was a

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

during the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

of Japan. In the

Zenkunen War The , also known in English as the Former Nine Years' War or the Early Nine Years' War, was fought between the Imperial Court and the Abe clan in Mutsu Province, in Northeast Japan, from 1051 to 1063. It resulted in Imperial Court victory and t ...

, Sadato fought alongside his father against the

Minamoto was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during the ...

Life

Sadatō was born in 1019, to the

Abe clan The was one of the oldest of the major Japanese clans (''uji''); and the clan retained its prominence during the Sengoku period and the Edo period.Meyer, Eva-Maria"Gouverneure von Kyôto in der Edo-Zeit." Universität Tübingen (in German). The ...

, as the son of

Abe no Yoritoki (died 28 August 1057) was the head of the Abe clan of Emishi who were allowed to rule the six Emishi districts ( Iwate, Hienuki, Shiwa, Isawa, Esashi and Waga) in the from Morioka to Hiraizumi in what is now Iwate Prefecture. Background The ...

, the '' chinjufu-shōgun'' (general in charge of overseeing the Ainu and the defense of the north).

Minamoto no Yoriyoshi was a Japanese samurai lord who was the head of the Minamoto clan and served as '' Chinjufu-shōgun''. Along with his son Minamoto no Yoshiie, he led the Imperial forces against rebellious forces in the north, a campaign called the Zenkunen War, ...

and his son Yoshiie came to the Abes' northern province of Mutsu to restore power over the province to the Governor; Abe no Yoritoki, Sadatō's father, had been acting beyond his station. As a result, the two clans fought for roughly nine years, with some truces, over the course of a total of twelve years from 1051 to 1063. Sadatō's father was killed in 1057, and so he became head of the clan and head of the military effort against the Minamoto. He fought them in the

battle of Kawasaki The battle of Kawasaki was the first major battle of the Early Nine Years' War (Zenkunen War) (1051-1063). It was fought between the forces of the Abe clan, led by Abe no Sadato, and those of the Minamoto clan, acting as agents of the Imperial Cou ...

, in a snowstorm, defeated them and pursued them through the blizzard for a short time. Other battles followed, during which Sadatō's attacks, along with the harsh weather and terrain, weakened his enemies. However, in 1062, the Minamoto received reinforcements, and Sadato faced them for the last time. He came under siege in a fortress on the Kuriyagawa, and after several days of fighting, his water supply diverted, his defenses attacked, and his fortress set aflame, Sadato surrendered. The Minamoto returned to Kyoto the following year, carrying his head.

Appearance

Hiroaki Sato has described him, "He was more than six feet tall, the circumference of his waist is seven feet and four inches. He had an extraordinary face, his skin was white, and he was fat."

Genealogy

Famed director

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

claimed in his autobiography to be a descendant of Abe no Sadatō.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abe no, Sadato People from Iwate Prefecture Samurai 1019 births 1062 deaths People of Heian-period Japan