Minamoto no yoshitsune: Did you mean...?

The Minamoto clan was an extended family group which dominated Japanese government and the imperial court in the 12th and 13th centuries CE. The clan famously defeated their arch rivals the Taira in the Genpei War of 1180-1185 CE and included...

An illustration by Kikuchi Yosai of the Japanese military commander Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159-1189 CE) of the Minamoto clan.

The Genpei War (1180-1185 CE), also known as the Taira-Minamoto War, was a conflict in Japan principally between two rival clans: the Minamoto and Taira, for control of the imperial throne. The civil war was punctuated by a typhoon, earthquake...

The Kamakura Period or Kamakura Jidai (1185-1333 CE) of medieval Japan began when Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199 CE) defeated the Taira clan at the Battle of Dannoura in 1185 CE. The period is named after Kamakura, a coastal town 48 kilometres...

The samurai (also bushi) were a class of warriors that arose in the 10th century in Japan and which performed military service until the 19th century. Elite and highly-trained soldiers adept at using both the bow and sword, the samurai were...

A modern statue of the legendary samurai Yoshitsune (1159-1189 CE). Mimosusogawa Park, Shimonoseki, Japan.

War tales (gunki monogatari) is a genre of historical writing that developed in Japan from the Heian Period (794-1185) to the Muromachi Period (1333-1573). They form an important element in the development of the Japanese literary tradition...

A wooden sculpture of Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199 CE), leader of the Minamoto clan and Shogun of Japan from 1192-1199 CE. (Tokyo National Museum)

A wall-hanging portrait of Minamoto no Yoritomo, victor in the Genpei War (1180-1185 CE) for control of the Japanese imperial throne.

Kamakura is a coastal town located on Sagami Bay on Honshu Island, Japan, which was the capital of the Kamakura Shogunate from 1192 to 1333 CE. Provided with excellent natural defensive features, it was fortified and made the base of the...