(1152–1185) was the son of

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 ...

, and one of the

Taira 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 ...

Clan's chief commanders in 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 himse ...

at the end of the

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 Japan ...

Japanese history The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new inventi ...

. He was victorious at the Battle of Uji in 1180. He also became successful in the

Battle of Yahagigawa The took place in 1181. Retreating from the Battle of Sunomata-gawa, Minamoto no Yukiie attempted to make a stand by destroying the bridge over the Yahagi River (矢作川 ''Yahagi-gawa'') and putting up a defensive shieldwall. He was forced t ...

in 1181. Tomomori was again victorious in the naval

Battle of Mizushima The naval battle of Mizushima took place on 17 November 1183 during the Genpei War. One of the most important bases of the Taira was Yashima, a small island off the coast of Shikoku. In November 1183, Minamoto no Yoshinaka sent an army to cross ...

two years later. At the

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 ...

, when the

were decisively beaten by their rivals, Tomomori joined many of his fellow clan members in committing suicide. He tied an anchor to his feet and leapt into the sea. Tomomori has become a popular subject for

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought ...

plays.

Gallery

Image:Yoshitoshi The Ghost of Taira no Tomomori.jpg, The ghost of Taira no Tomomori at Daimotsu Bay, in an 1891 print by

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi Tsukioka Yoshitoshi ( ja, 月岡芳年; also named Taiso Yoshitoshi ; 30 April 1839 – 9 June 1892) was a Japanese printmaker. Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005)"Tsukoka Kōgyō"in ''Japan Encyclopedia,'' p. 1000. Yoshitoshi h ...

. File:Tairano.tomomori.JPG, Statue of Tairano Tomomori File:Iseya_Ichibei_-_Genjigumo_ukiyo-e_awase_-_Walters_95104.jpg, The great 12th-century general Taira no Tomomori ties himself to an anchor so that he may die by his own hand and not from enemy action as defeat nears in the famous sea battle at Dan-no-ura (1185). File:The_ghost_of_Taira_Tomomori.jpg, The ghost of Taira Tomomori along with the anchor he drowned with, and heikegani with faces of fallen soldiers

References

1152 births 1185 deaths Taira clan People of Heian-period Japan People of the Genpei War Japanese military personnel who committed suicide Suicides by drowning in Japan {{samurai-stub