2011年08月12日
More on Historic Yashima
The Battle of Yashima Continued
In my last post, the Heike, attacked by Yoshitsune Minamoto and his warriors, had fled their fort by boat. The following day, however, they realized that Yoshitsune’s troop was much smaller than they had thought and they returned to fight. Here are a few famous episodes shared by the Yashima volunteer guides.
One of my guides relating an exciting episode
During a battle along the shore, Yoshitsune tucked his bow under his arm and charged his mount into the waves to fight at close quarters. At one point, he was almost unseated by an enemy warrior and dropped his bow into the water. Striking aside the warrior’s weapon with his sword, he fished his bow from the water with his whip. He insisted on retrieving the bow despite the danger to his life because he didn’t want the enemy to find out how short he was. He was only 150 cm tall and therefore his bow was smaller than most. In those days, battles were preceded by a heavy exchange of taunts and insults. Yoshitsune feared that if the enemy recovered his bow, they would shame him with insults about his height.
As with so many of these stories, the site is still marked and remembered even after 826 years. It’s no longer on the beach, however, as so much of the sea has been filled in and built upon.
In another famous incident, a Heike maiden raised a pole topped by a fan on one of the ships during a lull in the fighting. She seemed to be daring the Genji to hit it. The distance, the wind and the movement of the waves made the fan an impossible target. Still Yoshitsune ordered Nasu no Yoichi, an accomplished archer, to try. If he failed, he would have to commit suicide. After praying for success, Nasu no Yoichi rode into the shallows and urged his horse up onto a flat rock.
The spot where he prayed.
The rock in the shallows.
From this vantage point, he took aim, loosed the arrow and knocked the fan from the pole to the cheers of both sides.
View from the rock today, which for me kind of destroys the romance of the story, but never mind. As this was open sea straight across to the foot of Yashima, you can see how much the landscape has changed.
Of course, because this was war, there were many tragic episodes, such as the death of the faithful Tsugunobu Sato who had followed Yoshitsune all the way from his home in northeastern Japan. He rode between Yoshitsune and the enemy to shield him from an arrow, dying in Yoshitsune's stead. His body was carried away on the door taken from Susakiji Temple, which burned during the confrontation.
Susakiji Temple today. Nice stonework in the walls and the garden doubles as a stage for evening concerts and performances during the annual Stone Lantern Festival in summer.
Walls
Stonework
Sato's tomb
Sato was buried some distance from the battlefield alongside Tayuguro, Yoshitsune's favorite steed. As a memorial to his friend, Yoshitsune gave the horse to the priest who performed the funeral rites and buried here when it died.
There are memorials to the Heike as well, such as this tomb for Kikuomaru, a loyal 18-year-old page killed while trying to cut off the head of the slain Tsugunobu Sato as a trophy for his master.
Kikuomaru’s tomb
The local people cared for the tombs of warriors on both sides long after the warring clans moved. According to my guides, the locals did not owe allegiance to one particular side but instead chose the side that appeared most profitable for them at the time. When the war moved on, they cleaned up and resumed their lives. However, they also passed on the memories and the memorials so that even after 8 centuries, reminders of this conflict can still be found scattered among the houses, just part of the local scenery.
There were many other sites and stories connected with the Battle of Yashima but I’ll stop here. Maybe some day you'll get to explore the rest for yourself.
In my last post, the Heike, attacked by Yoshitsune Minamoto and his warriors, had fled their fort by boat. The following day, however, they realized that Yoshitsune’s troop was much smaller than they had thought and they returned to fight. Here are a few famous episodes shared by the Yashima volunteer guides.
One of my guides relating an exciting episode
During a battle along the shore, Yoshitsune tucked his bow under his arm and charged his mount into the waves to fight at close quarters. At one point, he was almost unseated by an enemy warrior and dropped his bow into the water. Striking aside the warrior’s weapon with his sword, he fished his bow from the water with his whip. He insisted on retrieving the bow despite the danger to his life because he didn’t want the enemy to find out how short he was. He was only 150 cm tall and therefore his bow was smaller than most. In those days, battles were preceded by a heavy exchange of taunts and insults. Yoshitsune feared that if the enemy recovered his bow, they would shame him with insults about his height.
As with so many of these stories, the site is still marked and remembered even after 826 years. It’s no longer on the beach, however, as so much of the sea has been filled in and built upon.
In another famous incident, a Heike maiden raised a pole topped by a fan on one of the ships during a lull in the fighting. She seemed to be daring the Genji to hit it. The distance, the wind and the movement of the waves made the fan an impossible target. Still Yoshitsune ordered Nasu no Yoichi, an accomplished archer, to try. If he failed, he would have to commit suicide. After praying for success, Nasu no Yoichi rode into the shallows and urged his horse up onto a flat rock.
The spot where he prayed.
The rock in the shallows.
From this vantage point, he took aim, loosed the arrow and knocked the fan from the pole to the cheers of both sides.
View from the rock today, which for me kind of destroys the romance of the story, but never mind. As this was open sea straight across to the foot of Yashima, you can see how much the landscape has changed.
Of course, because this was war, there were many tragic episodes, such as the death of the faithful Tsugunobu Sato who had followed Yoshitsune all the way from his home in northeastern Japan. He rode between Yoshitsune and the enemy to shield him from an arrow, dying in Yoshitsune's stead. His body was carried away on the door taken from Susakiji Temple, which burned during the confrontation.
Susakiji Temple today. Nice stonework in the walls and the garden doubles as a stage for evening concerts and performances during the annual Stone Lantern Festival in summer.
Walls
Stonework
Sato's tomb
Sato was buried some distance from the battlefield alongside Tayuguro, Yoshitsune's favorite steed. As a memorial to his friend, Yoshitsune gave the horse to the priest who performed the funeral rites and buried here when it died.
There are memorials to the Heike as well, such as this tomb for Kikuomaru, a loyal 18-year-old page killed while trying to cut off the head of the slain Tsugunobu Sato as a trophy for his master.
Kikuomaru’s tomb
The local people cared for the tombs of warriors on both sides long after the warring clans moved. According to my guides, the locals did not owe allegiance to one particular side but instead chose the side that appeared most profitable for them at the time. When the war moved on, they cleaned up and resumed their lives. However, they also passed on the memories and the memorials so that even after 8 centuries, reminders of this conflict can still be found scattered among the houses, just part of the local scenery.
There were many other sites and stories connected with the Battle of Yashima but I’ll stop here. Maybe some day you'll get to explore the rest for yourself.
Posted by cathy at
09:24
│Comments(3)
2011年08月11日
Historic Yashima
Although Yashima today is a tranquil oasis in the middle of the city, in the 12th century it was the site of a key battle in the Genpei War (1180-1185).
Yashima from the sea
This war was the final stage of a complicated power struggle involving two rival clans, the Genji (Minamoto) and the Heike (Taira). The result was a shift in control from the emperor and aristocracy to the samurai class, a shift that lasted until the mid-19th century. Or even longer really, if you consider the fact that the military continued to control the government until the end of World War II.
(For more about the Genpei War, check here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genpei_War .)
Legends surrounding the Battle of Yashima have been passed down through the centuries in classical literature, epic musical narratives, Noh and Kabuki. Even after nine centuries, many stories are still part of local Kagawa folklore, demonstrating the impact of this conflict on the Japanese psyche. In early April, I spent two fun afternoons reliving these tales with Yashima's very friendly and capable volunteer guides. Although some of the details may be more legend than fact, they make for great stories. Here is some of what I learned.
Looking east at dawn from Yashima towards the former battle ground.
By the time the battle of Yashima took place, the Heike clan and their boy emperor Antoku were on the retreat and had settled temporarily on the east side of Yashima. Emperor Antoku's 'palace' (since replaced by a shrine) was a very modest structure because they were on the move and still hoping to regain ascendancy.
Expecting an invasion from the sea, the Heike fort faced toward Osaka on the island of Honshu and their fleet of ships was hidden in a cove to surprise the enemy. It was they, however, who were surprised.
Cove where the Heike hid their ships across from Yashima
As the legend goes, in early 1185, the young Genji general, Yoshitsune, crossed over to Shikoku under cover of a raging gale and landed about 40 miles east of the Heike fort. Whereas the Heike are estimated to have had between 1,000 and 3,000 horsemen, Yoshitsune had only 150 or so horsemen. With help from some local warriors, the Genji force quickly covered the distance over land to Takamatsu, arriving in the rear of the Heike garrison.
Below is the spot where Yoshitsune and his men rested once they reached Takamatsu, indicating how this story has been kept alive in local memory.
The Heike were garrisoned on the island of Yashima, which was difficult to attack from land. Yoshitsune, however, discovered that the water was shallow enough for cows to cross in one spot. He ordered some of his men to ford the channel and attack the Heike from the rear.
The spot where they forded the channel.
At the same time, Yoshitsune and his men shot burning arrows into the pine trees around the local village. Home to several thousand people, this settlement had sprung up near the fort to feed and service the Heike. The trees burst into flame, destroying the village and driving hoards of migrating birds into the air. According to my guides, the battlefield encompassed everything on the east side of the ridge all the way over to the next bay and settlements on both sides of the channel in this photo were torched, with the fires stretching up the far hill.
Former battlefield
I can't help thinking how hard that must have been on the poor local people! This tactic, however, worked. Seeing the fires and the birds, the Heike assumed they were being invaded by a massive army and fled to their ships. The brunt of the Genji forces attacked the fleeing Heike in the shallows while a few others set fire to the deserted Heike fort.
To be continued!!
Yashima from the sea
This war was the final stage of a complicated power struggle involving two rival clans, the Genji (Minamoto) and the Heike (Taira). The result was a shift in control from the emperor and aristocracy to the samurai class, a shift that lasted until the mid-19th century. Or even longer really, if you consider the fact that the military continued to control the government until the end of World War II.
(For more about the Genpei War, check here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genpei_War .)
Legends surrounding the Battle of Yashima have been passed down through the centuries in classical literature, epic musical narratives, Noh and Kabuki. Even after nine centuries, many stories are still part of local Kagawa folklore, demonstrating the impact of this conflict on the Japanese psyche. In early April, I spent two fun afternoons reliving these tales with Yashima's very friendly and capable volunteer guides. Although some of the details may be more legend than fact, they make for great stories. Here is some of what I learned.
Looking east at dawn from Yashima towards the former battle ground.
By the time the battle of Yashima took place, the Heike clan and their boy emperor Antoku were on the retreat and had settled temporarily on the east side of Yashima. Emperor Antoku's 'palace' (since replaced by a shrine) was a very modest structure because they were on the move and still hoping to regain ascendancy.
Expecting an invasion from the sea, the Heike fort faced toward Osaka on the island of Honshu and their fleet of ships was hidden in a cove to surprise the enemy. It was they, however, who were surprised.
Cove where the Heike hid their ships across from Yashima
As the legend goes, in early 1185, the young Genji general, Yoshitsune, crossed over to Shikoku under cover of a raging gale and landed about 40 miles east of the Heike fort. Whereas the Heike are estimated to have had between 1,000 and 3,000 horsemen, Yoshitsune had only 150 or so horsemen. With help from some local warriors, the Genji force quickly covered the distance over land to Takamatsu, arriving in the rear of the Heike garrison.
Below is the spot where Yoshitsune and his men rested once they reached Takamatsu, indicating how this story has been kept alive in local memory.
The Heike were garrisoned on the island of Yashima, which was difficult to attack from land. Yoshitsune, however, discovered that the water was shallow enough for cows to cross in one spot. He ordered some of his men to ford the channel and attack the Heike from the rear.
The spot where they forded the channel.
At the same time, Yoshitsune and his men shot burning arrows into the pine trees around the local village. Home to several thousand people, this settlement had sprung up near the fort to feed and service the Heike. The trees burst into flame, destroying the village and driving hoards of migrating birds into the air. According to my guides, the battlefield encompassed everything on the east side of the ridge all the way over to the next bay and settlements on both sides of the channel in this photo were torched, with the fires stretching up the far hill.
Former battlefield
I can't help thinking how hard that must have been on the poor local people! This tactic, however, worked. Seeing the fires and the birds, the Heike assumed they were being invaded by a massive army and fled to their ships. The brunt of the Genji forces attacked the fleeing Heike in the shallows while a few others set fire to the deserted Heike fort.
To be continued!!
