detachments of soldiers silently crossed the dark flood, landing in the swamp below the enemy's encampment, their appearance disturbed the multitudes of waterfowl that were roosting in the reeds. To the enemy the loud whirring of the birds' wings sounded like galloping hordes of war steeds rushing upon their prey; the ominous sound working such havoc upon the over-strained nerves of the Taira that the entire force was soon in full flight at precipitate haste, without the exchange of a single arrow! Yoritomo's first impulse was to hurl himself upon the foe and chase the fugitive army to Kyoto, but he was dissuaded from the project by the advice of his generals. It was held dangerous to withdraw the protection of so large a body of troops from the Kanto region while it was not yet clear of the enemy, thus leaving the military base open to attack; moreover, the Minamoto force was hardly equipped for a lengthy campaign against an adversary who were retiring to their own stronghold. So in the interests of caution the chief consented to waive vengeance for the present and withdraw.
During this retirement, and while the troops were encamped upon the banks of the Kisogawa, a dramatic incident occurred. A youthful samurai of dignified and noble mien suddenly appeared in the camp and requested an interview with Yoritomo. The new arrival proved to be the famous Yoshitsune, ninth son of Yoshitomo, and under these circumstances Yoritomo beheld for the first time the face of his youngest brother.
This most popular hero of medieval times—around whose name tradition has interwoven such countless thrilling and romantic incidents—was the son of Yoshitomo by his beautiful mistress Tokiwa Gozen. When her lord was slain, Tokiwawith her three children—Yoshitsune being a babe in arms—took flight from the vengeance of the enemy. On a bitter winter's night she escaped from the luxurious life at the palace into the storm without, enduring cruel hardships in the snowy mountains until shelter was found in a little hamlet of that remote region, where she and the three little ones were enabled to lie low and successfully evade detection.
But the agents of Kiyomori—determined to exterminate the whole brood of Yoshitomo, and foiled in their attempts to fathom her place of concealment—seized her mother as a hostage, threatening to inflict upon the unfortunate parent a cruel death, unless her daughter Tokiwa gave herself up. This ruse proved effective. When the fugitive—so beautiful and so forlorn—appeared before Kiyomori, her fascinations made such a strong appeal to the fierce old warrior that he vowed her life should be spared, as well as her three children, if she would consent to transfer her allegiance from her dead lord to himself and submit to the blandishments of her sworn enemy! Poor Tokiwa was brought to bay: she held out for a time, but such merciless pressure was brought to bear upon her, in the doom that threatened her defenseless family, that loyalty became impossible and submission was the only course.
Thus the fate was averted that menaced her mother and her little sons; but with a view to rendering their future careers as innocuous as possible, the latter were deposited in monasteries, vowed to celibacy, and educated for the priesthood.
Possessed of great physical strength and almost superhuman activity, the fiery temperament of the young Yoshitsune was soon made manifest. At the age of fifteen (1174), he determined to elude the vigilance of his pious guardians, and with the assistance of a friendly merchant succeeded in effecting an escape to the province of Mutsu in the far north, a district too remote and too difficult of access to warrant pursuit. Here he was hospitably received, and lived for some years under the protection of Hidehira, governor of the whole province. The boy had inherited his father's spirit: passionately desirous of avenging his murder and espousing the family cause, he spent his day in equipping himself to that end, practicing warlike arts and acquiring a wide reputation for his feats of skill and valor. When the stirring news penetrated to those northern regions that the Minamoto were in arms and had taken the field against the Taira, Yoshitsune deemed the hour was ripe for action. So with a little band of twenty loyal and trusted followers—including the faithful giant Benkei, hero of a thousand tales of wild adventure—he started for the south, and thus the historic meeting came about.
This valuable recruit became a general in his brother's new army, where his brilliant exploits resulted in defeat after defeat of the enemy, culminating in the final destruction and annihilation of the Taira in the famous and oft-sung battle of Dan no Ura (1185).
Meanwhile the Taira chief Kiyomori had died in 1181; his last request upon his deathbed being that before any prayers or religious rites were performed for the repose of his soul, the head of his bitter foe Yoritomo should be placed upon his tomb. However, since the advent of the new Minamoto leader upon the horizon the star of the Taira had considerably waned, and no aspirant was bold enough to pacify the spirit of the departed with the longed-for trophy.
For the next few years Yoritomo remained at his base in Kamakura, gradually building it up into the great capital it later became, while his armies were adding laurel after laurel to his prestige: the decisive victory of Dan no Ura—when the sea was dyed red with blood, and even the infant emperor perished beneath the waves—leaving the Minamoto chief complete master of the situation.
However this tragic struggle proved the undoing of the conqueror as well as the conquered; for in spite of his brilliant achievements and the valuable aid he had rendered to the cause, Yoshitsune became the object of Yoritomo's jealousy and suspicion.
After evading various attempts upon his life, the former managed to escape to his old refuge and sanctuary in the north; but there an army followed him at the command of his pitiless brother. Further retreat being impossible, and his devoted band of comrades having all perished in the cause of loyalty, the trapped hero put an end to his wife and children and then died upon his own sword, his head being sent to Yoritomo as proof that the fallen victor was no more. Yoritomo utilized this occasion to dispatch more armies to the north, thus adding vast and rich additions to his conquered territory; and from the year 1189 practically the whole of Japan lay at his feet.
Now that his supremacy was established upon a firm basis, and Yoritomo was virtual ruler of the country, his first efforts were to restore peace and prosperity to the war-devastated land. Justice was dispensed by a good and sound administrative system, and the judicious encouragement of agriculture, industry, and trade were potent factors in transforming "men's misery into happiness."
Kamakura became the finest and most flourishing city of the empire, presenting in every respect the strongest contrast to the effete and luxurious condition of society that prevailed in Kyoto, the imperial capital. Simplicity and frugality were Yoritomo's watchwords, the greatest encouragement being given to the sports that promoted manliness and physical vigor. Great hunting parties were organized—indeed proficiency in archery, swordsmanship, feats on horseback etc., were so highly estimated that instances are recorded of even criminals being occasionally granted a pardon on this account.
In the year 1192 Yoritomo was at the pinnacle of his fame. The title of sei-i-tai-shdgun (literally barbarian-subduing generalissimo) was conferred upon him by the emperor; thus the dual system of government was established by which the emperor's authority was completely overshadowed, and which lasted for almost seven centuries, until the restoration of imperial power in 1868. But now that the zenith of his ambition was attained, the first shogun only wielded the scepter for a brief seven years, his death occurring in the spring of 1199. No records regarding the mode of his demise have been preserved, the actual facts concerning the passing of this illustrious man being clouded in the mists of obscurity. But tradition credits him with a dramatic exit from the scene of his triumphs. The legend states that toward evening, as Yoritomo was returning from the function of opening a new bridge across the Sagami River—whither he had repaired with all pomp and ceremony, and attended by a regal retinue—suddenly the pallid specters of his murdered relatives appeared before him. The shogun passed this disconcerting apparition, but as his cortege was approaching Inamuragasaki, the figure of a young child arose from the sea. This phantom proclaimed itself the departed spirit of the emperor Antoku, in search of his enemy and slayer. The procession passed on, but the ghostly throng had fanned their destroyer with their shadowy wings; a few days later the great Yoritomo was dead.
This event took place January 13, 1199. He was succeeded in turn by his two sons, both meeting with violent deaths, but with the assassination of Sanetomo upon the steps of the Hachiman Shrine in Kamakura, the direct line of the Minamoto shoguns— that its illustrious founder hoped would