* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Kono Michiari
河野通有
Commander of Iyo Navy, Hero of the Mongol Invasions
Description
Life and Origins
Kono Michiari (also read Kawano Michiari) was a warrior of Iyo Province who was active from the mid to late Kamakura period, and the head of the Kono clan, a gokenin of the Kamakura shogunate. He is said to have been born around Kenchō 2 (1250), and he is known as the man who undertook the revival of the Kono clan, which had lost much of its power in the Jōkyū War. His grandfather, Kono Michihisa, had as his mother a daughter of Hōjō Tokimasa, and while maintaining ties with the shogunate, he kept the clan's power in the Iyo region.
Role in the Kōan Campaign
It was the Kōan campaign of Kōan 4 (1281) that carved Michiari's name into history. In this campaign, Michiari led the Iyo naval forces to Hakata and took a unique formation distinct from the other shogunate forces. He positioned warships on the sand beach beyond the stone wall (Genkō Bōrui) and set out to meet the Yuan forces at sea. This formation was called "Kono's rear wall" (Kono no ushiro-tsuiji) and was passed down among warriors. This resolute stance, which seemed to cut off any line of retreat, was also held in high regard by the Kyushu commanders, including the Shimazu clan.
The Battle of Shikanoshima and Feats of Valor
At the Battle of Shikanoshima, he attacked the Yuan warships together with his uncle, Kono Michitoki. Michitoki died in the fierce fighting, but Michiari himself, although wounded by an ishiyumi (a missile weapon), boarded a Yuan warship, cut down Yuan soldiers, and went on to take a Yuan commander alive, achieving outstanding feats of valor. These exploits were highly valued by the shogunate, and Ozaki-gō in Kanzaki estate, Hizen Province, and Yamasaki estate, Iyo Province, were bestowed on him as rewards.
Restorer of the Kono Clan
After the Jōkyū War, the Kono clan lost a large part of its territory due to its confrontation with the shogunate side and steadily declined. However, the reward Michiari received for his feats in the Mongol invasions made it possible to recover part of the lost former domains, and the Kono clan thus gained its restorer. Michiari continued to govern within Iyo Province afterward and is said to have died around Ōchō 1 (1311). However, there is also a theory that the person mentioned as the "former governor of Tsushima of the Kono" in a historical source from Gen'ō 3 (1321) was Michiari, so the details of his later years are uncertain.
Michiari as Depicted in the Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba
The Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba (Illustrated Account of the Mongol Invasions), commissioned by Takezaki Suenaga, includes a scene in which Suenaga visits the wounded Michiari. It is noted there that in the Kono household, eboshi caps were not worn until the battle was settled, and that Michiari's hitatare was the one his ancestor Kono Michinobu wore when he attended the Minamoto side in the war against the Taira.
Later Assessment
In Taishō 5 (1916), he was posthumously granted the Senior Fifth Rank, and his merits in the Mongol invasions were officially honored. In Ehime Prefecture, he is known as a local hero. He has also been featured as a major character in the historical novels of Imamura Shōgo, a Naoki Prize-winning author, and his name recognition has risen once again in recent years.