justice and humanity. However, within the complicated aristocratic system of his day, he could not prudently hold his own; in his brother Yoritomo’s place, he would not harbor a plan to rule all under heaven. If he was given credit, he would gladly accept. He was convinced that the title of Hōgan was an honor to his kinsmen, not reaching it through some deeply laid plan. His actions were keen, but his reading was shallow. As pertains to wisdom, for better or for worse, there were areas in which he was lacking.

This kind of personality of Yoshitsune’s was not only a noble fond of politics, but also the one loved by Shizuka Gozen and the monks who became the predecessors to Musashibō Benkei, and so he used Yoritomo and the nobles and the Hōō as far as he could use them; eventually it became so that he brought calamity upon himself. And that is tragedy of Yoshitsune."

- Watanabe Tamotsu

The time Genkurō Yoshitsune definitely appeared in history was from the winter from when he was 22 to the summer when he was 31: Kannazuki the fourth year of Jishō to intercalary Uzuki the fifth year of Bunji (c. November 1180 to 15 June 1189), a mere nine years. During the hundreds of years afterwards, all the legends were produced and many tales were fabricated; the following are accounts of his speech and conduct left by Yoshitsune himself, and by people he directly affected.


 * When Yoshitsune in Ōshū knew that Yoritomo was raising an army in Izu, he immediately made ready to start, but Hidehira strongly restrained him. However, Yoshitsune secretly escaped from the castle and began his trip. While Hidehira was reluctant, he resigned himself from stopping him, and sent the Satō brothers to catch up to Yoshitsune and assist him. (Azuma Kagami, 21st of Kannazuki, fourth year of Jishō / 10 November 1180)
 * On the 20th of Fumizuki, the first year of Yōwa (31 August 1181), at a jōtōshiki ceremony for the sanctuary of the (then-named) Tsurugaoka-wakamiya, Yoritomo ordered Yoshitsune to lead along the horse he was giving to the carpenter. When Yoshitsune refused, saying “There is no-one inferior here for you to lead along!” Yoritomo furiously reprimanded him: “The likes of Hatakeyama Shigetada and Sanuki Hirotsuna are here. I think they’re too dirtied by war, among other reasons, and yet you refuse?!” Yoshitsune was very much appalled; he instantly stood up and led the horse. (Azuma Kagami)
 * On the 9th of Kisaragi, the third year of Juei (22 March 1184), after the battle of Ichi-no-Tani, Yoshitsune delivered the severed heads of Heike clansmen to the main road of the capital for gibbeting on the prison gate and reporting it to the emperor, so few soldiers returned to the capital. Since the Heike were maternal relatives of the imperial household, the imperial court was opposed to the gibbeting, but with the old grudge of Yoshitsune and Noriyori themselves (to avenge their father), they forcefully insisted: “We gave you Yoshinaka’s head; there is absolutely no reason not to give you the Heike heads. How were the Heike allied to you? How very unfaithful.” The nobles were pressured by their strong attitude, and on the 13th (26 March), the Heike heads were delivered and gibbeted on the prison gate. (Gyokuyō)
 * On the 16th of Kisaragi, the second year of Genryaku (19 March 1185), in order to restrain Yoshitsune’s departure for Yashima, the court noble Takashina no Yasutsune (as Go-Shirakawa’s messenger), visiting his lodgings, inquired, “I do not know very much in the art of war, but a general does not compete with the vanguard; shouldn’t he likewise not send the second in command?” Yoshitsune replied, “There is a place I think special; I think I’d like to lay down my life in the vanguard,” and left for the front. In the Azuma Kagami, it is written, “Is this what should be called an extremely strong soldier?” On the 18th (21 March), he set out to sea, but a storm brewed up and a majority of the ships were damaged. The soldiers did not want to put out even one more ship, but Yoshitsune said, “Our delay in tracking down and killing traitors is an august thing. We should not concern ourselves about our hardships in the wind and rain.” Late at night, the minority of ships sortied in the storm; they arrived in four hours though the distance usually required three days.
 * After the battle of Dan-no-Ura, in a note by Kajiwara Kagetoki who arrived: “The Hōgan-dono, through you [Yoritomo], the Daikan, could have accompanied the Kugenin you sent by means of that authority; in spite of the fact that he won the battle through the power of many, he considers it a personal achievement. After he had suppressed the Heike, he transcended his usual aspect ferociously, and I had a thought that treads on thin ice, ‘what kind of hell do these obedient soldiers face?’; the truth is, not all of us do have a calmly obedient feeling. As for myself, because I am taking strict orders from you, observing the Hōgan-dono’s illegalities one by one, and assuming you would warn him that the feelings around Kantō have not changed, his return there would backfire on him, and he would be liable to take punishment. Happily, since we won the battle, I think I’d like to return to Kantō soon.” Receiving this, Yoritomo wrote back “Yoshitsune, due to this acting out of line, won’t stop you; he has indeed incurred the enmity of the men [the Kantō bushi].” On the other hand, after Yoshitsune’s suicide, when Kagetoki and Wada Yoshimori among others inspected his head, he noted, “All those who saw shed tears.” Both critics and mourners could visit. (Azuma Kagami)
 * Secretly inviting Yoshitsune, in the records of Prince Shukaku of Omuro, Ninna-ji who heard of his appearance in battle, it is written: “Genteii [Yoshitsune] is unordinary and a brave warrior; in martial arts and tactics, he is a well-versed person.”
 * Yoshitsune, opposed to Yoritomo, on the 11th and 13th of Kannazuki, the first year of Bunji (4 and 6 November 1185), visited Go-Shirakawa’s base court, stating: “Since Yoritomo has tried to punish our innocent uncle, Yukiie, too, has at last planned to overthrow the government. I myself have tried to restrain him some way or other, but at any rate he wouldn’t acquiesce; therefore, I had to consent. The reason is, I have risked my life for Yoritomo the Daikan, and despite that I repeatedly did him distinguished service, Yoritomo, far from rewarding me especially, he sent a Jitō to my own dominion, and on top of disturbing my affairs of state, he confiscated it altogether. Now I have no expectation to live. Furthermore, I have a definite report that he has tried to kill me. Anyway, if I cannot escape hardship, I head for the banks of Sunomata; repaying with a retort, I think I don’t want to decide between life and death. Moreover, I would like to receive an imperial edict calling for the tracking down and killing of Yoritomo. Barring that, we will both commit suicide.” The court was astonished, and in addition ordered Yukiie to restrain himself, but on the 16th (9 November), “As I thought, Yukiie agreed. His motive he stated the other day has passed. Even then, my decision stands: I would like to be granted an imperial decree for tracking down and killing Yoritomo. Barring that, I will be granted a farewell, and want to head to Chinzei.” It is said he could leave the capital, taking the court nobles with him, Tennō and Hōō on down, if he had to. (Gyokuyō and Azuma Kagami)
 * The cornered Yoshitsune, as with the Heike and Kiso Yoshinaka, put the capital in an uproar as to whether more disorder would be worked up, but on the 2nd of Shimotsuki (25 November), Yoshitsune obtained an imperial decree authorizing manor rule over in Shikoku and Kyūshū, and early the next morning, he sent a messenger to greet the court: “In order to escape the reproof of Kamakura, I fall to Chinzei. Ultimately, I think I wanted to greet you, but since I am armed, I will depart as I am,” and quietly left the capital. Kujō Kanezane, a court noble of Yoritomo’s faction, noted on Yoshitsune’s calm departure from Kyoto: “High and low in the capital, there was no lack of deep gratitude for this. Should Yoshitsune’s action honestly be called one of a loyal retainer?” Admiringly, “Yoshitsune accomplished a meritorious deed; though there was no worth in doing it, regarding valor and duty, this is a good name which is bequeathed on future generations. We should admire this, we should admire this.”

Notable followers

 * Minamoto no Aritsuna
 * Musashibō Benkei
 * Satō Tsugunobu
 * Satō Tadanobu
 * Ise Yoshimori
 * Hori Kagemitsu
 * Kamei Shigekiyo
 * Hitachibō Kaison
 * Washio Yoshihisa
 * Suruga no Kiyoshige
 * Kamata Morimasa
 * Kamata Mitsumasa
 * Kaneuri Kichiji

Legends
While he had excellent military genius, Yoshitsune’s lifetime ended in an unnatural death; this has provoked sympathy in many, and the term identifying this sentiment came to be called “hōgan biiki” (判官贔屓), “hōgan” (判官) being a rank bestowed upon him by Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa and thus a name he was called; it is sometimes mistakenly read hangan biiki. Also, in his lifetime, he was seen as a hero and came to be called such; gradually, fanciful tales and legends and such have been invented one by one, and an image of Yoshitsune far separated from the historical facts was formed.

Famous legends around Yoshitsune include that of his meeting with Musashibō Benkei at the Gojō bridge; the story of his stealing the tactical texts Liùtāo and Sānlüè through the daughter of the onmyōji Kiichi Hōgen; and the standing death of Benkei at the Battle of Koromogawa Castle. About 200 years after his death, around the early years of the Muromachi period, the Gikeiki came into existence, and the stories propagated to the world. In particular, it is said that his victory in the Jishō-Juei War is connected to his having studied the “Tiger” portion of the Liùtāo; from this, must-read books and crib notes came to be called Tora no Maki (虎の巻).

And so for future generations, Yoshitsune’s name came to be used in order to decorate various cultural artifacts with old pedigrees. For example, there are schools of martial arts made out to be handed down from the likes of Yoshitsune and Kiichi Hōgen (made out to be his martial arts master).

Legend where he did not die
Perhaps out of hōgan biiki, later generations spawned legends in which Yoshitsune did not die at Koromogawa, instead escaping even further north from Ōshū. These legends, or perhaps facts now only known in legend, that claim that Yoshitsune escaped northerly are also termed “Minamoto no Yoshitsune northbound theories” (源義経北行説). Based on these legends, in the eleventh year of Kansei (1799), Yoshitsune Shrine was established in Piratori, (Hidaka,) Yezo (now Biratori, Hokkaidō).

The story that became the general pattern behind these northbound theories is thought to appear in the Muromachi period otogizōshi “The Noble Son’s Island Travels” (御曹子島渡). In this story, Yoshitsune in his youth (before being recruited by Yoritomo) went to Hokkaidō, called “Oshima” (渡島), where he experienced curious things. It is thought that narrators later on, with awareness of the Ainu living in Yezo (Hokkaidō), changed the story even further, stating that fleeing trouble at Koromogawa, Yoshitsune became a leader or king of sorts among the Ainu.

Theory that Yoshitsune was Ghengis Khan
As an extension of these northbound theories, originating from Bakumatsu to present day, the “Yoshitsune – Ghengis Khan theories” speculate that he moved on from Yezo, crossing the sea and going to the continent, where he became Ghengis Khan.

The bud of these legends was of course, with the eyes of Japanese people facing northward, originating in the Edo period. Rumors circulated such as one stating that in the writings of the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong Emperor it was recorded, “Our ancestor’s family name was Minamoto, and his name was Yoshitsune. His forefather descended from Seiwa (清和), so the name of this land is Qing (清).” An apocryphal book noting Yoshitsune as a general of the Jin Dynasty that flourished in the 12th century, “A Copy of the Jin History” (金史別本), is especially esteemed as a rare book.

In this manner, from this hearsay already existing in the Edo period that Yoshitsune travelled to the continent and became a Jurchen (Manchu), there came to be a theory by the Meiji period that Yoshitsune became Ghengis Khan. Entering the Meiji period, Siebold recorded this in his book Nippon. Suematsu Kenchō read it while studying abroad in London, and self-asserting that (at the time) China was to be seen as a dependency of Japan, in his graduation thesis at Cambridge, wrote that the great conqueror Ghengis Khan was one and the same person as Japan’s hero Minamoto no Yoshitsune. It was translated into Japanese and became a popular topic.

In the Taisho period, Oyabe Zen'ichirō, a pastor who studied in the United States, moved to Hokkaidō, and attempted to resolve certain problems of the Ainu, but he heard talk that the “Okikurumi” that the Ainu believed in was Yoshitsune, and in order to verify the northbound legends, he went to the continent and travelled to Manchuria and Mongolia. In his investigation, he was convinced that Yoshitsune was in fact Ghengis Khan; in the thirteenth year of Taisho (1924), he had the book Ghengis Khan is Minamoto no Yoshitsune (成吉思汗ハ源義經也) published. Oyabe’s book reached out to the hearts of the masses with the hōgan biiki and it became a big bestseller. That the theory equating the two is well known in Japan today is likely a consequence of this book’s wide reception.

This Ghengis Khan theory came from the Meiji academic world, containing the “going to Ebisu” legend, and has since been thoroughly discredited; while it has not completely been removed from the world of academia, it is firmly rooted in legend that crossed over into theory. The book went through additional print runs at the beginning of the Showa, and was expanded. As to the background of its reception, one most not only take into account the hōgan biiki of the Japanese people’s sentiments, but there was interest both in and out of Yezo in the former going-to-Ebisu legend that formed in Edo times; the popularity of the theory can also be attributed somewhat to a Japanese society that at the time was tending towards territorial expansion (including the continent).

The years of research to present day generally discredit the theory on the grounds that neither Ghengis Khan’s approximate year of birth nor his father’s name check out with it.

Hishinuma Kazunori
Hishinuma Kazunori (National Museum of Japanese History in cooperation with Kaken-hi) expressed the following theory in the book Minamoto no Yoshitsune’s Battles and Tactics – The Legends and Truths (源義経の合戦と戦略 ―その伝説と実像―).

頼朝との対立の原因については、確かに、『吾妻鏡』元暦元年（1184年）八月十七日条には、同年8月6日、兄の許可を得ることなく官位を受けたことで頼朝の怒りを買い、追討使を猶予されたと書かれている. しかし、同じく『吾妻鏡』八月三日条によると、8月3日、頼朝は義経に伊勢の平信兼追討を指示しているので、任官以前に義経は西海遠征から外れていたとも考えられる. また、同月26日、義経は平氏追討使の官符を賜っている. 源範頼が平氏追討使の官符を賜ったのが同29日なので、それより早い. つまり、義経が平氏追討使を猶予された記録はないのである. よって、『吾妻鏡』十七日条は、義経失脚後、その説明をするために創作されたものと思われる.

義経は優れた戦略家であり戦術家であった. どの合戦でも、神がかった勇気や行動力ではなく、周到で合理的な戦略とその実行によって勝利したのである.

一ノ谷の戦いでは、義経は夜襲により三草山の平家軍を破った後、平家の地盤であった東播磨を制圧しつつ進軍している. これは、平家軍の丹波ルートからの上洛を防ぐためでもあった. また、義経自身の報告によると、西の一ノ谷口から攻め入っているのであり、僅かな手勢で断崖を駆け下りるという無謀な作戦は実施していない.

屋島の戦いでは、水軍を味方に付けて兵糧・兵船を確保し、四国の反平家勢力と連絡を取り合うなど、1箇月かけて周到に準備している. そして、義経が陸から、梶原景時が海から屋島を攻めるという作戦を立てていたのであり、景時が止めるのも聞かずに嵐の海に漕ぎ出したわけではない.

壇ノ浦の戦いの前にも、水軍を味方に引き入れて瀬戸内海の制海権を奪い、軍備を整えるのに1箇月を要している. また、義経が水手・梶取を弓矢で狙えば、平家方も応戦するはずである. 当時、平家方は内陸の拠点を失い、弓箭の補給もままならなかった. そのため序盤で矢を射尽くし、後は射かけられるままとなって無防備な水手・梶取から犠牲になっていったのである. そもそも当時の合戦にルールは存在せず（厳密に言うならば、武士が私的な理由、所領問題や名誉に関わる問題で、自力・当事者間で解決しようとして合戦に及ぶ場合には一騎打ちや合戦を行う場所の指定などがあったことが『今昔物語集』などで確認できる）、義経の勝因を当時としては卑怯な戦法にある、と非難することに対する反論もある.

義経は頼朝の代官として、平家追討という軍務を遂行しつつ、朝廷との良好な関係を構築するという相反する任務をこなし、軍事・政治の両面で成果を上げた. また、無断任官問題は『吾妻鏡』の創作であり、「政治センスの欠如」という評価は当らない.

鎌倉政権内部には、発足当初から「親京都派」と「東国独立派」の路線対立があった. 東国御家人は親京都政策と武家棟梁の権威・権力による支配に反発していた. このことが、親京都政策の先鋭であり、武家棟梁権の代行者であった義経の失脚を招いたのである.

Satō Shin'ichi
また、佐藤進一は頼朝と義経の対立について、鎌倉政権内部には関東の有力御家人を中心とする「東国独立派」と、頼朝側近と京下り官僚ら「親京都派」が並立していたことが原因であると主張している. 義経は頼朝の弟であり、平家追討の搦手大将と在京代官に任じられるなど、側近の中でも最も重用された. 上洛後は朝廷との良好な関係を構築するため、武士狼藉停止に従事しており、頼朝の親京都政策の中心人物であった. その後、関東の有力御家人で編成された範頼軍が半年かかっても平家を倒せない中、義経は西国の水軍を味方に引き入れることで約2箇月で平家を滅ぼした. この結果、政策決定の場でも論功行賞の配分でも親京都派の発言力が強まった. しかし、東国独立派は反発し、親京都政策の急先鋒であった義経を糾弾した. 頼朝は支持基盤である有力御家人を繋ぎ止めるため、義経に与えた所領を没収して御家人たちに分け与えた. 合戦を勝利に導いたにもかかわらず失脚させられた義経は、西国武士を結集して鎌倉政権に対抗しようとしたのである.

Motoki Yasuo
元木泰雄『源義経』（吉川弘文館、2007年）は、従来、概ねその記述を信用できると考えられていた『吾妻鏡』について近年著しくすすんだ史料批判と、『玉葉』など同時代の史料を丹念に付き合わせる作業によって、新しい義経像を提示している.

挙兵当時の頼朝は、所領の拡大にのみ関心を持ち、自分本位の合戦をする東国武士たちによって担がれた存在にすぎなかった. それゆえ、義経は、ごく限られた郎党を率いて参じたにすぎないとはいえ、頼朝にとって自らの右腕ともなり得る弟の出現は大きな喜びであった. 以後、義経は「御曹司」と呼ばれるが、これは『玉葉』に両者は「父子之義」とあるように頼朝の養子としてその保護下に入ったことを意味し、場合によってはその後継者ともなり得る存在になった（当時、頼朝の嫡子頼家はまだ産まれていなかった）とともに、「父」頼朝に従属する立場に置かれたと考えられる.

義仲追討の出陣が義経に廻ってきたのは、東国武士たちが所領の拡大と関係のない出撃に消極的だったためである. 義経・範頼はいずれも少人数の軍勢を率いて鎌倉を出立し、途中で現地の武士を組織化することで義仲との対決を図った. 特に入京にあたっては、法住寺合戦で義仲と敵対した京武者たちの役割が大きかった. 一の谷の合戦も、範頼・義経に一元的に統率された形で行われた訳ではなく、独立した各地源氏一門や京武者たちとの混成軍という色彩が強かった.

合戦後の義経は、京に戻り、疲弊した都の治安回復に努めた. 代わりに平氏追討のために東国武士たちと遠征した範頼は、長期戦を選択したことと合わせ進撃が停滞し、士気の低下も目立つようになった. これに危機感を抱いた頼朝は、短期決戦もやむなしと判断し義経を起用、義経は見事にこれに応え、西国武士を組織し、屋島・壇ノ浦の合戦で平氏を滅亡に追い込んだ. これは従軍してきた東国武士たちにとって、戦功を立てる機会を奪われたことを意味し、義経に対する憤懣を拡大する副産物を産み、頼朝を困惑させた.

頼朝は、戦後処理の過程で、義経に伊予守推挙という最高の栄誉を与える代わりに、鎌倉に召喚し、自らの統制下に置く、という形で事態を収拾しようと考えた. だがその思惑は外れた. 義経は、検非違使・左兵衛尉を伊予守と兼務し続け、引き続き、京に留まった. 後白河は独自の軍事体制を構築するために、義経を活用したのである. 治天の君の権威を背景に「父」に逆らった義経. 両者の関係はここで決定的な破綻を迎える.

義経は頼朝追討の院宣を得たにも関わらず、呼応する武士団はほとんど現れず、急速に没落した. 既に頼朝は各地の武士に対する恩賞を与えるなど果断な処置を講じており、入京以後の義経に協力してきた京武者たちにも義経は不信を与えていたためであった. 都の復興に尽力し「義士」と称えられた義経がこうした形で劇的に没落したことが京の人々に強い印象を与え、伝説化の一歩となった.

退去した義経らに代わって頼朝の代官として入京し、朝廷に介入を行ったのは、かつての弟たちではなく、頼朝の岳父である北条時政であった. 未だ幼年である頼家の外祖父であり、嫡男義時が戦功を義経に奪われるなど、時政は義経に強い敵意を抱いていたと考えられる. その没落によって、時政は頼朝後継者の外戚としての地位を決定付け、勢力拡大の端緒を切り開くことができたのである.

Historical records

 * Azuma Kagami – A history book compiled in the closing years of the Kamakura period.
 * Gyokuyō – Journal of a contemporary minister, Kujō Kanezane.

Classic works

 * Heiji Monogatari (gunki monogatari). Authorship unclear. Early Kamakura period.
 * Heike Monogatari (gunki monogatari). Authorship unclear. Early Kamakura period.
 * Genpei Seisuiki (gunki monogatari). Authorship unclear. Late Kamakura period?
 * Gikeiki (geinō gunki). Authorship unclear. Early Muromachi period.
 * Tengu no Dairi (otogizōshi). Authorship unclear. Early Muromachi period.
 * Dan-no-Ura Yoru Kassenki. Authorship unclear. Middle to late Edo period.

Noh / Kabuki / Bunraku

 * Yashima (Noh). Zeami, Muromachi period.
 * Funa Benkei (Noh). Kanze Nobumitsu, Muromachi period.
 * Ataka (Noh). Authorship unclear. Muromachi period.
 * Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura (Bunraku / Kabuki). Takeda Izumo II, Miyoshi Shōraku, and Namiki Senryū, fourth year of Enkyō (1747).
 * Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki (Bunraku / Kabuki). Namiki Sōsuke et al., first year of Hōreki (1751).
 * Kanjinchō (Kabuki). Namiki Gohei III, eleventh year of Tenpō (1840).
 * Hitachibō Kaison (play). Akimoto Matsuyo, 1957.

Historical landmarks

 * Takadachi Yoshitsune Hall (Hiraizumi, Iwate). At the Takadachi fortress, where Yoshitsune spent his last moments on earth, a hall was erected, enshrining a wooden statue of him.
 * Hangan Forest (Kurihara, Miyagi). Where Yoshitsune’s body is supposedly interred.
 * Kurosaki Castle (Natori, Miyagi). Yoshitsune relied on the Northern Fujiwara family; when he fled, he called himself “Yukitaka” (行敬), and dwelled in this castle.
 * Yoshitsune Rocks (Takaoka, Toyama). The great rocks remaining from a legend of Yoshitsune.
 * Shirahata Shrine (Fujisawa, Kanagawa). Where Yoshitsune’s head is supposedly buried.
 * Kagami Inn (Ryūō, Shiga). In Tale of Heiji, the place where Yoshitsune performed his Genbuku.
 * Mount Kurama (Sakyō-ku, Kyoto). Location Kurama-dera, in whose care he was left as a child. Likewise, where his Tengu training would have taken place according to tradition.
 * Oka Castle ruins (Ōita). The ruins of a castle that Ogata Koreyoshi, in order to receive Yoshitsune, had built.

Bronze statues

 * Komatsu, Ishikawa: at the ruins of Ataka Gate are figures of Yoshitsune, Benkei, and Togashi.
 * Izu, Shizuoka: a statue of Yoshitsune at Kayama Park.
 * Kyoto, Kyoto: statues of Ushiwaka and Benkei at the Gōjō Great Bridge.
 * Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi: a statue of Yoshitsune at Mimosuso River Park.
 * Komatsushima, Tokushima: a statue of Yoshitsune at the summit of Mount Hata.

Matsuri

 * Genji Matsuri
 * Fujiwara Matsuri

Other

 * Minamoto no Yoritomo
 * Seiwa Genji
 * Kawachi Genji
 * Northern Fujiwara
 * Jishō-Juei War
 * Hōgan
 * List of Heian period figures – List of Kamakura period figures
 * 7100 steam locomotive (one of the trains was named after him).

Novels

 * Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Murakami Genzō.
 * New Tale of the Heike. Yoshikawa Eiji.
 * Yoshitsune. Shiba Ryōtarō.
 * Genkurō Yoshitsune. Kunimitsu Shirō.
 * Tale of the Heike. Morimura Seiichi.

Comics (manga)

 * Masurao: Hihon Gikeiki. Kitazaki Taku.
 * Hi no Tori, “Civil War” chapter. Tezuka Osamu, 1978.
 * Anton. Yasuhiko Yoshikazu.
 * Shana-ō Yoshitsune. Sawada Hirofumi.
 * Shura no Toki, volumes 7–10. Kawahara Masatoshi.
 * Yōkoden – Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura. Tsutsumi Shōko.
 * Ryō. Ueda Rinko.
 * Genpeiden Neo. Akahori Satoru and Betten Kōto.

Japanese television dramas

 * Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1966 NHK Taiga drama. Minamoto no Yoshitsune: Onoe Kikugorō VII).
 * Shin Heike Monogatari. (1972 NHK Taiga drama. Minamoto no Yoshitsune: Shigaki Tarō).
 * Kusa Moeru (1979 NHK Taiga drama. Minamoto no Yoshitsune: Kunihiro Yomiyuki).
 * Musashibō Benkei (1986 NHK jidaigeki. Minamoto no Yoshitsune: Kawano Tarō).
 * Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1990, TBS. Minamoto no Yoshitsune: Higashiyama Noriyuki).
 * Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1991, NTV. Minamoto no Yoshitsune: Nomura Hironobu).
 * Homura Tatsu (July 1993 – March 1994 NHK Taiga drama. Minamoto no Yoshitsune: Nomura Hironobu).
 * Yoshitsune (2005 NHK Taiga drama. Minamoto no Yoshitsune: Takizawa Hideaki. Ushiwaka: Kamiki Ryūnosuke).

Films

 * Tora no O wo Fumu Otoko-tachi (1952. Director: Kurosawa Akira, Minamoto no Yoshitsune: Nishina Shūhō, aka Iwai Hanshirō X).
 * Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1955. Director: Hagiwara Ryō).
 * Genkurō Yoshitsune (1962. Director: Matsuda Sadatsugu).
 * Gojō Reisenki GOJOE (2000. Director: Ishii Sōgo. Shana-ō: Asano Tadanobu).

Music

 * “Ushiwakamaru” (a nursery rhyme written for the Monbushō)
 * Kumikyoku “Yoshitsune” (2004, Onmyō-Za)

Musicals

 * わらび座『義経』(作:齋藤雅文、演出:井上思、音楽:甲斐正人、作詞:竜真知子・齋藤雅文)
 * 宝塚歌劇団『この恋は雲の涯まで』（作：植田紳爾）、『花のもとにて春-ある日の牛若丸-』(作:大関弘政)

Video games

 * Genpei Tōmaden (Namco, various systems ported from arcade version, 1986).
 * Yoshitsune-ki (Banpresto, PS2, 2005. Voice of Genkurō Yoshitsune: Tanaka Atsuko).
 * Yoshitsune Eiyūden (From Software, PS2, 2005. Voice of Minamoto no Yoshitsune: Ōmizu Tadasuke).
 * Yoshitsune Eiyūden Shura (From Software, PS2, 2005. Voice of Ushiwakamaru: Sakaguchi Daisuke).
 * Genji: Dawn of the Samurai (SCEI, PS2, 2005. Voice of Genkurō Yoshitsune: Namikawa Daisuke).
 * Genji: Days of the Blade (SCEI, PS3, 2006).
 * Namco × Capcom (Namco, PS2, 2005. Voice of Minamoto no Yoshitsune: Chiba Isshin).
 * Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 (Koei, PS2, 2004. Voice of Genkurō Yoshitsune: Seki Tomokazu).
 * ''Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3: Izayoi-ki (2005).
 * Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3: Unmei no Labyrinth (2006).
 * Shōjo Yoshitsune-den (WellMADE, PS2, 2003. Voice of Minamoto no Kuraka (based off of Yoshitsune): Yamamoto Maria).
 * Shōjo Yoshitsune-den 2 - Koku wo Koeru Chigiri (WellMADE, PS2, 2005).
 * Ōkami (Clover Studio, PS2, 2006). There is a person named “Ushiwaka”.

歴史ゲーム

 * ゲームジャーナル第21号 『日本の戦い』、シミュレーションジャーナル

Pachinko

 * CR義経物語

参考文献

 * 角川源義・ 高田実　『源義経』　角川新書、1966年.
 * 五味文彦　『源義経』　岩波新書、2004年.
 * 高橋富雄　『義経伝説 歴史の虚実』　中公新書、1966年.
 * 菱沼一憲　『源義経の合戦と戦略 その伝説と虚像』　角川選書、2005年. ISBN 404703374X
 * 元木泰雄　『源義経』　吉川弘文館、2007年.
 * 安田元久　『源義経』　新人物往来社、1966年.
 * 渡辺保　『源義経』　吉川弘文館〈人物叢書〉、1966年.
 * 『書物の王国20 義経』　須永朝彦編、国書刊行会、2000年. ISBN 4336040206

外部リンク

 * 吾妻鏡
 * 源平盛衰記
 * 義経記
 * 源義経物語
 * 斗瑩稲荷神社

ميناموتو نو يوشي-تسونه Minamoto no Yoshitune Minamoto no Yoshitsune Minamoto no Yoshitsune Minamoto no Yoshitsune Minamoto no Yoshitsune Minamoto no Yoshitsune 源義経 Minamoto no Yoshitsune Minamoto no Yoshitsune มินาโมโตะ โนะ โยชิซึเนะ 源義經 源義經