Battle of Awazu

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Battle of Awazu
Part of: Genpei War
A scene from the battle: Tomoe Gozen fights against two samurai
A scene from the battle: Tomoe Gozen fights against two samurai
date February 21, 1184
place Awazu ( Ōtsu ), Ōmi Province , Japan
output Decisive win for Minamoto no Yoshitsune
Parties to the conflict

Armed Forces Minamoto no Yoshitsunes

Armed Forces Minamoto no Yoshinakas

Commander

Minamoto no Yoshitsune , Minamoto no Noriyori

Minamoto no Yoshinaka , Imai Kanehira ,

Troop strength
10,000-20,000 men 9,000-16,000 men
losses

unknown

unknown

The Battle of Awazu ( Japanese 粟 津 の 戦 い , Awazu no tatakai ) on February 21, 1184 was a significant battle in Japanese history . On behalf of Minamoto no Yoritomo , Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Minamoto no Noriyori fought against Minamoto no Yoshinaka . By defeating his cousin Yoshinaka, Minamoto no Yoritomo secured a leading role in Japan and ended the power struggle within the Minamoto family.

prehistory

After his victory in the Battle of Kurikara , Minamoto no Yoshinaka ruled so brutally that his own clan rebelled against him. After hostilities broke out, he was driven from Kyoto by his cousins ​​Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Noriyori. After a first defeat in the second battle on the Uji, Yoshinaka faced his enemies at Awazu (today: Ōtsu ).

battle

Yoshinaka's troops fought valiantly and were able to hold their positions for a long time despite the numerical superiority of their enemies. But after a hard fight their ranks began to break up and Yoshitsune and Noriyori were able to achieve victory. Both commanders on the other side fell: Yoshinaka was killed by an arrow shot after his horse sank in a rice field. Imai Kanehira, surrounded by enemies, fell from his horse with a sword in his mouth.

literature