, also known as , was a samurai who fought in the

Hōgen Rebellion In Japanese, Hōgen may refer to several words. Among them: * Hōgen (era) (保元, 1156–1159), an era in Japan * Hōgen rebellion, a short civil war in 1156 * dialect (方言) — for example: "eigo no hōgen" (English dialect) See also * ...

of 1156. He was the son of

Minamoto no Tameyoshi was head of the Minamoto clan during his lifetime, and son of Minamoto no Yoshichika, son of Minamoto no Yoshiie. He led the Minamoto in the Hōgen Rebellion. Tameyoshi is also known as . Though he was most famous for his involvement in the H� ...

, and brother to Yukiie and Yoshitomo. Tametomo is known in the epic chronicles as a powerful archer and it is said that he once sunk an entire

Taira The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divided ...

ship with a single arrow by puncturing its hull below the waterline. It is also added in many legends that his left arm was about 4 inches longer than his right, enabling a longer draw of the arrow, and more powerful shots. He fought in the

Siege of Shirakawa-den The siege of the Shirakawa-den (白河殿夜討) was the central event of the Hōgen Rebellion, a succession dispute which broke out after the death of the cloistered Emperor Toba. The conflict grew to involve the Fujiwara, Minamoto, and Taira c ...

, along with his father, against the forces of

Taira no Kiyomori was a military leader and ''kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. Early life Kiyomori was born in Heian-kyō, Japan, in 1118 as the first so ...

and

Minamoto no Yoshitomo (1123 – 11 February 1160) was the head of the Minamoto clan and a general of the late Heian period of Japanese history. His son Minamoto no Yoritomo became ''shōgun'' and founded the Kamakura shogunate, the first shogunate in the history of ...

, his brother. The palace was set aflame, and Tametomo was forced to flee. After the

, the Taira cut the sinews of Tametomo's left arm, limiting the use of his bow, and then he was banished to the island of Ōshima in the Izu Islands. Tametomo eventually killed himself by slicing his abdomen, or committing seppuku. He is quite possibly the first warrior to commit '' seppuku'' in the chronicles. During the Edo period, a descendant of Tametomo named was involved in the

1754 Hōreki River incident The was an incident in which the Tokugawa shogunate ordered Satsuma Domain to carry out difficult flood control works in Mino Province near its border with Owari Province in the Chūbu region of Japan during the Hōreki era. Rivers subject to ...

. File:Yoshitoshi Driving away the Demons.jpg, Minamoto no Tametomo chasing away smallpox demons, in an 1890 print by

Yoshitoshi Tsukioka Yoshitoshi ( ja, 月岡芳年; also named Taiso Yoshitoshi ; 30 April 1839 – 9 June 1892) was a Japanese printmaker.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005)"Tsukoka Kōgyō"in ''Japan Encyclopedia,'' p. 10 ...

File:Chinzei Hachiro Tametomo and Oniyashi on a Beach LACMA M.84.31.244.jpg, Tametomo and Oniyashi on a beach File:Minamoto no Tametomo with a Bow LACMA M.84.31.270.jpg, Minamoto no Tametomo with a bow File:Chinzei Hachiro Tametomo with Two Islanders on the Beach at Ashijima LACMA M.84.31.92.jpg, Minamoto no Tametomo with two islanders on a beach at Ashijima

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minamoto no, Tametomo 1139 births 1170 deaths Minamoto clan Suicides by seppuku People of Heian-period Japan