Siege of Hiuchi

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Siege of Hiuchi
partof=the Genpei War


caption=
date=April-May 1183
place=Hiuchiyama, Echizen Province
casus=
territory=
result=Siege succeeds; fortress falls, but Minamoto survive and escape
combatant1=Minamoto clan
combatant2=Taira clan
commander1=Minamoto no Yoshinaka
commander2=Taira no Koremori
strength1=
strength2=
casualties1=
casualties2=

Hiuchiyama (火打ち山) was one of Minamoto no Yoshinaka's fortresses in Echizen Province, Japan. In April and May of 1183, a Taira force led by Taira no Koremori attacked the fortress. It was built on rocky crags, and well defended; the Minamoto had even built a dam to create a moat. However, a traitor within the fortress tied a message to an arrow, firing it into the Taira camp, and revealing a way to breach the dam and drain the water. The castle soon fell to the Taira, but Yoshinaka and much of his forces survived and escaped.

References

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