Hasebe Nobutsura (
Japanese: 長谷部 信連（はせべ のぶつら)) (year of birth unknown -
Kempo-6 (1218) was a military commander between the end of
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. ...
and the beginning of
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...
. He was the son of Tametsura who was an officer for managing horses, Uma-no-jo (
右馬允)
History
Nobutsura's character was brave and fearless. He once captured a robber getting into Tokiwa-den as a ''
Takiguchi musha'' (
滝口武者), the guard of
Inner Palace. He was promoted to the director of the left part of center palace guard, Sahyoe-no-kami (
左兵衛尉) as he was highly evaluated for capturing the robber.
Later, Nobutsura served
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 ...
. In
Jishō-4 (1180), Prince Mochihito plotted an attack against 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 ...
with
Minamoto no Yorimasa
(1106 – 20 June 1180) was a prominent Japanese poet whose works appeared in various anthologies. He served eight different emperors in his long career, holding posts such as ''hyōgo no kami'' (head of the arsenal). He was also a warrior, ...
, one of the
Minamoto clan families. However, the plot leaked before implementation. Nobutsura helped the prince escape from the Kyoto Imperial Palace, Imperial Palace to Mii-dera. Nobutsura continued fighting alone against Imperial Guards, Kebiishi (:ja:検非違使, 検非違使), using only a ceremonial sword, defeated only when the end of the sword broke off. He then tried to commit suicide, instead of being defeated, but he had lost his dagger and so could not. Prince Mochihito and Minanoto no Yorimasa were forced into the Battle of Uji (1180), Battle of Uji before they were prepared.
Nobutsura was captured although he fought tremendously. He did not even intend to tell where the prince was and never yielded to Taira no Munemori's cross-examination. Taira no Kiyomori admired his braveness and lessened Nobutsura's punishment to banishment to Hino District, Tottori, Hino District, Hōki Province.
[From The Tale of the Heike the 4th roll ''Nobutsura''.]
After the fall of the Taira clan, Minamoto no Yoritomo dispatched Nobutsura to Kebiishi in Aki Province and awarded him a large portion of Suzu District, Ishikawa, Suzu District, Noto Province.
His descendants lasted and called themselves the Cho clan (:ja:長氏, 長氏) and served the Maeda clan during the Edo period.
See also
*Azuma Kagami
*Genpei Jōsuiki
*Dai Nihonshi
References
Sources
*Clements, J.,
A Brief History Of The Samurai: The True Story Of The Warrior'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasebe, Nobutsura
Samurai
People of Heian-period Japan
People of Kamakura-period Japan
1218 deaths
Date of birth unknown