Taira no Tomomori

Portrait of Taira no Tomomori.

Taira no Tomomori (平 知盛) (1152–1185) was the son of Taira no Kiyomori, and one of the Taira Clan's chief commanders in the Genpei War at the end of the Heian period of Japanese history.

He was the victor at the Battle of Uji in 1180,^[1] and also at the Battle of Yahagigawa in 1181, where, after forcing the enemy Minamoto forces to retreat, Tomomori fell ill, and so the pursuit was ended.

Tomomori was again victorious over the Minamoto in a naval battle at Mizushima two years later. The Taira forces tied their ships together, to create a larger stable surface to fire arrows from, and to engage in hand-to-hand combat.^[2]

At the Battle of Dan-no-ura, when the Taira were decisively beaten by their rivals,^[3] Tomomori joined many of his fellow clan members in committing suicide. He tied an anchor to his feet and leapt into the sea.

Tomomori has become a popular subject for kabuki plays.

Gallery

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  The ghost of Taira no Tomomori at Daimotsu Bay, in an 1891 print by Yoshitoshi.

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References

1. Turnbull, Stephen (1977). The Samurai, A Military History. MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 46-47. ISBN 0026205408.
2. Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. Cassell & Co. p. 202. ISBN 1854095234.
3. Sansom, George (1958). A History of Japan to 1334. Stanford University Press. p. 303. ISBN 0804705232.