the minamoto and taira claimed status from their relationship to the emperor go - toba.
the minamoto and taira claimed status from their relationship to the emperor go - toba.
the minamoto and taira claimed status from their relationship to the?
emperor go - toba
bullet::::- imai no shirô kanehira, close friend of minamoto no yoshinaka and the son of his wet nurse. they would later die together at the battle of awazu against the forces of minamoto no noriyori.









































bullet::::- kenreimon-in, also known as taira no tokuko. daughter of taira no kiyomori who becomes a consort to emperor takakura and gives birth to emperor antoku. became a nun later in life.









































bullet::::- kiô, loyal minamoto soldier under the command of minamoto no nakatsuna. pretends to join the taira to retrieve minamoto no nakatsuna's prized horse from taira no munemori.
list of the tale of the heike characters
in 1156, a dispute over succession to the throne erupted and the two rival claimants (emperor go-shirakawa and emperor sutoku) hired the taira and minamoto clans in the hopes of securing the throne by military force. during this war, the taira clan led by taira no kiyomori defeated the minamoto clan. kiyomori used his victory to accumulate power for himself in kyoto and even installed his own grandson antoku as emperor. the outcome of this war led to the rivalry between the minamoto and taira clans. as a result, the dispute and power struggle between both clans led to the heiji rebellion in 1160. in 1180, taira no kiyomori was challenged by an uprising led by minamoto no yoritomo, a member of the minamoto clan whom kiyomori had exiled to kamakura. though taira no kiyomori died in 1181, the ensuing bloody genpei war between the taira and minamoto families continued for another four years. the victory of the minamoto clan was sealed in 1185, when a force commanded by yoritomo's younger brother, minamoto no yoshitsune, scored a decisive victory at the naval battle of dan-no-ura. yoritomo and his retainers, thus, became the "de facto" rulers of japan.
history of japan