Taira no Kagekiyo

Taira no Kagekiyo (平景清)(d. 1185), also known as Kazusa no Shichirō (上総七郎), was a samurai of the Taira clan who took part in the Genpei War of Japan, against the Minamoto clan.

The son by birth of Fujiwara no Tadakiyo. His real name was Fujiwara no Kagekiyo (藤原景清), but he was adopted by the Taira, and served them loyally the rest of his life, people called him Taira name. In 1156, he played a role in confirming Emperor Go-Shirakawa on the throne, and later, during the Genpei War, sought unsuccessfully to have the head of the Minamoto clan, Minamoto no Yoritomo, assassinated. Captured at the battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185, Kagekiyo allowed himself to starve to death.

Kagekiyo is perhaps most famous for his appearance in the eleventh chapter of the fictionalized epic "Heike Monogatari" (The Tale of Heike), in the section called "The Dropped Bow" (弓流). He grasps the neckguard of Minamoto warrior Mionoya no Jūrō in order to prevent his escape; Mionoya does escape Kagekiyo's grasp, hiding from battle behind a friendly mount. Then, Kagekiyo, leaning on his spear, exclaims "You must have heard of me long ago. See me now with your own eyes! I am the man known to the young city toughs as Akushichibyōe Kagekiyo of Kazusa!" [Trans. Helen Craig McCullough (1988). "The Tale of the Heike". Stanford University Press. p369. ISBN 0-8047-1803-2.] Kagekiyo then retires from battle, and is followed by his fellow Taira warriors, who seek to protect him.

Traditional drama and popular culture

See Japanese historical people in popular culture.

References

*"Some of the information presented here derives from the corresponding article on the Japanese Wikipedia."
*Frederic, Louis (2002). "Japan Encyclopedia." Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
*Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.