was a
Taira
The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divided i ...
defensive position at
Suma
Suma may refer to:
Places
* Suma, Azerbaijan, a village
* Suma, East Azerbaijan, a village in Iran
* Sowmaeh, Ardabil, also known as Şūmā, a village in Iran
* Suma-ku, Kobe, one of nine wards of Kobe City in Japan
** Suma Station, a railway ...
, to the west of present-day
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. It sat on a very narrow strip of shore, between mountains on the north, and the sea to the south. This made it quite defensible, but also made it difficult to maneuver troops inside the fortress. The Taira suffered a crucial defeat to the forces of Yoshitsune and Noriyori.
Battle
Yoshitsune split his force in two. Noriyori's force attacked the Taira at
Ikuta Shrine
is a Shinto shrine in the Chūō Ward of Kobe, Japan, and is possibly among the oldest shrines in the country.
History
According to '' Nihon Shoki'', it was founded by the Empress Jingū at the beginning of the 3rd century AD to enshrine the '' ...
, in the woods a short distance to the east. A second detachment, no more than a hundred horsemen under Yoshitsune, attacked the Taira at Ichinotani from the mountain ridge to the north. At the chosen hour, the Minamoto forces attacked causing confusion among the Taira who neither deployed nor retreated. Only about 3000 Taira escaped to Yashima, while Tadanori was killed and Shigehira captured.
[ Also killed from the Taira clan were Lord Michimori, Tsunemasa, Atsumori, Moromori, Tomoakira, Tsunetoshi, and Moritoshi.][
Ichi-no-Tani is one of the most famous battles of the ]Genpei War
The was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed himself ...
, in large part due to the individual combats that occurred here. Benkei
, popularly known as simply Benkei, was a Japanese warrior monk (''sōhei'') who lived in the latter years of the Heian Period (794–1185) .html" ;"title="/sup>">/sup>. Benkei led a varied life, first becoming a monk, then a mountain ascetic, ...
, probably the most famous of all warrior monks, fought alongside the Minamoto Yoshitsune
was a military commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles which toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-brother Yoritomo c ...
here, and many of the Taira's most important and powerful warriors were present as well.
Ichi-no-Tani is the last recorded instance in which crossbows were used in a Japanese siege.
Legacy
The death of Taira no Atsumori
(1169–1184) was a ''samurai'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He was a member of the Taira clan. He fought in the Genpei War against the Minamoto.
Career
Atsumori was a warrior during the Genpei War. He is famous for his early death ...
at the hand of Kumagai no Naozane during the battle is a particularly famous passage in the ''Heike Monogatari
is an epic account compiled prior to 1330 of the struggle between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185). Heike () refers to the Taira (), ''hei'' being the ''on'yo ...
''. It has been dramatized in noh
is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ' ...
and kabuki
is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.
Kabuki is thought to ...
, and in popular fiction, Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan.
Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...
is often portrayed as performing the noh at his own death (''ningen goju nen geten no uchi wo kurabureba, yumemaboroshi no gotoku nari''). The death of Atsumori is arguably among the most celebrated acts of single combat in all of Japanese history
The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new invent ...
.
Gallery
Ichi-no-Tani.jpg, Scene from the battle
Kumagai_Naozane_and_Taira_no_Atsumori.jpg, Two samurai Kumagai Naozane and Taira no Atsumori, woodblock prints, circa 1820.
Genpei Kassen Ezu.4 Ichinotani.jpg, Attack down the slope on the Tairi camp
Taira no Atsumori&Kumagai Naozane.jpg, Duel between Atsumorim (left) and Naozane (painting on the screen, author unknown)
Sumaura from Mt. Tekkai 02.JPG, Today's view of the narrow coastal strip where the battle took place
Sumaura park05 2000.JPG, Monument at the site of the battle
See also
*''The Tale of Heike
is an epic account compiled prior to 1330 of the struggle between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185). Heike () refers to the Taira (), ''hei'' being the ''on' ...
''
References
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
1180s in Japan
1184 in Asia
Ichi-no-tani 1184
Ichi-no-Tani