The vendetta between the Minamoto and Taira clans erupted into the conflict called the Gempei Wars. It was a series of battles fought for the control of the imperial court and the ultimate victors were the Minamoto who annihilated the Taira and established their clan head, Yoritomo, as shogun and consigning the emperor to nothing more than a symbolic role until the mid-19th century.

The word 'Gempei' comes from the Chinese pronunciation of the characters making up the names Minamoto and Taira, Genji and Heike respectively. Both families were powerful and it was inevitable they would clash at some stage. The Taira made names for themselves against bandits and pirates in the south of the country whereas the Minamoto occupied themselves crushing rebels in the north. The Heike, or Taira, were seen to be cultured and civilised urbanites whereas the Genji or Minamoto were country people and seen as rather rustic and uncouth. Yet the Minamoto saw themselves as tough warriors and looked down on the Taira as soft city dwellers.

The roots of the conflict occurred earlier in the 12th century when members of each clan were despatched to punish each other for certain infractions and offences against the imperial court. The bubble burst in 1156 when ex-Emperor Sutoku wished to regain the throne which was already occupied by Emperor Go-Shirakawa in a conflict called the Hogen Era Insurrection. The Minamoto largely supported Sutoku but his army was virtually annihilated in the ensuing battles. However, the clans of Japan were divided over who to support including the Minamoto, Taira and Fujiwara. Minamoto Yoshitomo was a notable figure against Sutoku and he even allied with Taira no Kiyomori to lay siege to a castle. This stronghold was owned by Kiyomori's father and brother and when it was taken the former begged his son for his life but to no avail and he was later executed. Yoshitomo felt he was not sufficiently rewarded for his loyalty, at least compared to Kiyomori and three years later he rebelled against him in what was called the Heiji no Ran. But it was a failure and Yoshitomo was killed. Incredibly Kiyomori spared his three young sons Yoritomo, Yoshitsune and Noriyori; an act he would pay dearly for when they grew up.

After the Heiji no Ran, Taira no Kiyomori, already a man of status, became one of the most powerful nobles in Japan. This was no more in evidence when he put his nephew Takakura on the imperial throne and married him to his daughter. Among Kiyomori's titles were Naidaijin or Home Minister and Dajo Daijin, which was Prime Minister and President of the Ruling Council. The holding of these titles was a first for a member of a military clan. His nepotism did not end there as sixty members of his family were bestowed with major governmental offices. Kiyomori even created a civil intelligence organisation which he used to spy on his court. After his eldest son, Shigemori, died in 1179 Kiyomori imprisoned Go-Shirakawa and forced Takakura to abdicate in favour of his two-year-old son (Kiyomori's grandson) Antoku. Enraged for being passed over the throne Prince Mochihito (son of Go-Shirakawa) called for allies against this injustice in 1180: he would win his rightful inheritance by force of arms.

Minamoto Yoritomo answered the call and brought with him the remnants of his clan as well as their own allies from all corners of Japan and people who were disaffected with Heike rule. Yoshitsune brought with him the famous giant warrior monk Musashibo Benkei. One of the first engagements of the war was the first battle of Uji Bridge where warrior monks of Todai-ji (who were Minamoto allies) took on Heike samurai. One of the warrior monks called Tajima was famous for holding back the samurai archers with his naginata, even chopping away incoming arrows for which he earned the nickname of 'arrow-cutter' and the admiration of his enemies. Despite this act of heroism the Heike won and Kiyomori had Todai-ji temple burnt to the ground, which also saw 3,500 people losing their lives in the inferno. However, shortly afterwards the Heike leader died, as a result some said because of the destruction of the temple but he was succeeded by his sons who carried on his policies.

The death of Prince Mochihito near Nara almost spelt doom for the Minamoto cause but the will of Yoritomo held firm. After losing the battle of Ishibashiyama he withdrew to Kamakura where he established a military base and sent his capable generals out to fight the war, which was wise considering his poor grasp of military matters. It is just as well his commanders were up to the job otherwise the Minamoto could easily have lost. His two most able generals were Yoshinaka (a cousin) and Yoshitsune (a brother). The former was married to a formidable woman called Tomoe Gozen who was a renowned warrior and fought with her husband as an equal. Perhaps their rustic upbringing allowed for this because there are no records of Taira women fighting with their men in battle.

In 1182 Yoshinaka forced his way into the capital of Kyoto resulting in the rout of its Heike defenders and the young Emperor Antoku. But the victor's stay in the city was not a pleasant one. His excesses shocked and alarmed its citizens and proclaiming himself shogun enraged Yoritomo because he was the Minamoto head and the title should rightfully be his. Yoshinaka was no longer an ally but a rival so Yoritomo sent Yoshitsune to apprehend him. This he did and Yoshinaka was slain. His wife Tomoe Gozen was said to have killed several assailants before fleeing to a temple and becoming a nun. Other sources state that she walked out to the sea and drowned.

Next Yoshitsune turned his attention to the Heike forces who had encamped themselves at a valley called Ichi-no-Tani (to the west of present-day Kobe). This was a well defended area with cliffs to the north, a harbour to the south where the Heike fleet was anchored, and narrow entrances to the east and west, which were heavily policed by Heike soldiers. Yoshitsune decided on a bold strategy that was not for the fainthearted. He would lead a small force of handpicked cavalry down the steep cliffs and into the surprised Heike force. Thus on 18 March 1184 the bold general executed this strategy with great success as the Heike warriors who were guarding the east and west passes rushed to meet him. This was the chance the rest of Yoshitsune's army was waiting for as they rushed through the unguarded passes and joined the fray. The result was a resounding victory for the Genji and the Heike made a frantic rush to their boats in the harbour.

Although the Heike suffered greatly at Ichi-no-Tani they were not destroyed but after a few more skirmishes they were finally caught at Dan-no-Ura, the straits between the island of Kyushu and Honshu. The Heike had taken to the nearby island of Hikoshima the eight-year-old Emperor Antoku and the imperial regalia (the sword, the jewel and the mirror), which proved that he was the rightful emperor. When the Minamoto fleet arrived it had grown in size to include a number of samurai who had originally sided with the Taira and were now intent on destroying them. The ensuing naval battle was one of the most decisive in Japanese history and began with a long range archery duel. The Taira ships attempted to surrounded the enemy fleet because the wind and the tide was in their favour and they were also led by an experienced seaman called Taira Tomomori. By 11.00 am the two fleets were engaged in close-quarter fighting but when the tide changed westwards the advantage went back to the Minamoto. When a Taira ally, Miura Yoshizumi, turned traitor and attacked them in the rear the last vestige of resistance had gone. Yoshizumi also informed the Minamoto that the emperor was not onboard the largest Taira ship and then disclosed the correct one. The Minamoto archers then loosed their volleys against it, which resulted in the deaths of most of the rowers and helmsmen, and it began to drift. What happened next can only be described as a mass suicide as all the Heike nobles began to jump into the sea and drown, some even weighed themselves down with anchors. Meanwhile the young emperor was accompanied by his grandmother who was determined that he was not to be taken alive, nor the imperial regalia to fall into enemy hands. She held the boy in her arms and said, 'In the depths of the ocean we have a capital', before she and the child emperor sank beneath the waves. The sacred sword was lost forever (the jewel was recovered later) with the Taira grandmother and the mirror almost followed had an arrow not prevented a certain Dainagon no Suke from committing suicide in the same way whilst carrying it. The sea at Dan-no-Ura turned red with the fallen banners of the Taira and the blood of their slain and with it the destruction of their clan.

Minamoto Yoshitsune returned to Kyoto amid jubilant celebrations and the emperor appointed him kebiishi. Like Yoshinaka before him this infuriated Yoritomo and he was further enraged when he heard news from Kajiwara no Kagetoki (a commander at Dan-no-Ura) denouncing Yoshitsune as a traitor. Bad blood had existed between the two ever since Yoshitsune denied Kajiwara the chance of commanding the attack at Dan-no-Ura and this was his revenge. Yoritomo needed no encouragement to punish his younger brother and he called for another brother, Noriyori, to deal with him. Yet he would not and begged Yoritomo to reconsider. For his pains Noriyori was banished to a temple and was later executed. For four years Yoshitsune and his valiant warrior monk companion Benkei evaded capture until one by one his followers fell to the encroaching forces of his old brother. Finally just Yoshitsune and the giant Benkei remained and the latter bought enough time for the former to commit suicide. With all his enemies dealt with Minamoto Yoritomo received with gladness the title of shogun in 1192.

Further Reading

Early Samurai - Anthony J Bryant.

The Samurai - Anthony J Bryant.

Samurai (World of the Warrior) - Stephen Turnbull.