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Battles, incidents, and historical events related to Japanese swords
6 events
Chōwa 5 – Manju 4 (1016–1027)
In the early eleventh century, under Fujiwara no Michinaga and his son Yorimichi, the regent-politics system reached its zenith. While aristocratic culture flourished, warriors were beginning to rise in the provinces—a period coinciding with the technological transition from the earlier warabite-tō to the curved tachi that would become the iconic Japanese sword. The end of regent politics marked the historical turning point that led to insei rule and ultimately to warrior government.
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April 28, 866 (Jōgan 8, intercalary 3rd month, 10th day)
In 866, the burning of the Ōten Gate in Heian-kyō led to the downfall and exile of Major Counselor Tomo no Yoshio. Regent Fujiwara no Yoshifusa's handling of the affair secured his position as the first subject outside the imperial family to serve as regent, marking a decisive step in the Fujiwara clan's rise to dominance over rival court families.
c. 1180–1192 CE (Jishō 4 – Kenkyū 3)
From the Jishō–Juei War (1180–1185) through the Bunji and Kenkyū eras (1185–1199), the cloistered-rule system dominated by the court nobility collapsed, and the warrior government led by Minamoto no Yoritomo, the Kamakura shogunate, reshaped Japan's system of rule.
28th day of the 7th month, Juei 2 (1183, old calendar)
On the 28th day of the 7th month of Juei 2 (1183), three days after the Taira left the capital, Kiso Yoshinaka entered Kyoto together with Minamoto no Yukiie. The article follows his road from the uprising to the victory at Kurikara Pass, the order to destroy the Taira given at Renge-ō-in, the ranking of merit, and the breakdown of order and of relations with Go-Shirakawa that followed.
25th day of the 7th month, Juei 2 (1183, old calendar)
On the 25th day of the 7th month of Juei 2 (1183), with the forces of Kiso Yoshinaka and Minamoto no Yukiie closing in, Taira no Munemori set fire to Rokuhara and left Kyoto with Emperor Antoku and the Three Sacred Treasures. The article follows the flight, Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa's refusal to join it, the accession of Emperor Go-Toba, and the loss of the sacred sword at Dan-no-ura.
March 4, 1167 (Nin'an 2, 2nd month, 11th day)
On the 11th day of the 2nd month of Nin'an 2 (March 4, 1167), Taira no Kiyomori was appointed Daijo-daijin, becoming the first warrior in Japanese history to be given this post. Building on his military victories in the Hogen and Heiji Disturbances, Kiyomori marked the practical completion of the Taira regime with his appointment to this highest office. The Taira's autocratic rule, supported by a policy of maternal and marriage alliances and by the economic power of trade with Song China, was the first case in Japanese history of a warrior who carried swords reaching the top of politics. It was a historic turning point that prepared the way for the Kamakura shogunate.