Stories of the Japanese 00517 [Late Heian Period] The Battle of Dan-no-ura: The Final Moments of Tomomori

Tomomori, the commander-in-chief of the Taira clan, was determined to witness the outcome of the battle completely before choosing to die.
After confirming that his clan members were entering the water one after another, Tomomori said,
"I have seen all that I needed to see. Now, I shall take my own life."
and then he plunged into the water.
What Tomomori feared was that his body would not sink properly, but instead float to the surface and be captured by the Genji forces. Therefore, when he entered the water, Tomomori wore two suits of armor and carried a heavy anchor on his shoulders as he jumped. In the Kabuki play 'Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura,' this scene is known as 'Ikari Tomomori' (Anchor Tomomori) and is depicted as the climax of the first half. Furthermore, the statue of Taira no Tomomori erected at Dan-no-ura also shows him carrying an anchor.
Later, Tomomori's body drifted to Moji (Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture) and was buried by the villagers on Mount Fudetate, which overlooks Dan-no-ura. Today, his grave is located near the shrine building of Koso Hachiman Shrine.
While Munemori was an arrogant man who lacked both wisdom and martial prowess, Tomomori was never arrogant and seems to have been well-regarded by those around him. It appears that Kiyomori favored his fourth son, Tomomori, more than his eldest son, Shigemori, or his third son, Munemori, and Kujo Kanezane refers to Tomomori in his diary as
"The Nyudo-shokoku's (Kiyomori's) most beloved son."
With the death of Taira no Tomomori, the Genpei War came to an end. The Taira clan, which had supposedly attained supreme power during the political upheaval of 1179, was destroyed in just six years.
Some time later, it was decided that the Amida-ji Temple, located near Dan-no-ura, would hold memorial services for Emperor Antoku and the Taira clan, and a nun associated with Kenreimon-in entered the temple.
This Amida-ji Temple was converted into a Shinto shrine during the Meiji era's separation of Shinto and Buddhism and was renamed 'Tennosha.' It was later renamed 'Akama-gu' in 1875 and 'Akama Jingu' in 1940, and it continues to enshrine Emperor Antoku and the Taira clan to this day.
Today, legends of the Taira clan survivors are passed down throughout Japan. It is said that the warriors and commoners who sided with the Taira were driven from their original villages and moved to deep mountains, remote islands, or isolated areas to establish new communities. While some of these legends appear to have been created in later generations, the descendants of the Taira are scattered across the country, and in 1975, they formed the 'National Taira Association.' The National Taira Association continues to hold regular memorial services and deepen exchanges among the descendants.