(c. 1169 – c. 1232) was a ''

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

'' who fought alongside the

Minamoto was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during the ...

clan 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 ...

. He is particularly famous for his actions at the

Battle of Yashima Battle of Yashima (屋島の戦い) was one of the battles of the Genpei War on March 22, 1185 in the Heian period. It occurred in Sanuki Province (Shikoku) which is now Takamatsu, Kagawa. Background Following a long string of defeats, the Tai ...

in 1185. According to the '' Heike Monogatari'', the enemy

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 ...

placed a fan atop a pole on one of their ships, daring the Minamoto warriors to shoot it off. Sitting atop his mount in the waves, his target atop the ship rocking as well, Nasu nevertheless shot it down with only one shot. After the Genpei War, he was made ''

shugo , commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The pos ...

'' of

Tottori Castle was a Japanese castle located in Tottori, Tottori Prefecture. History Tottori Castle was constructed in Inaba Province during the Sengoku period as a ''yamashiro'' ("mountain castle") built into the mountain itself, using natural obstacles and ...

, but he lost this position to Kajiwara Kagetoki after being defeated in a hunting competition. He left

Echigo Province was an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen, Iwashiro, Kōzuke, Shinano, and Etchū Provinces. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Echigo''" in . It corresponds today to Niig ...

and—following the death of

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (''shikken'') after his ...

—Nasu became a Buddhist monk in the

Jōdo Shinshū , also known as Shin Buddhism or True Pure Land Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Shin Buddhism is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan. History Shinran ...

sect. Eventually, he formed a temple, which has since been passed down to the oldest son of the Nasu family. For administrative purposes, detailed records were kept regarding who was to inherit the temple. As a result of this, it was possible to trace the Nasu lineage right up to the destruction of the temple during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Most believe that he died at the age of 64, in the year 1232, during a ceremony in

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whi ...

honoring those who died in the Genpei War.

Name

Yoichi is a common name which denotes the tenth or eleventh son. Sanada Yoshitada and Asari Yoshito were contemporaries who also called themselves Yoichi. They and Nasu no Yoichi are collectively called the 'three Yoichi of Genji.'

Biography

Since the name of Nasu no Yoichi is not seen in historical materials of the same period such as '' Azuma Kagami'' (''The Mirror of the East''), Yoichi's achievements are mostly handed down in the war chronicles ''

The Tale of the Heike is an epic account compiled prior to 1330 of the struggle between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185). Heike () refers to the Taira (), ''hei'' being the ''on'yo ...

'' and '' Genpei Seisuiki''. According to the description of the ''Tale of the Heike'', he was born as a child of Nasu no Suketaka around the first year of Kao (1169), the first year of Eiman / the first year of Nin'an (1166), and the third year of Nin'an (1168). It is often assumed that the place of birth was Kanda-jo Castle (present Nakagawa-machi, Nasu County, Tochigi Prefecture) where the Nasu clan lived at that time. In the Genpei War, he took the side of

along with his brother Juro Tametaka, and joined the army of his younger brother, Yoshitsune. In the

, he famously shot down the target of a fan on the Taira clan's warship, and was granted a shoen (manor in medieval Japan) over five provinces by Yoritomo. His nine older brothers, except Tametaka, supported the Taira clan. Tametaka was later punished, and therefore, Yoichi gained the family estate of the Nasu clan, although he was the eleventh son. Yoichi pardoned his older brothers who had escaped to various places such as Shinano, gave them territory, and laid the foundation for the development of the Nasu clan in Shimotsuke Province.

Hearsay and folklore

There is a local legend that states he was good at archery since he was a child, and showed his skill in front of his brothers and surprised his father Suketaka. There is also a legend that, when practicing archery at

Mount Nasu is a group of complex volcanoes located in the northeast part of Nikkō National Park, Japan. The tallest peak is Sanbonyari Peak at a height of . Mount Nasu is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. Major peaks Mount Nasu has the follo ...

in 1180, Suketaka met Yoshitsune who came to Nasu Onsen-jinja Shrine to pray for certain victory and exchanged an agreement with his older brother Juro Tametaka to let Yoichi join the Minamoto clan. In addition, there are several temples and shrines which Yoichi founded. In the ''Heike Monogatari'', the story of shooting a target of a fan is very famous. There is also Bitchu Ebara no Sho, one of the manors which is said to have been obtained by the achievement of shooting a fan target. It is not known whether this legend is true or not, but it is recorded that at least in the middle of the Kamakura period, the Nasu clan (Ebara Nasu clan and Bitchu Nasu clan) ruled the area. It is said that the length of the arm changed on the right and left sides because he had too much training to improve the arm of the bow.

Grave

His grave is in Sokujo-in Temple in Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, where his older brother Sukeno built a temple called Kosho-in Temple and buried a part of the bone, and although it was once abolished in 1514, Sukekage NASU rebuilt it as the family temple, Genjo-ji Temple (Otawara City, Tochigi Prefecture) of the Nasu clan in 1590 and the Nasu clan regarded it as his main grave. Also, in Sosho-in Temple of Hekiun-ji Temple in Suma Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, there is a tomb of Yoichi called NASU no Yoichi Munetaka Gobo. There is a legend that if you visit this grave, you will not be able to take care of your age. In the vicinity are Kitamuki Hachiman-jinja Shrine, which is said to have been worshipped by Yoichi, and Nasu-jinja Shrine, which is enshrined by local people. In front of Kokuzo Bosatsu-do Hall located to the northwest of Saren-ji Temple in 5-chome, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, there is a three-storied stone pagoda approximately 4.2 meters in height with the name of Nasu no Yoichi inscribed. This is considered to be a memorial tower for Yoichi, and the tower has the inscription of 'Nasu no Yoichi Soryu no ko' and 'Chisaka Tsushima no kami Kagechika' and the inscription 'Construction of May 13, 1349' on the back. Kagechika Chisaka was a senior vassal of

Uesugi Kenshin , later known as was a Japanese ''daimyō''. He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. Known a ...

, but the Chisaka clan had a marital relationship with the Nasu clan, and it is said that the statue of kokuzo Bosatsu (the statue of kokuzo Bosatsu) of Yoichi was passed down. Also, there is a five-ring memorial tower for Yoichi in the mountains of Bicchu Ebara-so, one of the manors he acquired across the country for the merit of shooting at a fan target. The graves of the Nasu family are located in the Tokugawa family cemetery (Kan'eiji Temple), which is now under the management of Yosuin, but in 2014 the gravestones of the 20th to 26th generations were taken away for eternal use. However, in 2014, the headstones of the 20th through 26th generations were taken away for eternal use. The headstones of the 27th through 33rd generations are now in place. They are as follows: Saemon Daisuke 1516 Moved to Kaminosho in the 13th year of the Heishi Era, August 4, 1999.　 Masasuke Nasu Yoichi, 21st governor of Iki (1546), died on July 23, 1592 22nd Nasu Yoichi Takasuke, Repairer, Buddhist name: Tensei Osun, 1551, died on January 23, Tenbun 20, 1551 The 23rd Nasu Yoichi Suketane, Repairer, legal name: Egetsuin Ashigiri Genseki Daizen Sadamon, 1583, died on February 11, Tensho 11. 24th Nasu Yoichi Sukeharu, repairer, legal name: Fuwakuin-dono Kyuuzan Keikaku Daizenjyakumon, 1609, graduated on December 7, Keicho 14 25th Nasu Yoichi Sukekage, Sakyo-taio, legal name: Suminein-dono Tsukiyama Tochi-daishi, died on December 7, 1656, Keicho 14 26th Nasu Yoichi Sukeshige, Governor of Mino, Buddhist priest, Jikyoin-dono Shingensei-daiei, died in 1642, July 25, Kan'ei 19. Seen in 2014 27th Nasu Yoichi Sukeshige (Air, Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, Central) Name: Rendaiin Kōkoku Seishin Daiin 1687, June 25, Jōkyō 4, Graduated 28th Nasu Yoichi Sukenori, left side, Dharma name: Seikoin-dono Gekimine Joshin-daiei, graduated June 25, 1708 　 29th generation Nasu Yoichi Shokutoku, right side, Buddhist priest, Jukko Tokun Dai-i-sensei, Hoikein-dono, graduated on June 8, 1718.　 The 30th Nasu Yoichi Sukinao, tiger "Sukinao", Buddhist name: Shinzenin-dono Tokujun Ryoyoshi, grand master, 1783, graduated on July 4, 1783 Akira, the 31st Nasu Yoichikushi, Buddhist priest, born in 1832, graduated on January 5, 1828. 　 The 32nd generation, Nasu Yoichi Shikire, Buddhist name: Choshoin-dono Ichimu Genku Dai-in 1861, graduated on September 5, 1861 The 33rd Nasu Yoichi Sukeyo, Dharma name: Daitatsuin-dono Enjodo-hon, graduated on July 8, 1870. 14 other women, 1 child　

Impact on future generations

The common name of the head of the Nasu clan has been "Nasu Taro" for generations with a few exceptions (Nasu Yoshitaka, Nasu Mitsuyoshi, etc.), but since the Edo period, successive heads of the Nasu clan, such as Nasu Sukekage, have used the common name "Nasu Yoichi.

In popular culture

Nasu no Yoichi is one of the main characters in the manga/anime '' Drifters'', where he appears as a young man under the age of 19 and is voiced by

Mitsuki Saiga is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Ken Production. Her major roles include Tsukasa in ''.hack'', Maria Ross in '' Fullmetal Alchemist'', Rossiu Adai in ''Gurren Lagann'', MakubeX in ''GetBackers'', Wolfram von Bielefeld i ...

. The story of Nasu shooting the fan off of the rocking boat was briefly re-enacted in the

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and h ...

film, '' Pom Poko'', when old Yashima no Hage-tanuki shapeshifts into it. In ''High School Inari Tamamo-chan'' manga, the story was twisted; Nasu no Yoichi was Tenko Fushimi, as her bow skills were legendary, but the fact that she was a fox guardian was concealed. In the ''

Final Fantasy is a Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video games. The ...

'' franchise, a recurring weapon known as the Yoichi Bow is often shown as a powerful bow - if not the most powerful one - in the game it appears in. In '' Doodle Champion Island Games'', Captain Yoichi is the champion to beat in an archery contest involving fans. In the 2005 Taiga Drama Yoshitsune, he was portrayed by the actor Tsubasa Imai.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nasu No, Yoichi 1160s births 1232 deaths Samurai