Kiyohara no Iehira (清原家衡) (died 1087) was a member of the

Kiyohara clan The was a powerful clan of the far north of Japan during the Heian period, descended from Prince Toneri, son of Emperor Tenmu (631–686). Kiyohara no Fusanori (9th century) had two sons: the elder was the ancestor of the samurai branch fam ...

, which wielded significant power in the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (''ken''): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains a ...

from around 1063 to 1089, during Japan's

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. ...

; he was also a key participant in the

Gosannen War The Gosannen War (後三年合戦, ''gosannen kassen''), also known as the Later Three-Year War, was fought in the late 1080s in Japan's Mutsu Province on the island of Honshū. History The Gosannen War was part of a long struggle for power wi ...

which grew out of conflicts within the clan. In the early 1080s, a conflict developed between Iehira and his relatives Narihira and Masahira, who were each head of one branch of the family; each desired to head the ''

honke The is the main household of Japanese family. It is part of the system of family branching that establishes a multiplied structure to create familial relationships. The head of a household and his successor reside in the ''honke'', while col ...

'' (main family line). By 1083, this conflict had erupted into outright violence.

Minamoto no Yoshiie Minamoto No Yoshiie (源義家; 1039 – 4 August 1106), also known as Hachimantarō, was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North). The first son of Minamoto ...

traveled to the region in hopes of settling the conflict and restoring peace and order. Yoshiie allied himself to Iehira, and attempted to settle the issue diplomatically. When that failed, he went into battle, alongside Iehira and

Fujiwara no Kiyohira was a samurai of mixed Japanese-Emishi parentage of the late Heian period (794–1185), who was the founder of the Hiraizumi or Northern Fujiwara dynasty that ruled Northern Japan from about 1100 to 1189. Biography Kiyohira was the son of Fuji ...

, a cousin of the Kiyohara, against Kiyohara no Sanehira. After Sanehira's defeat, however, Iehira saw the possibility of his own rise to power improving; Yoshiie and Iehira turned on one another. The battles between the two would prove to be the main action of the war. Iehira first made a stand in 1086 at a stockade called Numa. The Minamoto suffered heavy losses besieging this stockade, due primarily to the cold and snow, and had to withdraw. Iehira, with his uncle Takahira, then established a camp near Yoshiie's fortress at Kanezawa. Yoshiie, allied with his brother Yoshimitsu and Fujiwara Kiyohira, laid siege to the Kiyowara position from August to November 1087. The Kiyowara were defeated and both Iyehira and Takahira killed. According to the

Kokon Chomonjū , lit. ''A Collection of Notable Tales Old and New'', is a Kamakura-period collection of '' setsuwa''. It was compiled by and completed in 1254. The twenty volumes are divided by subject into thirty chapters: chapter 16 concerns art and painting ...

, Yoshiie saw a flock of birds emerge from the forest when he was on his way to attack the Kiyohara camp; this told him that an ambush had been set up, since the Kiyohara ambushers disturbed the birds, and thus Yoshiie was able to avoid the attack.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiyohara no, Iehira 1087 deaths Samurai Year of birth unknown