was a retainer of the Higo Province,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

who fought in both the

Battle of Bun'ei The , or Bun'ei Campaign, also known as the First Battle of Hakata Bay, was the first attempt by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China to invade Japan. After conquering the Japanese settlements on Tsushima and Iki islands, Kublai Khan's fleet m ...

and the

Battle of Kōan The , also known as the Second Battle of Hakata Bay, was the second attempt by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China to invade Japan after their failed attempt seven years earlier at the Battle of Bun'ei. In the summer of 1281, the Yuan invaded ...

during the

Mongol invasions of Japan Major military efforts were taken by Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty in 1274 and 1281 to conquer the Japanese archipelago after the submission of the Korean kingdom of Goryeo to vassaldom. Ultimately a failure, the invasion attempts are of mac ...

. Suenaga commissioned the ''

Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba is a set of two Japanese illustrated handscrolls ('' emaki'') commissioned by the samurai Takezaki Suenaga (1246–1314) as a record of his wartime deeds and valor during the Mongol invasions of Japan. The first scroll describes Suenaga's acti ...

'', an illustrated handscroll, in order to provide a pictorial account and chronicle his valor in battles against the Mongols, and to praise his commanders and the gods for his success during his campaigns.

Fighting the Mongols

During the Mongol invasion of 1274, Suenaga fought at Hakata under Muto Kagesuke. Suenaga went to great lengths to achieve what he viewed as the honor of the warrior. Although under orders from Kagesuke to pull back at the beginning of the engagement, Suenaga disobeyed, saying “Waiting for the general will cause us to be late to battle. Of all the warriors of the clan, I, Suenaga will be the first to fight from Higo.” He later encountered Kagesuke, whose retainer gave Suenaga a personal order to withdraw. So ordered to dismount from his horse, he refused, citing his desire to be the first into battle.

Pursuing recognition

To receive rewards for valor, others had to witness the deeds and report them directly to the shogunate. As record of his performance against the mongols authored by the local commander was not sent to the shogunate, his deeds went unrecognized. Suenaga sold his horses and saddles to pay for a trip to

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

to report his deeds in battle to the

shogunate , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

. His petition was successful and he later commissioned illustrated scrolls of his military prowess and his administrative grievance and its resolution in his favor. By his own account in the scrolls, Suenaga says, “Other than advancing and having my deeds known, I have nothing else to live for,” showing that, first, he wanted to advance in terms of measurable money and rank, and that, just as importantly, he sought fame and recognition.Conlan, Thomas D., trans. In Little Need of Divine Intervention. Ithaca, NY: Cornell East Asia Program, 2001.

References

External links

*http://digital.princeton.edu/mongol-invasions/ Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions of Japan - Full digitized scans of the scrolls, multiple versions, including commentary, animated maps and translations. An annotated version is also accessible. http://digital.princeton.edu/annotatedscrolls/
Takezaki Suenaga
Samurai-archives.com

Fighting the Mongols

Pursuing recognition

References

External links

See also