Battle of Awazu

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Battle of Awazu
Part of the Genpei War
Date February 21, 1184 Location Awazu, Omi Province Result Minamoto no Yoshitsune et al victory; Minamoto no Yoshinaka killed
Combatants
Minamoto clan faction	Minamoto clan faction
Commanders
Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Minamoto no Noriyori	Minamoto no Yoshinaka

Genpei War
1st Uji – Nara – Ishibashiyama – Fujigawa – Sunomata – Yahagigawa – Hiuchi – Kurikara – Shinohara – Mizushima – Fukuryūji – Muroyama – Hōjūjidono – 2nd Uji – Awazu – Ichi-no-Tani – Kojima – Yashima –Dan-no-ura

Continuing to flee from his cousins' armies after attacking Kyoto, burning the Hōjūjiden, and kidnapping Emperor Go-Shirakawa, Minamoto no Yoshinaka made his final stand at Awazu. He had met up with his companion & foster brother Imai Kanehira at Seta, along the way, and was also joined in battle by his wife, Tomoe Gozen. They fought valiantly, holding off Noriyori's thousands of men for a time. However, in the end, all three met their ends; Yoshinaka was struck dead by an arrow when his horse became mired in a paddy field, and Imai committed suicide, leaping off his horse while holding his sword in his mouth.

[edit] References

• Sansom, George (1958). A History of Japan to 1334. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
• Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Cassell & Co.