intersecting the enclosing hills, was once the theater of a vast and densely populated city, thickly intersected with busy streets; studded with the splendid mansions of officials and retainers of the ruler; abounding in rich architecture and beautiful temples— in fact the most important city of the realm, the military capital of Japan.
Yet it is a fact that some seven centuries ago this peaceful spot witnessed some of the most thrilling events in the feudal history of the nation: for, partly owing to the value of its strategic position—being entirely surrounded by mountains on three sides, with the ocean on the south—an important consideration in those bellicose days, it was selected by the great Yoritomo as the base of his operations, and in the year 1192, the first shogun of the Minamoto family was established at Kamakura.
This part moreover had long been specially connected with the house of Minamoto. Here Yoritomo's father Yoshitomo had resided; also his famous ancestors Yoriyoshi and his son Yoshiie— governors of this district, had exercised great influence and had played a most effective role in their military capacity.
To the former valiant warrior the temple of Hachiman owes its existence, Yoriyoshi having originally caused it to be established in Kamakura in the hope that invocations at the shrine would propitiate the war god and secure success for his exploits upon the field of battle.
As the achievements of Yoritomo are so inseparably associated with the history of Kamakura it may be of interest to recount a brief sketch of this strange and dominant personality, whose name shines out with such luster as one of the giants of medieval times; the magician whose wand caused the obscure little fishing hamlet to blossom into the most famous city of the day.
For many years Japan had been torn by the civil wars of the rival factions Taira and Minamoto, but toward the latter half of the twelfth century the country lay practically beneath the sway of the Taira. Its chief, Kiyomori—a man of dauntless courage and brilliant military capacity—had succeeded in crushing the enemy and establishing the supremacy of his party. This despot ruled with a rod of iron. All the important posts of the government were occupied by prominent members of his great family; indeed their power was so absolute that a common saying of the time was to the effect that not to be of the Taira was to be deemed unworthy of belonging to the human race. So soaring was Kiyomori's ambition that even the cloistered Son of Heaven, the emperor himself, declared that his own position was not secure.
Yoshitomo, head of the rival faction, had been cruelly trapped and butchered by his enemies (1160); his adherents were scattered in flight and practically without a leader. His two elder sons had also fallen victims and shared the fate of their parent, but the third son Yoritomo had managed to escape with his life. From his exceptional sagacity this boy had always been his father's favorite, and although so young—only thirteen years of age—he is said to have advised Yoshitomo to take the initiative in this battle instead of waiting for the Taira's attack. However fate was against them: while escaping on horseback from their pursuers the over-wearied lad fell asleep in the saddle, and thus was left behind by his father and brothers. As he was passing through Moriyama (Omi province), the villagers recognized and attempted to seize the young Yoritomo, but the boy showed such unexpected spirit—cutting down two of his would-be captors with his sword— that the rest fell back and Yoritomo was able to continue his way unmolested, shortly afterward falling in with the retainer who had been sent to search for him, and thus was enabled to rejoin his party in safety.
But later, on account of a heavy snowstorm, the fugitives were compelled to dismount and walk through the blinding sleet, this effort causing such distress to the fatigued and exhausted boy that again he fell behind. This time he was rescued by a sympathizer who lived in that district named Sadayasu, and by him was concealed, first in a temple and later in the house of his preserver. Meanwhile his father Yoshitomo and his two elder brothers had all perished.
Soon afterward Yoritomo, leaving his temporary abode, went to the province of Mino, and from thence attempted to make his way to the Kanto plain. But the boy was unable to elude the vigilance of the enemy, and fell into the hands of Munekiyo, the Taira commander, who bore off his prey in triumph to Kyoto. By order of Kiyomori he was entrusted to the care of Munekiyo until his ultimate fate should be decided.
At this crisis the noble bearing of the young captive stood him in good stead. The lad's calm self-possession and fearless demeanor in the face of almost certain death softened the heart of his captor: when asked if he were ready for his fate, the young Yoritomo tactfully replied that he would prefer to live, since he alone was left to pray for the souls of his relatives.
Through the intervention of Kiyomori's stepmother, the boy's life was spared. At Munekiyo's suggestion she detected in him a resemblance to her own son who had died in early youth, so with tears and prayers she passionately besought that the child's doom might be averted. Her supplications at last met with success. Kiyomori consented that the boy's sentence should be banishment, and he was entrusted to the guardianship of two Taira adherents whose estates lay beyond Hakone, at Hirugashima in the province of Izu.
This act of benevolence was deplored as a lack of sagacity and sign of weakness by Kiyomori's entourage—a criticism to be amply justified by later events.
The lady to whom he owed his life sagely counseled the boy to spend his time in the study of the Scriptures and to refrain from shooting or the practice of any warlike sports lest he might incur suspicion: the retainers of Yoshitomo, moreover, on hearing the joyful news that their young lord was to be spared, suggested to him that the best way of ensuring his safety was to enter the priesthood. But as he was starting upon his journey into banishment, one Moriyasu Hanabusa secretly whispered into Yoritomo's ear to the effect that as the young master was saved, surely it must be the will of the Almighty that he should not become a priest, but the future hope of his party. This hint was not lost upon the shrewd boy, he nodded his assent in silence: the populace who witnessed his departure unanimously agreed that the young exile was quite apart from ordinary mortals, and to send him away thus was "letting loose a tiger-cub in the wilds."
The two guardians to whose safe custody the young exile was confided were Ito Sukechika of the Fujiwara family, and Hojo Tokimasa, who later was to become the famous head of the Hojo clan—to whose never-failing assistance and advice much of the success of Yoritomo's career has been attributed, and whose counsels exercised so much influence upon the early history of Kamakura.
The boy first found a home in the establishment of Sukechika. Later on, during the absence of her parent his daughter succumbed to the fascinations of the youthful Minamoto scion; tender relations were established, which flourished for a time in secret, until the birth of a son to the amorous pair brought discovery and retribution in its wake. The girl's stepmother betrayed this state of affairs to Sukechika, who promptly shattered the little drama with the bolt of his paternal ire. The unfortunate babe was cast into the water and drowned; his erring daughter was promptly united in marriage to another aspirant, and thus accorded the protection of a lawful lord and master. Vengeance was about to descend upon the head of the delinquent Yoritomo, but before his doom could be compassed he managed to flee from the scene, and escaped successfully to the domain of his other guardian, Tokimasa.
Although ostensibly a loyal supporter of the Taira clan, from various causes Tokimasa's partisanship for his faction had become secretly weakened and alienated: moreover a man of his acute penetration doubtless divined the impending downfall of the Taira ascendancy. By degrees the entire confidence and devotion of the older man was gained by his protege, and their relations underwent a change, Tokimasa becoming the counselor, supporter, and prime minister of his illustrious son-in-law— a state of things that lasted unchanged until the day of Yoritomo's death.
Now Tokimasa had two daughters. The elder, Masako—who at this time was twenty-one years of age—was not only beautiful, but had inherited her father's sagacity and high order of intelligence. The younger one, the child of a second wife, was reputed of more ordinary capacity, and somewhat plain of feature to boot.
The young Yoritomo desired to strengthen his position with his guardian by espousing one of his daughters, and from motives of policy deemed it expedient to pay his addresses to the less attractive of the pair. Hence he composed a love-letter, and instructed his messenger to deliver it secretly to the younger of the two