The took place in Japan on 6 June 1181 (or by the Japanese calendar,

Jishō was a after '' Angen'' and before '' Yōwa''. This period spanned the years from August 1177 through July 1181. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1177 : The new era name was created to mark an event or a number of events. The ...

-5 year, 4-month, 25-day), in the present-day town of Sunomata, Gifu Prefecture. The battle started when

Minamoto no Yukiie was the brother of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and one of the commanders of the Minamoto forces in the Genpei War at the end of the Heian period of Japanese history. In 1181, he was defeated at the Battle of Sunomatagawa by Taira no Shigehira. After ...

attempted a sneak attack against his enemies during the night. He found

Taira no Tomomori (1152–1185) was the son of Taira no Kiyomori, and one of the Taira Clan's chief commanders in the Genpei War at the end of the Heian period of Japanese history. He was victorious at the Battle of Uji in 1180. He also became successful in t ...

and his army directly opposite from his, along the Sunomata River, near the borders of Owari and

Mino Mino may refer to: Places in Japan * Mino, Gifu, a city in Gifu Prefecture * Mino, Kagawa, a former town in Kagawa Prefecture * Mino, Tokushima, a town in Tokushima Prefecture * Mino, an alternate spelling of Minoh, a city in Osaka Prefecture * Mi ...

provinces. 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 th ...

warriors waded across, but their ambush failed when the

Taira clan 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 divi ...

could distinguish dry friend from soaking, dripping wet foe, even in the pitch dark of night. Yukiie and a number of other surviving Minamoto were forced back across the river. After crossing the river, the Minamoto went to the

Yahagi River , a historical Japanese occupation equivalent to "fletcher", may refer to: * Yahagi, a former village now part of Rikuzentakata, Iwate, Japan * Yahagi Domain, Shimōsa Province, now in Chiba Prefecture, Japan * , several ships * Rikuzen-Yahagi S ...

Mikawa Province was an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Mikawa''" in . Its abbreviated form name was . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces. Mi ...

, but the Taira chased after them.

References

1180s in Japan 1181 in Asia Sunomata-gawa Sunomatagawa 1181 {{Japan-battle-stub

See also

References