Battle of Ishibashiyama
Ishibashiyama, near the Hakone mountains, Japan
What happened
Minamoto no Yoritomo, at the start of his rising, fought Taira-side forces under Ōba Kagechika and Itō Sukechika. Yoritomo's small force held the hill of Ishibashiyama. Ōba Kagechika attacked at night in a heavy rainstorm while Itō cut off the way back. Yoritomo had to retreat into the mountains, and his allies agreed to split up and wait for another chance.
Why it matters
It was the first battle Yoritomo commanded, and he lost it. But he escaped, and the defeat did not end his campaign.
What came next
Yoritomo escaped by sea to Awa and raised a new army. He set up his capital at Kamakura, defeated the Taira and his Minamoto rivals, and founded Japan's first shogunate there.
Did you know?
A farmer gave Yoritomo a bundle of straw to sit on after the battle, and Yoritomo rewarded him with the surname Ichikawa, said to mean 'one straw'.
Timeline
- 14 September 1180Battle of Ishibashiyama.
- 28 September 1180Yoritomo escapes by sea to Awa Province.
- 1180Victory at Fujigawa.
- 1192Yoritomo takes the title of shogun.