Stories of the Japanese 00547 [Early Kamakura Period] Oshu Campaign: Shirakawa Barrier

July 29, Bunji 5 (1189). Yoritomo and his party passed through the Shirakawa Barrier on the border of Shimotsuke and Mutsu provinces (the border between present-day Tochigi and Fukushima prefectures).
In the old lunar calendar, the end of the seventh month is early autumn. Yoritomo asked Kajiwara Kagesue,
"Do you not recall the poem by the monk Noin?"
he asked.
Noin (988–1050) was a poet of the mid-Heian period. His most famous anecdote is recorded in the 'Kokon Chomonju', which states that he wrote the poem,
"I left the capital with the spring haze, but now the autumn wind blows at the Shirakawa Barrier"
(I departed the capital during the season of spring haze, but by the time I continued my journey and arrived at the Shirakawa Barrier, the autumn wind was blowing).
Thinking it would be a waste to present this poem while still in the capital, he hid from others, shut himself inside his home, and tanned his skin dark in the sun in his garden before presenting it while saying,
"I composed this poem while I was away on a pilgrimage to the northeast."
He was quite an eccentric man. When Yoritomo remarked, "When I think of the Shirakawa Barrier in early autumn, I am reminded of this poem," Kagesue improvised a response:
"As you, my lord, cross through the autumn wind, brushing aside the dew on the grass and trees, even the barrier guards have vanished in fear"
(As you, my lord, crossed the barrier brushing aside the dew in the autumn wind, the barrier guards were so afraid that they disappeared).
This Shirakawa Barrier was the boundary separating the northeast from the Kanto region, and thus it was also the boundary between Yoritomo's sphere of influence and that of the Oshu Fujiwara clan. As it is a narrow mountain path, it would seem effective for Yasuhira to intercept Yoritomo's army here, but Yoritomo's army passed through without encountering any resistance. The party was likely let down, but Kagesue interpreted the absence of enemy generals guarding Shirakawa by claiming,
"It must be because they were struck with fear of Yoritomo."
Incidentally, the Shirakawa Barrier disappeared during the Kamakura period, and its location remained unknown for a long time. During the Edo period, Matsudaira Sadanobu (1759–1829), the lord of the Shirakawa Domain, identified the location and erected a monument; it is now a nationally designated historic site.
Because the Shirakawa Barrier is a place one passes through when traveling between the northeast and the Kanto region, many legends have been passed down. There remain sites such as the 'Yatate no Matsu' (Arrow-Standing Pine), where it is said Yoshitsune shot an arrow to divine the outcome of a battle while on his way from Hiraizumi to Kamakura, and the 'Hatate no Sakura' (Flag-Standing Cherry Tree), where he is said to have leaned his Genji banners while praying for victory.