Kawachi Genji

Kawachi Genji
河内源氏
Kawachi Genji; 河内源氏
	family crest
Home province	Kawachi Province ; Tsūhō-ji
Parent house	Seiwa Genji
Titles	Shōgun; Various others;
Founder	Minamoto no Yorinobu
Final ruler	Minamoto no Sanetomo
Founding year	10th century
Dissolution	1219
Ruled until	1219, Minamoto no Sanetomo assassinated
Cadet branches	Satake clan; Hiraga clan; Takeda clan;

The Kawachi Genji (河内源氏) were members of a family line within that of the Seiwa Genji, which in turn was one of several branches of the Minamoto clan, one of the most famous noble clans in Japanese history. Descended from Minamoto no Yorinobu (968–1048), the Kawachi Genji included Minamoto no Yoshiie (1041–1108), who fought in the Zenkunen War and Gosannen War, and common ancestor of nearly all the major Minamoto generals of the Genpei War from which the Minamoto are famous.

Lineage[edit]

Note: Each degree of indentation indicates a father-son relationship.

Yorinobu (968–1048) – son of Minamoto no Mitsunaka The commander who put down Taira no Tadatsune's Rebellion. Founder and leader of the Kawachi Genji.
- Yoriyoshi (998–1082) – son of Yorinobu; hero of the Zenkunen War Second-generation leader of the Kawachi Genji.
  - Yoshitsuna (died 1134) – son of Yoriyoshi
  - Yoshimitsu (died 1127) – son of Yoriyoshi, ancestor of the Satake, Hiraga, and Takeda families
  - Yoshiie (1041–1108) – son of Yoriyoshi, fought alongside his father in the Zenkunen War, led imperial forces in the Gosannen War Third-generation leader of the Kawachi Genji.
    - Minamoto no Yoshitada – Fourth son of Yoshiie, kami of Kawachi, fourth-generation leader of the Kawachi Genji. Assassinated by his uncle Minamoto no Yoshimitsu.
    - Yoshichika son of Yoshiie who started a revolt
      - Tameyoshi (1096–1156) – grandson of Yoshiie
        Yoshitomo (1123–1160), son of Tameyoshi
        Yoshihira (1140–1160), son of Yoshitomo
        
        Yoritomo (1147–1199), son of Yoshitomo, and first Kamakura shōgun Head of the Kawachi Genji in his life.
        Yoriie (1182–1204), son of Yoritomo, and 2nd shōgun of the Kamakura Shogunate
        Ichiman (1198-1203), son of Yoriie, murdered on the orders of the Hojo clan
        
        Kugyō (1200-1219), murdered his uncle Sanetomo and was killed himself for the crime
        
        Sanetomo (1192–1219), son of Yoritomo, and 3rd shōgun of the Kamakura Shogunate
        
        Noriyori (1156–1193), son of Yoshitomo
        
        Yoshitsune (1159–1189), son of Yoshitomo, and one of the most famous samurai of all time
        
        Tametomo (1139–1170), son of Tameyoshi
        
        Yoshikata (？–1155), son of Tameyoshi
        Yoshinaka (1154–1184), son of Yoshikata
        
        Yukiie (d. 1186), son of Tameyoshi

History[edit]

Minamoto no Yorinobu, the founder of the Kawachi Genji, was the third son of Minamoto no Mitsunaka, who put down the Taira no Tadatsune Rebellion and established his power in the Kanto region, and during the time of his son Minamoto no Yoriyoshi and Yoriyoshi's son Minamoto no Yoshiie (Hachiman Taro Yoshiie), they brought some of the Kanto samurai under their control during the Former Nine Years' War and the Later Three Years' War, and during the time of Yoshiie, he came to be regarded as the head of the samurai family. Just as Yoritomo, Yoriie, and Sanetomo are called the "Three Generations of Kamakura," Yorinobu, Yoriyoshi, and Yoshiie are also called the "Three Generations of Kawachi Genji.

However, in Yoshiie's later years, Minamoto no Yoshichika, his second son, defied the Imperial Court, which put Yoshiie in a difficult position, and then, Kawachi-Genji started to weaken. The military renown of Kawachi-Genji was deteriorated by the assassination of Minamoto no Yoshitada, the fourth son of Yoshiie, who took over as the head of the family and enjoyed his fame after the death of Yoshiie, under/in the plot by his uncle Minamoto no Yoshimitsu. At first, Minamoto no Yoshitsuna, the second younger brother of Yoshiie, was considered to be the main culprit, and was annihilated in the punitive expedition by Minamoto no Tameyoshi, the adopted son of Yoshitada (the fifth son of Minamoto no Yoshichika), and after the incident, Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, another younger brother (the third younger brother) was found to be the real culprit, which made internal troubles and decline of Genji more apparent and its power was lost for a while.

After the death of Yoshiie followed by the assassination of Yoshitada, Hogen War broke out in the period of Tameyoshi who succeeded Kawachi-Genji, and the clan was divided against itself. Tameyoshi, who fought on the side of the retired Emperor, was executed after the War and his son, Minamoto no Tametomo was banished. Minamoto no Yoshitomo, who fought on the side of the Emperor, was the only survivor and the family power waned.

Yoshitomo, based in Bando not in Kawachi Province that was the stronghold of Kawachi-Genji, started the Heiji War in a bid to regain power. Samurai warriors including Yoshitomo's heir, Minamoto no Yoshihira fought bravely and distinguished themselves in the War, but there was not time to mobilize followers in Bando, and therefore they remained to be a small number of warriors and was finally defeated by Ise-Heishi (Taira clan) led by Taira no Kiyomori. Yoshitomo was killed at Chita while he was fleeing to Togoku. Yoshihira in disguise sneaked into Kyoto which was ruled by the family of Taira no Kiyomori and tried to assassinate Kiyomori with the help of the former followers of his father Yoshitomo hidden in Kyoto, but he failed, and was captured and killed. Yoritomo, a younger brother of Yoshihira, was banished to Izu, and Kawachi-Genji was scattered in all directions.

Minamoto no Yoritomo, who became the head of samurai families as the first Seii Taishogun (commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force against the barbarians, great, unifying leader) of the Kamakura bakufu later, was Kawachi-Genji, therefore, the head of samurai families was chosen from Kawachi-Genji both in name and reality afterwards.

Lineage[edit]

History[edit]

Family tree[edit]

Kawachi Genji[edit]

See Also[edit]

References[edit]