The Battle of Fujigawa (富士川の戦い, Fujigawa no tatakai) was a battle of the Genpei War of the Heian period of Japanese history. It took place in 1180, in what is now Shizuoka Prefecture.
| Battle of Fujigawa | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Genpei War | |||||||
 Battle of Fujikawa by Utagawa Yoshitora. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Minamoto clan, with aid from Takeda clan of Kai | Taira clan | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 30,000 | |||||||
  Location within Japan | |||||||
Background
editMinamoto no Yoritomo, using Kamakura as his headquarters, sent his counselor Hōjō Tokimasa in August 1180 to convince the warlords Takeda of Kai and Nitta of Kotsuke to follow Yoritomo's command as he marched against the Taira.[1]
As Yoritomo continued through the region below Mount Fuji and into Suruga Province, he planned a rendezvous with the Takeda clan and other families of the provinces of Kai and Kōzuke to the north. These allies arrived at the rear of the Taira army in time to ensure a Minamoto victory.[1]
Battle
editDuring the night, Yoritomo launched an attack against the large Taira army camp. The Taira became alarmed when a flock of waterfowl flew over their camp, and the "small surprise became a rout".[attribution needed][2][3][4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Sansom, George (1958). A history of Japan to 1334. Stanford University Press. pp. 308–310. ISBN 0804705232.
- ^ Turnbull, Stephen (1987). Battles of the Samurai. Arms and Armour Press. p. 11. ISBN 0853688265.
- ^ Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. Cassell & Co. p. 200. ISBN 1854095234.
- ^ Turnbull, Stephen (1977). The Samurai, A Military History. Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 53. ISBN 0026205408.
Further reading
edit- Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Cassell & Co.