, also known as Minamoto no Raikō, served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He is one of the earliest Minamoto of historical note for his military exploits, and is known for quelling the bandits of Ōeyama. His loyal service earned him the governorships of Izu Province, Kozuke and a number of others in turn, as well as a number of other high government positions. Yorimitsu served as commander of a regiment of the Imperial Guard, and as a secretary in the Ministry of War. When his father Minamoto no Mitsunaka died, he inherited Settsu Province. Yorimitsu is usually accompanied by his four legendary retainers, known as the Shitennō (The Four Heavenly Kings). They were Watanabe no Tsuna,

Sakata no Kintoki Sakata may refer to: People * Jeanne Sakata, American actress and playwright * Lenn Sakata (Lenn Haruki Sakata) (born 1954), former American professional baseball player * Harold Sakata (Toshiyuki "Harold" Sakata) (1920–1982), American Olympic ...

, Urabe no Suetake, and Usui Sadamitsu.

Legends

Yorimitsu featured in a number of legends and tales, including the legend of Kintarō (Golden Boy a.k.a.

), the legend of Shuten Dōji, and the legend of Tsuchigumo. The '' tachi'' (long sword) 'Dōjigiri' owned by Tokyo National Museum and selected as a

National Treasure The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundame ...

and '' Tenka-Goken'' ("Five Swords under Heaven"), and 'Onikirimaru' owned by Tada Shrine, have a legend that Yorimitsu beheaded Shuten Dōji. Also, three swords of the same name, 'Hizamaru' owned by Daikaku-ji Temple,

Hakone Shrine The is a Japanese Shinto shrine on the shores of Lake Ashi in the town of Hakone in the Ashigarashimo District of Kanagawa Prefecture.Kotodamaya.com"Hakone Jinja" retrieved 2013-1-27. It is also known as the . Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2 ...

and an individual, have a legend that Yorimitsu beat off Tsuchigumo.Tsumugu Japan art & culture.
Yomiuri shimbun. The Karatsu Kunchi festival in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, features a large float inspired by the helmet of Minamoto, being partially devoured by the oni Shuten Douji

File:NDL-DC 1310286-Tsukioka Yoshitoshi-頼光四天王大江山鬼神退治之図-元治1-cmb.jpg, An ukiyo-e by Yoshitoshi depicting Minamoto no Yorimitsu's retainers, Watanabe no Tsuna, Urabe no Suetake, Usui Sadamitsu, and

and aristocrat Fujiwara no Yasumasa fighting Shuten-dōji on Ōeyama. File:土蜘蛛退治図鐔 Tsuba with design of Minamoto no Yorimitsu confronting the Tsuchigumo.jpg, Two tsuba (Sword guard) depicting Yorimitsu trying to cut a tsuchigumo with a tachi named 'Hizamaru'. made by Unnno Yoshimori I (left), Gochiku Sadakatsu (right).

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

. File:四天王剿盗異録, A Strange Account of the Destruction of the Bandits by the Elite Four.jpg, "A Strange Account of the Destruction of the Bandits by the Elite Four" (Yorimitsu, Watanabe no Tsuna, Urabe no Suetake, and Fujiwara no Yasumasa.), Yomihon book by

Utagawa Toyokuni Utagawa Toyokuni ( ja, 歌川豊国; 1769 in Edo – 24 February 1825 in Edo), also often referred to as Toyokuni I, to distinguish him from the members of his school who took over his ''gō'' (art-name) after he died, was a great mast ...

and Takizawa Bakin.

Family

*Mother: Daughter of Minamoto no Suguru *Father:Minamoto no Mitsunaka *Wife:Daughter of Fujiwara no Motohira **1st son : Minamoto no Yorikuni *Wife:Daughter of Taira no Koretaka **2nd son : Minamoto no Yoriie *Wife:Daughter of Yoshishige no Tamemasa **3rd son:Minamoto no Yorimoto **4th son: Eiju **5th son:Minamoto no Yoriaki **daughter:Fujiwara no Michitsuna's wife

Poetry

Yorimitsu wrote a renga with his wife, which appears in the Kin'yō Wakashū (nos.703-704):
''tade karu fune no suguru narikeri''
''asa madaki kararo no oto no kikoyuru wa''
This translates as:
a boat harvesting smartweed is passing by
I thought I heard someone rowing smartly before dawn

In popular culture

*Appears in the video game '' Nioh 2'' as a female yokai hunter. She is voiced by Yūko Kaida. *Appears as a summonable character in the mobile game in '' Fate/Grand Order''. She is voiced by Haruka Tomatsu. *Appears as the protagonist in the

Otogi , is a 2002 action video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sega. It was released for the Xbox in Japan in December 2002, by Sega in North America in August 2003, and Europe in September 2003. ''Otogi'' follows former execution ...

game series. *Appears as the ancestor of the Minamoto clan in the manga and anime series Toilet-bound Hanako-kun. *Appears as a character in the RPG game Onmyoji.

Notes

References