Satō Tsugunobu

佐藤継信

The Loyal Retainer from Ōshū Who Died Shielding Minamoto no Yoshitsune — One of the "Four Guardians of Yoshitsune" at the Battle of Yashima

Era

Late Heian period

Lifespan

unknown-1185

Description

Life

Satō Tsugunobu is said to have been born as the son of Satō Motoharu, a senior retainer of the Ōshū Fujiwara clan. His birth year is unknown, but he is estimated to have been born in the 1150s. His younger brother was Satō Tadanobu.

Service to Minamoto no Yoshitsune

In 1180, when Minamoto no Yoshitsune set out from Ōshū to raise troops, Tsugunobu is said to have accompanied Yoshitsune together with his younger brother Tadanobu, by order of Fujiwara no Hidehira. He subsequently joined the campaign against the Taira clan. In the Genpei Seisuiki he is counted, together with his younger brother Tadanobu and the brothers Kamata Morimasa and Mitsumasa, among the "Four Guardians of Yoshitsune."

Death at the Battle of Yashima

In the second month of 1185, at the Battle of Yashima, the formidable Taira general Taira no Noritsune fired an arrow aimed at Yoshitsune. Tsugunobu rode his horse forward to stand in its path, was struck down in his lord's place, and lost his life. According to the entry for the 19th day of the second month of that year in the Azuma Kagami, Yoshitsune grieved deeply over Tsugunobu's death, summoned a monk to conduct a solemn burial, and presented his own prized warhorse, Tayūguro, as a memorial offering.

Anecdote

At Iōji Temple in Shinobu District of Mutsu Province (present-day Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture), which is said to have been Tsugunobu's homeland, legends and relics associated with the brothers Tsugunobu and Tadanobu have been preserved. A saddle said to have been used by Tsugunobu is designated an Important Cultural Property of the city.

Later Reputation

Tsugunobu's loyalty in dying in his lord's place has been passed down through the Tale of the Heike and the Genpei Seisuiki. Together with his younger brother Tadanobu, he continues to be honored to this day as a figure who symbolizes samurai loyalty.