The was a major sea battle 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 ...

, occurring at Dan-no-ura, in the

Shimonoseki Strait The or the Straits of Shimonoseki is the stretch of water separating Honshu and Kyushu, two of Japan's four main islands. On the Honshu side of the strait is Shimonoseki (, which contributed "Kan" () to the name of the strait) and on the Kyushu ...

off the southern tip of

Honshū , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separa ...

. On April 25, 1185 (or March 24, 1185 by the official page of Shimonoseki City), the fleet of the Minamoto clan (Genji), led by Minamoto no Yoshitsune, defeated the fleet of the Taira clan (Heike). The morning

rip tide A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal flo ...

was an advantage to the Taira in the morning but turned to their disadvantage in the afternoon. The young Emperor Antoku was one of those who died among the Taira nobles.

History

At the time of the battle, the war was not going well for the Taira. They still had the Emperor on their side as well as the Imperial Regalia which symbolized the Emperor's authority, but had lost much of their territory. Still, the coming battle would be fought in their home territory with the trained southerners fighting in their home waters. The Taira were weaker (despite having more ships), but they had the advantage over the Minamoto in understanding the tides of that particular area as well as naval combat tactics in general. Another issue for the Taira was that the son of one of their generals,

Taguchi Shigeyoshi Taguchi (written: lit. "rice field mouth") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese speed skater *, Japanese engineer and statistician *, Japanese writer *, Japanese voice actress *, Japanese singer-songwriter, a ...

, had been captured by the Minamoto and was being held hostage. While some of the other Taira generals encouraged their commander to either dismiss or execute Shigeyoshi as a liability, the commander believed in his continued loyalty to the cause after conversing with him. The Taira also brought the young emperor (who was around six years old at the time) and some of his retainers, dressed in their full court garb. Directly having the emperor with the army would inspire the troops and show the legitimacy of their cause, in theory. The Taira split their fleet into three squadrons, while the Minamoto arrived en masse, their ships abreast, and archers ready. The beginning of the battle consisted mainly of a long-range archery exchange, before the Taira took the initiative, using the tides to help them try to surround the enemy ships. They engaged the Minamoto, and the archery from a distance eventually gave way to

hand-to-hand combat Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of weapons.Huns ...

with swords and daggers after the crews of the ships boarded each other. However, the tide changed, and the advantage was given back to the Minamoto. One of the crucial factors that allowed the Minamoto to win the battle was that Taguchi Shigeyoshi did indeed defect. His squadron attacked the Taira from the rear. He also revealed to the Minamoto which ship Emperor Antoku was on. Their archers turned their attention to the helmsmen and rowers of the Emperor's ship, as well as the rest of their enemy's fleet, sending their ships out of control. Many of the Taira saw the battle turn against them and committed suicide. Among those who perished this way were Antoku and his grandmother, Nun of the Second Rank, Taira no Tokiko the widow of Taira no Kiyomori. The Taira attempted to toss the imperial regalia into the sea to deny them to the Minamoto but only managed to get the Kusanagi sword and Yasakani jewel into the water before the ship holding the regalia was captured. Apocryphally, the woman who attempted to toss the mirror looked into it and died instantly from its spiritual power. The jewel was recovered by divers; many presume the sword to have been lost at this time. A new sword was found eventually. A variety of explanations exist for the sword used afterward: that it was a replica, that it was recovered from the sea anyway, that it was supernaturally delivered or remade, and others; the new sword was enshrined at Atsuta Shrine.

Aftermath

This decisive defeat of the Taira forces led to the end of the Taira bid for control of Japan. Minamoto no Yoritomo, the elder half-brother of

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 cons ...

, became the first '' shōgun'', establishing his military government ( ''bakufu'') in

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 ...

. In this battle the Taira lost Taira Tomomori, Taira Noritsune, Taira Norimori, Taira Tsunemori, Taira Sukemori, Taira Arimori and Taira Yukimori, who were killed.

In culture

According to legend, the heike crabs found in the

Straits of Shimonoseki The or the Straits of Shimonoseki is the stretch of water separating Honshu and Kyushu, two of Japan's four main islands. On the Honshu side of the strait is Shimonoseki (, which contributed "Kan" () to the name of the strait) and on the Kyushu ...

are considered by the Japanese to hold the spirits of the Taira warriors. The battle is the subject of an opera by the Thai-American composer

S. P. Somtow S. P. Somtow (a rearrangement of his real name Somtow Papinian Sucharitkul; th, สมเถา สุจริตกุล; ; born 30 December 1952) is a Thai-American musical composer. He is also a science fiction, fantasy, and horror autho ...

. Called ''Dan no Ura'', the opera premiered in Bangkok in 2014. The 2021 animated film Inu-Oh also references the battle in its exposition. Episodes 10 and 11 of the 2021 Naoko Yamada animated series Heike Monogatari portray this battle.

References

* Stephen Turnbull: ''Samurai: The World of the Warrior''. Osprey Publishing, 2006, pp. 34–38 () * Excerpt from the City of Shimonoseki homepage http://www.city.shimonoseki.yamaguchi.jp/seisaku/kokusai/y_english/history/ cites the Battle of Dan No Ura as occurring on March 24, 1185 * Gaskin, Carol, and Vince Hawkins (1990). ''The Ways of the Samurai''. New York: Barnes & Noble Books.

External links

Shimonoseki City Information
{{Authority control

Battle of Dan-no-ura The was a major sea battle of the Genpei War, occurring at Dan-no-ura, in the Shimonoseki Strait off the southern tip of Honshū. On April 25, 1185 (or March 24, 1185 by the official page of Shimonoseki City), the fleet of the Minamoto clan ...

Dan no Ura 1185 Dan-no-ura

History

Aftermath

In culture

See also

References

Further reading

External links