Battle of Ishibashiyama

The Battle of Ishibashiyama (Japanese石橋山の戦い, Ishibashiyama no tatakai ) was one of the first battles of the Genpei War and the first battle in which Minamoto Yoritomo, the first shogun should be in less than ten years later, leader of the Minamoto forces was.

Background

In his childhood Yoritomo the Heiji Rebellion ( 1160 ) was after an altercation between the Taira and Minamoto, was spared. Both houses were aspiring Bushi - houses (warrior class) who had taken over on behalf of the Kuge police powers and the local government, and eventually became more and more direct decision-making power, as the power distributed by agricultural progress similar to Europe to local managers, which in turn arbitrarily police troops and vassals appointed. Taira no Kiyomori had spared the young Yoritomo, because he is not a threat looked at him, and given him hostage in the care of a vassal. However, shortly after Yoritomo's coming of age, he broke out and was there even supported by this vassals.

Meanwhile, the Taira most rivals of the Minamoto had already cleared out of the way so that they now vorgingen against the prevailing Kuge and Tennō. They forced the Takakura Tennō in favor of a Taira as the successor to resign. This was Taira no Kiyomori's grandson, later Tennō and still underage Antoku ( His mother was Kiyomori's daughter). The young prince of the hitherto prevailing Kuge ( court nobility ), Prince Mochihito was of the opinion that he owned the throne, and spread then in August 1180, a letter in which he claims the support of the remaining Minamoto and the other against the supremacy of the Taira. He authorized him to lead the clan of the Kanto plain. That was the occasion Yoritomo to provide spontaneously with only a small force of men against the local military administrator of the Taira. When Kiyomori heard Yoritomo had the Izu province leaving in the direction of the Hakone mountain pass, he sent Oba Kagechika to stop him. Although Yoritomo's call fell to arms on a lot of sympathy, but the surrounding clans were hesitant to openly join Yoritomo. So he could in Ishibashiyama, where he set up his standard, combine only 300 men. A troop of the Miura clan was leading by a high water flow, the Sakawa River held by an association.

The Battle

The battle took place on September 14, 1180 in the southwest of present-day Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture near Yoritomo 's fortress at Kamakura instead.

Kiyomori ordered a night attack on the camp of the Minamoto with 3,000 men. Another troop of 300 men under Itō Sukechika dealt to the warehouse and handle from the back. The defenders were, however, supported by military units of the Taira forces that secretly were faithful to the Minamato and could interrupt the battlefield in darkness, unnoticed because of darkness and stormy weather. However, after a short time it was clear that they had to withdraw due to the sheer majority Minamoto. It culminated in the final position should have been a hollow tree, and says of the man who Yoritomo and only a follower had concealed themselves in it. One of his secret allies should have found him there and have him smuggled from the battlefield. Yoritomo fled on September 28, 1180 by boat from Capa Manazuru in the province of Awa in today's southwestern prefecture of Chiba.