Taira no Noritsune

Taira no Noritsune, the second son of Taira no Norimori, was known as "Lord of Noto" after his court title of Noto no Kami. The Heike Monogatari praises him as never once having faltered in battle and as the finest archer in the capital, portraying him repeatedly as the Taira clan's fiercest warrior. At the 1184 Battle of Ichi-no-Tani he struck down Minamoto commanders in the fighting, though Yoshitsune's famous flanking charge down the Hiyodorigoe slope routed the Taira lines and forced Noritsune to retreat as well.

At the following Battle of Yashima in 1185, he is said to have shot down Yoshitsune's retainer Sato Tsuginobu with his bow, delivering the Taira's most notable feat of arms even as their position kept worsening and the clan was driven back to Dan-no-ura in Nagato Province. His final stand came at the Battle of Dan-no-ura on March 24, 1185. Closing in on Minamoto no Yoshitsune's boat, Noritsune nearly cornered him, but Yoshitsune famously evaded capture by leaping between eight boats (the "hassoutobi"). Realizing the battle was lost, Noritsune cast aside his weapons and armor, seized two Minamoto warriors — said to be the brothers Aki Taro and Jiro — one under each arm, and threw himself into the sea with them, as recounted in the celebrated "Death of the Lord of Noto" chapter of the Heike Monogatari.

Renowned as a master archer who also fought fiercely with his sword in close combat, his undefeated record made him an enduring symbol of the ideal warrior. The episode of his death remains one of the most famous passages in the Heike Monogatari, and he is remembered as a tragic, formidable counterpart to the celebrated Yoshitsune. Historians note, however, that the Azuma Kagami records Noritsune as having already died at the earlier Battle of Yashima, meaning the dramatic "Death of the Lord of Noto" episode may include later literary embellishment.