The was the first in which

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (''shikken'') after his ...

, who became ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

'' less than a decade later, was commander of 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 ...

forces. The battle was fought on September 14, 1180, in the southwest of present-day

Odawara is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in the far western por ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kana ...

, near Yoritomo's headquarters at

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

Background

Minamoto no Yoritomo was exiled by the leader of 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 divided ...

Taira no Kiyomori was a military leader and ''kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. Early life Kiyomori was born in Heian-kyō, Japan, in 1118 as the first so ...

, following the Heiji Rebellion of 1160. In the following years, the Taira clan attempted to consolidate their position, eventually forcing the

Emperor Takakura was the 80th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1168 through 1180. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was Norihito''-shi ...

abdicate Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...

in favour of his infant son, Antoku, whose mother was a Taira.

Prince Mochihito (died June 1180), also known as the Takakura Prince, and as Minamoto no Mochimitsu (源以光), was a son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan. He is noted for his role in starting the Genpei War. Believing that Taira no Kiyomori was causing suffe ...

, brother of Emperor Takakura, felt that the Taira had denied his rightful claim to the throne, and in May 1180, issued an appeal to the

Minamoto clan 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 ...

to rise against the Taira. As Yorimoto was married into the Hōjō clan, they helped fund his petition to claim himself as the head of the Minamoto clan. When Kiyomori heard that Yoritomo had left

Izu Province was a province of Japan in the area of Shizuoka Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Izu''" in . Izu bordered on Sagami and Suruga Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . The mainland portion of Izu Province, comprising the ...

for the

Hakone Pass The Hakone Pass (), is a mountain pass located between Hakone, Kanagawa, and Kannami, Shizuoka, Japan. It is in the Hakone Mountains and its elevation, 846 meters above sea level. General The Hakone Pass has been an important pass that must be ...

, he appointed

Ōba Kagechika (died 1180), also known as Ōba Saburō Kagechika, was a samurai of Japan's Heian period. The third son of Oba Kageyoshi, he fought alongside his father, against the Minamoto Clan, in the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156. Facing off against Minamoto n ...

to stop him. Although there was much sympathy for Yoritomo's call to arms, the clans were wary of openly supporting him, and an army of only 300 gathered at Ishibashiyama where he had raised his standard. A force from the

Miura clan Miura may refer to: Places *Miura, Kanagawa *Miurakaigan Station * Miura District, Kanagawa * Miura Peninsula * Ganadería Miura, the home of the Miura fighting bull line People * Miura (surname) * Miura clan, Japanese descended clan of the Ta ...

, was prevented from reaching Yoritomo due to poor weather conditions which caused the

Sakawa River The is a river in Shizuoka Prefecture and Kanagawa Prefecture Japan. In Shizuoka Prefecture it is called the Ayuzawa River. It flows into the Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisio ...

near

to flood.

Battle

Ōba Kagechika launched a night attack during a heavy rain on the Minamoto camp with 3,000 men. A further 300 under

Itō Sukechika Itō Sukechika (伊東祐親, died March 20, 1182) was a samurai lord and '' gōzoku'' of the Izu Province in the late Heian period. He was the 6th head of the Kudō clan and the founder of the Kawazu clan. He is also known as Kawazu Sukechika ...

skirted around the camp and attacked from the rear, blocking the Minamoto forces between them. The defenders were aided by elements of Ōba's forces who were secretly loyal to the Minamoto and could disrupt the battle without detection in the dark and stormy conditions. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Minamoto forces put up a strong fight. During the fighting, Yorimoto's brother-in-law Hōjō Munetoki was killed. The imbalance in fighters eventually forced Minamoto to make a retreat. The retreat culminated in a final stand by Yoritomo and a single companion near a hollow tree. When all was lost, Yoritomo was said to have hidden inside the tree trunk with his companion. They were found by one of his secret allies and smuggled from the battlefield.De Benneville, pp. 29-30 Yoritomo fled by sea from Cape Manazuru to the

Bōsō Peninsula The is a peninsula that encompasses the entirety of Chiba Prefecture on Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It is part of the Greater Tokyo Area. It forms the eastern edge of Tokyo Bay, separating it from the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula covers ...

in Awa Province in the south of present-day

Chiba Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to the ...

on September 28, 1180.

References

{{Authority control Ishibashiyama 1180 Ishibashiyama Ishibashiyama 1180s in Japan 1180 in Asia