A story of heroism and loyalty of Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his followers

Hello, everyone. It has been cold these days, but how are you doing? Well, in today’s article, I’d like to introduce this person whom all Japanese probably know.

Minamoto no Yoshitune

I’ll introduce him but it is not just the introduction. There is easy-to-understand and readable book about Yoshitune and I’d like to introduce it. Here it is.

Jiju Dobashi “Minamoto no Yoshitune.”

This book is an abridged translation of the famous classics “Yoshitune-ki” (said to have written in the Kamakura period or Muromachi period, but it is unclear), which describes the activities of Yoshitune and his followers in a very simple and lively manner.

No matter what dangers he faced, Yoshitune always made calm and precise judgements, and his spiritsof “giyu” (heroism) inspires him to perform in every direction.
And Benkei and Yoshitune’s followers who Yoshitune with loyalty. This story revolves around their Giyu and their strong, unshakable bond.

In particular, the story of Yoshitune, who was pursued by Yorimoto after the battle of Genpei, is a very moving tale of loyalty in which his followers risked their lives to protect their lord, Yoshitune.

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The terrific and spectacular exploits of Sato Tadanobu, a man from Mutu who stepped in to help Yoshitune escape. Benkei, the demon warriors who never left Yoshitune’s side and protect him at any time, whose exploits with full of wits of Benkei. And Yoshitune, even though he was facing the dreadful prospect of being cut off from his older brother, never shows any weakness, always dealing with the approaching crisis with a calm and collected attitude.

When I see such a figure of Yoshitune’s followers through reading, I can see the Bushido-like coolness in their loyal devotion at the risk of their lives and their unflappability even in critical situations.

Yoshitune, with his outstanding and unorthodox military strategy, defeated the Heike clan and won glory. However, Yoshitune subsequently fell on the road to downfall due to conflict with Yorimoto. In myself, I had such an image about Yoshitune. However, when I read this book about Yoshitune, I think it depicted the attractive and gracing figures, well how deep loyalty against Yoshitune of his followers including Benkei and how warriorship should be.

Such thoughts of Yoshitune remind me of a visit I once made to Kuramadera Temple.

This temple is also known as Yoshitune spent his childhood days. I still vividly recall being overwhelmed by its grandeur.

There is a well-known anecdote that at the time when Yoshitune called himself Ushiwakamaru, he went to a place called Shojo Gaya practiced asceticism secretly at night. Or there is a story that he was trained by a tengu there. I recall that there were many other legends of Yoshitune.

Minamoto no Yoshitune, a hero who continues to remain in people’s minds and fascinates them even today. This time, I introduced this person, focusing on his biographical book. “Minamoto no Yoshitune” written by Jiju Tuchihashi. This book is very good and easy to read, so if you are interested in this book, please pick it up and read it.

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Author

じゅうべい(Jubei)
Hello everyone. I am Jubei, an earthling whose energy does not stop today. What I like is playing (manga, movies, music (J-Rock, etc.) and visiting cafes). Thank you for your understanding.