Wada Yoshimori

Wada Yoshimori (1147-1213) was a warrior of Sagami Province and a member of the Miura clan. Following Minamoto no Yoritomo from the very beginning of his uprising, he was appointed the first bettō (chief) of the samurai-dokoro when the Kamakura shogunate was established. The samurai-dokoro was an important shogunal organ responsible for supervising and managing the gokenin (housemen), and Yoshimori contributed enormously to the formation of order among the warrior class as its head. He participated in the major military campaigns of Yoritomo's reign, including the pursuit of Yoshitsune and the conquest of Ōshū, underpinning the shogunate's military power. In 1213, he was defeated and killed in a power struggle with Hōjō Yoshitoki (the Wada Conflict), decisively consolidating the Hōjō family's control of the shogunate. He is said to have favored the practical tachi of the Kamakura period and sought fine swords from smiths of Sagami and Yamashiro. As a pillar of the dawn of warrior government, he was deeply involved in the formation of sword culture.