Minamoto no Yoshitsune: The Story of a Warrior Who Crossed the Sea, Part 5-1
There is nothing in particular to hide. I never intended to hide anything. Having crossed to the continent, I have kept my old promises in my heart, fought for justice just as I did back then, protected the lives of the people, and strived to make them prosperous. That is all.
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Since I was young, I have loved learning history. Where did we come from, and where are we trying to go? When you read history textbooks, hints are hidden within them. Perhaps even the dry, flavorless task of memorization can be a clue to understanding such things. I remember studying with all my might. However, when you consider that history itself is shaped by the convenience of the victors, it is true that we have often been taught lies or ambiguous things as truth. From the Jomon period to the modern era, and even to the present day, I feel that as the scabs left on our scars slowly peel away, the true reality is finally beginning to emerge. From the perspective of us Japanese, raised under a post-war education filled with a masochistic view of history, some might point out that it is impossible for a warrior from such an island nation to have become the leader who built the world's largest empire in the 13th century, dismissing it as the ramblings of a dreamer. No, if various opinions arise, I think that is a good thing. Nothing begins unless you start talking.
The theory that Yoshitsune and Genghis Khan are the same person. If you carefully examine the high probability accumulated, they are undoubtedly equal. As an objective conclusion, that is what I think now, but no matter how loudly I speak, there are those who will laugh it off. Of course, I am fully aware of that, but perhaps, just perhaps, Yoshitsune did not die in Hiraizumi but crossed to the continent. I want to keep writing until I can make people think that. To repeat, from the perspective of the entire Earth, it is impossible for a person capable of bringing a revolution to the entire world of that time to emerge from such a tiny island nation. But think about it. What if a warrior from such a small island nation really did become that Genghis Khan? Just thinking about that, isn't it exciting as a fellow Japanese person? I want to share that excitement with you all. I want to deliver what lies beyond that. For that reason, I will write this story. Therefore, it might become a bit long. It will be necessary to post it in several parts from here on out. But if we trace his life, it might become a trigger for us Japanese to remember and revive the important things we were about to lose. This is a new text for that purpose. I will strive to make you think so.
Now, I will end my story here and record the truth of Yoshitsune.
Chapter 1: In the Beginning, There Was Length
18.0, 23.0, 20.0, 29.6, 30.3, 32.0, 33.3
This list of numbers represents the transition of the 'shaku' (a unit of length) created in China. As you can see from the shape of the character, it was originally 18 cm, the length from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the middle finger, which changed to 23 cm during the Qin and Han dynasties, 20 cm in the Zhou dynasty, 29.6 cm in the Sui and Tang dynasties, 30.3 cm in the Yuan dynasty, 32 cm in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and 33.3 cm in the current People's Republic of China. Each time a dynastic revolution occurred that denied the previous era, the dimensions also changed.
What about in Japan? Since governing politics, religion, and thought in the latter half of the 6th century, Prince Shotoku, who is also called the father of Japanese architecture, decided the length of the shaku to be 30.3 cm. For 1,400 years until today in the 21st century, that length has not changed at all.
Then what about countries other than Japan and China? Turning our eyes to the world, the current world standard of measurement is the meter, but Europe has long had a traditional unit of measurement called the foot. When I looked into the origin of the name, which is said to be based on the large feet of European people, I found that its length is 30.483 cm. It is almost no different from the Japanese shaku. In contrast, among the successive Chinese dynasties, the only one that adopted 30.3 cm as the length of the shaku, the same as Japan, was the Mongol Empire, which formed a loose federation centered on the Yuan dynasty, including the Golden Horde, the Ilkhanate, and the Chagatai Khanate.
It is said that the 'voet' in the Netherlands is a dimension that emerged from the influence of that empire, which ruled over more than half of the world's population between the 13th and 15th centuries. So why is the dimension adopted by the Mongol Empire no different from the Japanese shaku? Is it a coincidence? No, that cannot be. If so, only one answer comes to mind. That is, in some form, Japan must have been involved with the Mongol Empire at that time. Coincidentally, the investigation has already begun by tracing the dimensions that transformed from hand to foot as they headed west, but if there is a person who brought about this influence, who is it? The only name that comes to mind is the warrior from the end of the Heian period to the Kamakura period, Minamoto no Yoshitsune. When I look around, unfortunately, in modern times, he is a person who barely remains as an urban legend, but the more I investigate, the more I can only think that Minamoto no Yoshitsune crossed to the Eurasian continent and became Genghis Khan. I would like to record that as concisely as possible, sometimes mixing in verbosity.
A dynastic revolution is a political philosophy passed down in China since ancient times to justify that while the Son of Heaven is determined by the Mandate of Heaven, if the Son of Heaven loses his virtue, the Mandate of Heaven changes and a Son of Heaven with a different surname is chosen, and that subjects can replace the Son of Heaven and take the seat of power.
As for Yoshitsune's letters, the famous Koshigoe-jo and the one sent to Mount Koya for the ruling after being appointed Hangan are well known, but there remains a writing that sounds like a cry of the heart trying to crawl out from the bottom of adversity. From the text signed by Iyo no Kami Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his retainer Musashibo Benkei, one can see the scene of Benkei, as a retainer, scolding and encouraging Yoshitsune: 'No matter what situation you fall into, you must protect it. Never give up.' It reveals Yoshitsune being spurred on by the sincere voice squeezed from the bottom of the heart of Benkei, who is his lifelong teacher, brother, and friend he trusts more than anyone. Yoshitsune, who lost everything for absurd reasons and is being hunted and fleeing. Seeing such a figure, he records in that writing the vow he almost lost, spurred on by the voice of Benkei, who continues to encourage him to live.
『With no hope in my home country, I shall become the king of Ezo and the Tang country.』
This is a passage from a prayer written by Yoshitsune in January 1187, when he was a hunted man, while he was stopping at the Koso Kotai Jingu in Etchu on his way from Yoshino via Hokuriku to Hiraizumi, disguising himself as a mountain ascetic to avoid being captured by Yoritomo. As a historical fact, it is said that Yoshitsune committed suicide after being cornered two years later, but reading this, it is clear that already at this point, he not only intended to escape the absurd Japan and cross to the Ezo and Tang countries, but also had a vision as a supreme ruler.
Chapter 2: Yoshitsune, His Life and Circumstances
Minamoto no Yoshitsune, born in Kyoto in 1159. Father, Minamoto no Yoshitomo; Mother, Tokiwa Gozen; Half-brother, Minamoto no Yoritomo. His childhood names were Ushiwakamaru and Shana-o. Around the age of seven, he entered Kurama-dera Temple, located on the southern slope of Mount Kurama in northern Kyoto, where he devoted himself to the study of academics and martial arts, and came of age at fifteen. As he was the ninth child of Yoshitomo, he was named Kuro Yoshitsune. His name is derived from one character each from the names of Minamoto no Tsunemoto, the founder of the Seiwa Genji who traces back to Emperor Seiwa, and the Genji hero, Hachiman Taro Minamoto no Yoshiie. Yoshitsune put his thoughts on the revival of the Minamoto clan into his own name. The year after Yoshitsune was born, his father Yoshitomo lost his life near the Chita Peninsula in the south of Owari Province while wandering, having lost his horse after being defeated by his arch-enemy Taira no Kiyomori during the Heiji Rebellion.
Kiyomori tried to kill all the members of the clan, including Yoshitsune, but thanks to the plea for mercy by Kiyomori's wet nurse, Ikenozenni, all the sons were spared from being killed. Yoritomo was exiled to Izu, and Yoshitsune spent his impressionable years at Kurama-dera Temple, which stands on the hillside of a dense mountain. Kiyomori probably did not think that this act of mercy would become the beginning of the downfall of the Taira clan in later years, but although he was the leader of the era, as he became more aristocratic year by year, perhaps his intuition as a warrior had dulled.
『The sound of the bell of the Gion Shoja temple echoes the impermanence of all things. The color of the flowers of the Sala trees reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. The proud do not last long, just like a dream on a spring night. The brave will eventually perish, just like dust before the wind.』
The spring of this world that Kiyomori built rushes toward the bottom of the abyss as if to hasten the end of his life, making one feel the impermanence of this world. And ironically, it is also directed at the Minamoto clan, the primary contributor to the defeat of the Taira clan. That was just four years after Kiyomori's death.
Kiyomori's wet nurse, Ikenozenni, remained in the memory of the young Yoshitsune as a benefactor who saved his life, and eventually, she was carved deep into his heart as a mother-like existence that he could never forget throughout his life. Tokiwa Gozen, who was separated from Yoshitomo by death, had been separated from Yoshitsune since he was six years old, and after that, she became a concubine of Kiyomori.
In 1174, as the pressure from the Taira clan surrounding him increased with age and to avoid danger to the temple, Yoshitsune fled from Kurama-dera Temple. He placed himself under the protection of Fujiwara no Hidehira of Hiraizumi in Oshu, who had highly valued Yoshitsune's abilities and had been sending him messages, and went on to master martial arts and aim for the revival of the Minamoto clan.
In 1180, Yoritomo raised an army to hunt down the Taira clan. Later, at the Battle of Kise-gawa, Yoshitsune met Yoritomo for the first time.
In 1184, Yoshitsune defeated the Taira clan at the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani, and again in March 1185 at the Battle of Yashima.
Then, in the following April, Yoshitsune intercepted the Taira clan at the Battle of Dan-no-ura. Having grasped the tidal patterns in advance, Yoshitsune used the shift in the current to corner the Taira forces into the Kanmon Straits in one fell swoop, leading to their destruction. Afterward, Yoshitsune returned to Kyoto in triumph and was appointed Saemon-no-jo, or a judge of the Saemon-fu, by the Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa. However, because he accepted this without the Shogunate's permission, it became a cause of Yoritomo's displeasure.
Unaware of such circumstances, Yoshitsune headed toward Yoritomo to return from his triumph in Kyoto, but he was stopped at the Koshigoe barrier just before reaching Kamakura. Desperate to meet his brother Yoritomo at any cost, Yoshitsune wrote down his heartfelt feelings in a letter to plead his case. However, his wish was never granted, and a devastated Yoshitsune was turned back to Kyoto, dragging his broken heart with him.
Why was Yoritomo so stubborn in rejecting Yoshitsune's plea? Before Yoshitsune was appointed Saemon-no-jo by the Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa, Yoritomo had highly valued Yoshitsune's abilities and recommended him for the position of Governor of Iyo, which at the time was the second most important position among provincial governors in the country after Harima, and Yoshitsune had taken that post. Normally, one should not be able to hold both a local government position and a central government post, yet Yoshitsune accepted the recommendation for Saemon-no-jo from the Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa without consulting Yoritomo. From Yoritomo's perspective, just as he had begun to move toward realizing a new world ruled by warriors rather than the aristocracy, having the cracks start with his closest brother would set a bad example for his retainers. Yoritomo surely must have thought so. However, in reality, it was largely due to Yoritomo's jealousy and fear of Yoshitsune's genius in battle and his popularity, as well as his belief in the slanders of Kajiwara Kagetoki, Yoritomo's confidant who had been at odds with Yoshitsune at every turn. Unable to forgive him as things stood, Yoritomo maneuvered to have the Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa issue an imperial decree to hunt down Yoshitsune as an enemy of the court, and ordered Fujiwara no Hidehira of Oshu to capture him.
In April 1189, cornered by Hidehira's son, Yasuhira, Yoshitsune's fate reached its end at a Buddhist hall in Koromogawa, near Hiraizumi in Oshu. He stabbed his legal wife, Sato-gozen, and their four-year-old daughter, then set fire to the building and committed ritual suicide.
This scene is recorded in the 'Azuma Kagami,' a history book compiled by the Hojo administration 80 years after Yoritomo's death. Based solely on this historical material, which was written with the compiler's subjectivity, the Japanese historical academic community has concluded that Yoshitsune died at Koromogawa. Since the Meiji era, this has remained unchanged to this day, becoming so well-known that there is not a single Japanese person who does not know it.
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It was a long time ago, when I was in my teens, that I read a novel titled 'Yoshitsune' by Ryotaro Shiba. I remember feeling uncomfortable with the assessment of Yoshitsune in the novel, which judged that because of the purity of his character, he was ignorant of how to deal with worldly situations, and that this disqualified him as a warrior.
His achievements were never rewarded and faded away fleetingly.
The tragic warrior, Minamoto no Yoshitsune.
Since then, this epithet has followed his name every time it is spoken. Perhaps this was the beginning of my own 'hogan-biiki' (sympathy for the underdog).
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An assessment of Yoshitsune is recorded in the diary of Oe no Hiromoto, the most powerful person in the Kamakura Shogunate after Yoritomo.
'His talent, intelligence, swordsmanship, as well as his courage, insight, leadership, and humanity are all beyond the reach of ordinary people.'
The term 'hogan' is read as 'hougan' or 'hangan.' Under the Ritsuryo system, it refers to a high-ranking position that combined the roles of Kebiishi and Saemon-no-jo—in modern terms, both a judge and a police officer. 'Hogan-biiki' primarily refers to the sympathy for Yoshitsune, who, despite being the primary contributor to the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate, was slandered for his recklessness by his brother Yoritomo, banished, fell into ruin as if rolling down a slope, and eventually lost his life in Hiraizumi. It has remained one of the Japanese people's conceptual forms, where they feel compassion for talent that goes unrewarded and wish to support it.
A summary of the Koshigoe-jo, which Yoshitsune sent to Yoritomo from the Koshigoe barrier, is provided below.
'I humbly submit this to you. As the deputy chosen by the Lord of Kamakura, I received an imperial order, destroyed the Taira clan, and avenged my father. This should have been something to be praised, yet I have encountered unexpected slander, incurred my brother's anger, and spend my days in tears of blood. Perhaps the most poignant points are the hardest to accept, but I cannot even speak of my inner feelings and am spending my days in vain. Is there no affection between brothers? Or did I commit some evil deed in a previous life? At night I sleep with my armor as a pillow, and when I wake, I make war my profession, working myself to the bone for my clan and for my brother. I have no ambition whatsoever. I have sent letters many times, but I have yet to receive your forgiveness. I have only one wish. Please, let me pass through this Koshigoe barrier to see my brother. I want to meet you and talk about what has happened and what will happen. If you can perceive even a little of my feelings as I am slandered by the person I trust most in this world, please grant the wish of this foolish younger brother. I beg of you.'
Chapter 3: The Oshu Fujiwara Clan
A branch of the Fujiwara Northern House, Hidesato lineage. It began when Fujiwara no Kiyohira, who served Minamoto no Yoshiie (Hachiman Taro), a man who gained military merit in the conquest of Oshu as the Governor of Mutsu, was entrusted with the rule of Oshu after the Former Nine Years' War against the Emishi starting in 1051, and the Later Three Years' War in 1083, which destroyed the Kiyohara clan that had effectively controlled Oshu. Based on the abundant gold dust produced, Kiyohira strove to absorb Kyoto culture, and over the three generations of Kiyohira, Motohira, and Hidehira, they built the foundation of a magnificent culture in Hiraizumi. Existing remains include Motsu-ji Temple, the Konjikido of Chuson-ji Temple, and the site of Muryoko-in Temple. Looking back at history, the amount of gold produced until around 1200 is equivalent to about two Olympic-sized swimming pools. Of that, Japan produced about 1.5 pools' worth. This includes much that the Fujiwara clan mined in Oshu, Ezo, and near the Heilongjiang River on the continent. Their financial power was respected even by the Imperial Court, and they radiated prestige as the kings of the north, a semi-independent state. The golden land of Zipangu mentioned by Marco Polo in 'The Travels of Marco Polo' was not a lie.
In reality, from 100 years before this time, the Fujiwara clan had been trading gold with Jewish and Middle Eastern merchants, centered in what is now Vladivostok, Russia. Once Yoshitsune began living in Hiraizumi, he also heard and saw such information about the continent in detail, and it naturally entered his mind. At the time, Oshu was the center of horse production. The Fujiwara clan's cavalry corps was called the '170,000 Oshu Horsemen' and was famous for its bravery.
In 2004, when Iwate Prefecture surveyed the Koromogawa area, it was found that there were no traces of conflict between the Kamakura Shogunate and the Oshu cavalry corps in 1189, and no evidence that the mansion had been burned at all.
Marco Polo, who wrote The Travels of Marco Polo, was born in 1254 in Venice, Republic of Venice. At seventeen, Marco set out on a journey to Asia with his father, who was a merchant. On the way, in Jerusalem, he was entrusted with a letter from Pope Gregory X to the Emperor of the Yuan dynasty, and he traveled to the Yuan dynasty by land. At the age of twenty-one, he arrived at the capital, Shangdu. He had an audience with Kublai Khan, the fifth emperor of the Mongol Empire and the Yuan dynasty, and was told on the spot to become a Yuan official. Having officially become an official, Marco traveled through Southeast Asian countries, including India and Burma, and delivered his observations of each place to Kublai, entertaining him. Although he did not travel to Japan, Marco, who returned to Europe, described Japan in detail in the published Travels of Marco Polo. When you open it, there is a passage where Kublai tells Marco what he heard from his grandfather, Genghis Khan. As mentioned earlier, Japan at that time, centered on Oshu, boasted the world's largest gold production, and was widely recognized in Europe as a dream country, a land of gold. Marco, who returned to his hometown of Venice, died in January 1324 at the age of sixty-nine.
Chapter 4: Shizuka Gozen
Shirabyoshi was a type of song and dance that was popular from the end of the Heian period to the Kamakura period. The performer wears an eboshi hat, a costume called a suikan, and a sword at their waist, dancing and singing imayo songs in a male-like appearance. Shizuka Gozen, whose mother was the founder of the shirabyoshi, Iso no Gozen, is said to have been well-known not only in Kyoto but also in the western and eastern provinces, and even in Oshu.
After the Battle of Yashima, Yoshitsune, who returned to Kyoto in triumph, fell in love at first sight with Shizuka Gozen, who was dancing to pray for rain. With the mediation of the Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa, she became Yoshitsune's concubine and accompanied him. After destroying the Taira clan at the Battle of Dan-no-ura, Yoshitsune was falsely accused of rebellion by Yoritomo, which eventually led to his denunciation. Yoshitsune, now a fugitive, left Kyoto with Shizuka and headed for Kyushu, but the ship they were on was caught in a storm and wrecked. The party aimed for Hiraizumi from Yoshino via the Hokuriku region. However, Shizuka, who was pregnant, could not cross the snow-covered mountains of Yoshino, so Yoshitsune gave travel money to his guides and sent her back to Kyoto with Iso no Gozen. On the way, however, those men stole the travel money and fled. The two women, wandering in fear, were later captured by shogunate warrior monks and taken to Kamakura.
On April 8, 1186, under the cherry blossoms in full bloom, Yoritomo, who had destroyed the Taira clan and regained real power for the Minamoto clan, visited Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine to celebrate the victory. At that time, he ordered the mother and daughter, Iso no Gozen and Shizuka Gozen, to perform a dance as an offering.
"Even though the current shogunate exists thanks to my husband, Yoshitsune, he has been unreasonably branded a traitor. Furthermore, to be forced to dance before a crowd of curious onlookers, considering my husband's situation, is a humiliation beyond words."
Shizuka poured out her feelings to Yoritomo's wife, Masako. Hearing this, Masako looked hesitant and said,
"I agree with you. However, today is an important day to convey the Minamoto clan's victory to Hachiman Daibosatsu. And aren't you a shrine maiden who serves that god? Moreover, you are a master of dance famous throughout the land. It would be a great pity if you could not show that performance."
Having made up her mind at Masako's words, Shizuka stood on the stage of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, hiding a certain resolve. Amidst the jeers and mockery of over a thousand gokenin, she began to dance as if staring at the only person who was not there. The gokenin who filled the place were all breathless and fell silent at the desperate song that carried her thoughts for Yoshitsune.
Yoshino Mountain, treading through the white snow of the peaks, the traces of the person who entered it
are what I yearn for.
Shizu ya shizu, the hempen thread of Shizu, repeating it over and over,
if only there were a way to make the past the present.
The Lord of Kamakura, Yoritomo, was enraged upon hearing the song longing for Yoshitsune, but,
"Even if I were in Shizuka Gozen's position, I would sing like that."
Records in the Azuma Kagami state that Masako admonished Yoritomo, saying that the feeling of longing for a loved one is the same for everyone.
Learning that Shizuka Gozen was pregnant, Yoritomo ordered that if the child to be born was a girl, she would be allowed to live, but if it was a boy, he was to be killed. In July, Shizuka Gozen gave birth to a boy.
Under Yoritomo's instructions, the zoshiki Adachi Kiyotsune tried to take the child, but Shizuka Gozen cried and screamed, never letting go. After a while, when she was exhausted and dozed off, Iso no Gozen, who was by her side, handed over the child with a prayerful expression. It is said that the newborn baby was drowned in Yuigahama Beach.
How did Yoshitsune feel when he heard the news later? It is said that in his heart-rending grief, his followers could not help but share his sorrow and lament with him.
In September, Shizuka Gozen and Iso no Gozen were sent back to Kyoto. At the time of their parting, it is said that Masako and her daughter, O-hime, who pitied their circumstances, gave them many treasures. Although their subsequent whereabouts are not known in historical facts, their footprints remain from the Kanto region to the Tohoku region as they followed in Yoshitsune's footsteps. A reunion with Yoshitsune was never realized. Investigating this legend, it seems likely that she died shortly after, from the depths of despair and hopelessness upon learning of Yoshitsune's death at Koromogawa. Shizuka Gozen is said to have died at the age of twenty-two.
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It is unclear how much needs to be clarified to call something a historical fact, but if we consider it to be to the extent generally accepted by the public, truth sometimes resides in oral traditions passed down from person to person rather than in official histories written by the demands of the era. I hope you will take what I am about to write as lacking solid physical evidence, except for what is defined as legend, even if it is only known to a few people. I will write down as much as I can about the circumstantial evidence, though not all of it. Well, I will leave Part 5-1 here, and in the next part, 5-2, I would like to write about the truth of Genghis Khan along with the Mongol Empire he built. It is somewhat similar. From there, I think you will be able to feel that his demeanor and life creed have something in common with us Japanese.
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