Soga Sukenari (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: 曾我祐成, 1172 - June 28, 1193) was a Japanese
samurai
The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
in the early
Kamakura period
The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
. He and his brother
Soga Tokimune are known for being the perpetrators of the
Revenge of the Soga Brothers incident. He is a central character in
noh and
kabuki
is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...
''Sogamono'' plays, which are based on the revenge. He is also known as Soga Jyūrō.
Life
Early life and family
Kawazu Ichimanmaru (河津 一萬丸) was born in 1172, the son of
Kawazu Sukeyasu, a ''
gōzoku
, in Japanese, refers to powerful regional families. In historical context, it can refer to powerful non-royal families regardless of their area of influence, in contrast to the Imperial Family. The most powerful ''gōzoku'' families of the Yam ...
'' in
Izu Province
was a province of Japan in the area now part of Shizuoka Prefecture and Tokyo. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Izu''" in . Izu bordered on Sagami and Suruga Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .
The mainland portion of Izu Prov ...
. He had a younger brother,
Hako'ō (later Tokimune). Through his father, the eldest son of
Itō Sukechika, he descended from the
Itō clan, a branch of the
Kudō clan, and through
Fujiwara no Korekimi
was a Japanese aristocrat and statesman of the Nara period. He reached the court rank of Junior Second Rank and the position of Minister of the Right (''udaijin)'', and was posthumously promoted to Junior First Rank. He was also called .
Li ...
(727–789), the
Fujiwara clan
The was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...
, a powerful family of Japanese
regents
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
and
court nobility.
In 1176, when Ichimanmaru was four years old, his biological father, Kawazu Sukeyasu, was killed by
Kudō Suketsune, who accidentally killed him during an assassination attempt on Ichimanmaru's grandfather Itō Sukechika. Suketsune and Sukechika had been quarreling over the inheritance of land. After Sukeyasu's death, Ichimanmaru's mother remarried to
Soga Sukenobu, the lord of Soga Manor in
Sagami Province
was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan located in what is today the central and western Kanagawa Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kanagawa''" at . Sagami Province bordered the provinces of Izu Province, Izu ...
(currently
Odawara
is a Cities of Japan, city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in ...
,
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...
). Sukenobu became the stepfather of Ichimanmaru and Hako'ō, who thus became members of the
Soga clan
The was one of the most powerful aristocratic kin groups Uji (clan), (''uji'') of the Asuka period of the early Japanese state—the Yamato period, Yamato polity—and played a major role in the spread of Buddhism in Japan. Through the 5th and ...
. The Soga clan was founded by Soga Sukeie, an eighth generation descendant of
Taira no Yoshifumi, and they descended from the
Kanmu Heishi line of the
Taira clan
The was one of the four most important Japanese clans, clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period, Heian period of History of Japan, Japanese history – the others being the Minamoto clan, Minamoto, the Fujiwara clan, Fuji ...
through the
Chiba clan, making them direct descendants of the 8th century
Emperor Kanmu
, or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kammu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the scop ...
.
Shortly after Sukenobu became his stepfather, Ichimanmaru had his coming-of-age ceremony (''
genpuku'') with Sukenobu as his guardian (''eboshi-oya''). Ichimanmaru received the ''
imina
in modern times consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name. Japanese names are usually written in kanji, where the pronunciation follows a special set of rules. Because parents when naming children, and foreigners when adoptin ...
'' name Sukenari, having Sukenobu bestow the
kanji
are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...
"suke" (祐) in his name upon him. Sukenari, along with his younger brother, are said to have mourned for their biological father.
The Soga brothers had a difficult upbringing, and, as the elder brother, Sukenari took over the
Soga family.
Later, he lived under the protection of
Hōjō Tokimasa
was a Japanese samurai lord who was the first ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate and head of the Hōjō clan. He was ''shikken'' from 1203 until his abdication in 1205, and Protector of Kyoto from 1185 to 1186.
Background
The Hō ...
, his uncle by marriage whose late wife was the daughter of Sukechika.
Tokimasa would be the greatest supporter of the Soga brothers in the midst of their hardships, and the Soga brothers never forgot their father's vengeance.
According to ''
Soga Monogatari
''Soga Monogatari'' () is a Japanese military chronicle-tale based on the vengeance incident, Revenge of Soga Brothers. The story is often known as ''The (illustrated) Tale of the Soga Brothers'' or ''The Revenge of the Soga Brothers''. It is ...
'', a prostitute from
Ōiso-juku called
Tora Gozen became Sukenari's
concubine
Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...
and remained faithful to him thereafter.
Revenge and death

In June 1193, the Soga brothers, and their father's killer Suketsune, participated in the
shogun
, officially , was the title of the military aristocracy, rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor of Japan, Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, exc ...
Minamoto no Yoritomo
was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1192 until 1199, also the first ruling shogun in the history of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako ...
's grand hunting event, called the
Fuji no Makigari, at the foot of
Mount Fuji
is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...
. On June 28, 1193, the last night of the Fuji no Makigari, the brothers set off to kill Suketsune; according to ''Soga Monogatari'', Sukenari was armed with a ''
shakudō
''Shakudō'' (赤銅) is a Japanese billon of gold and copper (typically 4–10% gold, 96–90% copper), one of the '' irogane'' class of colored metals, which can be treated to develop a black, or sometimes indigo, patina, resembling lacquer. ...
'' ''
tachi
A is a type of sabre-like traditionally made Japanese sword (''nihonto'') worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. ''Tachi'' and '' uchigatana'' ("''katana''") generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when she ...
'' sword; and Tokimune with a ''hyōgogusari'' ''tachi'' sword and a
copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
''sasuga'' sword. Together, the brothers killed Suketsune, thus fulfilling their vow. They also killed a priest called Ōtōnai who had been accompanying Suketsune. The brothers then began a bloodbath and defeated ten samurai, which became known as ''jūbankiri'' ("slashing of ten"), and, according to ''Soga Monogatari'', cut so many that the number of victims is unknown. After this,
Nitta Tadatsune attacked Sukenari and the two began fighting. According to ''Soga Monogatari'', Sukenari managed to cut Tadatsune's forearm and the hair on his temple; however, Sukenari was getting tired and his sword slipped from his hand, forcing him to retreat, after which Koshibagaki no Kage almost hit Sukenari's elbow causing him to lose control. It is said that Tadatsune took advantage of this, and cut Sukenari from the left shoulder all the way under the right breast, killing him. As his last words, Sukenari is said to have said, "Where is Gorō
okimune Sukenari has been defeated by the hands of Nitta Shirō. If you have not been wounded yet, go and present yourself to Lord Kamakura
inamoto no Yoritomounwaveringly."
After Sukenari had been killed, Tokimune stormed into the shogun's mansion attempting to attack the shogun, but was apprehended by
Gosho no Gorōmaru.
Tokimune was
executed
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...
the next day at the request of Suketsune's son,
Itō Suketoki.
After the incident, Sukenari's concubine Tora Gozen was interrogated but was later released because she found innocent of any involvement.
According to ''Soga Monogatari'', she was 19 years old at the time of Sukenari's death.
It is said that she held a memorial service for Sukenari, sacrificed a grey horse that he had given her
and became a
nun
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...
in
Hakone
is a List of towns in Japan, town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 10,965, and total area of .
Hakone is a notable spa town and a popular tourist destination due to its many onsen, hot springs being within view of ...
. She is then said to have traveled around Japan holding memorial services before returning to Soga village for the first anniversary of the brothers' death. After this, it is said that she carried the brothers' bones on her neck to
Shinano Province
or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture.
Shinano bordered Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...
where she left the bones at
Zenkō-ji temple.
The youngest brother of Sukenari was invited to
Kamakura
, officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...
and joined the elder brothers in death by committing suicide by hanging. A biological brother of the Soga brothers, Hara Kojirō, was executed for this incident as a
collective punishment
Collective punishment is a punishment or sanction imposed on a group or whole community for acts allegedly perpetrated by a member or some members of that group or area, which could be an ethnic or political group, or just the family, friends a ...
for
Minamoto no Noriyori losing his position and due to his connection to the incident.
Graves

There are the graves of Sukenari and Tokimune at
Soga Hachiman Shrine in Kamiide,
Fujinomiya
is a city located in central Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 132,507 in 56,655 households, and a population density of 340 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
History
The city name comes from t ...
,
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,555,818 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Pref ...
. Nearby, there is the site of Nitta Tadatsune's
cantonment
A cantonment (, , or ) is a type of military base. In South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British Raj). In United States military parlance, a cantonment is, essentially, "a permanent residential ...
, which is said to be the place where Sukenari was killed. There is another set of graves located at Jōsen-ji temple of the Soga Manor
(in present-day Sogayatsu, Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture) where the brothers grew up. These two gravesites are the two original gravesites of the Soga brothers. However, there are numerous other graves located around Japan dedicated to the Soga brothers' spirits, which are seen as ''
goryō
In a broad sense, is an honorific for a spirit, especially one that causes hauntings, and the term is used as a synonym for . In a narrower sense, it refers to a person who was a noble or accomplished person in his or her lifetime, but who lost ...
'' (vengeful ghosts).
There are graves dedicated to the Soga brothers at Ikō-in temple in Yamaguwa,
Sōsa,
Chiba Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...
. It is said that two brothers called Oniōmaru and Danzaburō served Tokimune's father Sukeyasu, and Danzaburō protected Sukenari and Oniōmaru protected Tokimune. The two are said to have continued their service under the Soga brothers after Sukeyasu was killed. It is said that after the Soga brothers were killed, the Oniō brothers buried the Soga brothers' bones in Yamaguwa, the Oniō brothers' home. The graves dedicated to the Soga brothers remain at the Oniō family cemetery. Furthermore, there is also the grave of Sukenari's concubine Tora Gozen at the same gravesite, and it is said that she stayed at the Oniō family home in Yamaguwa for seven years, praying for the repose of the Soga brothers' souls. An ''
uchikake'' said to have been used by Tora Gozen is preserved there.
Family
* Father:
Kawazu Sukeyasu
* Stepfather:
Soga Sukenobu
* Mother: Yokoyama Tokishige's daughter
* Brothers:
**
Soga Tokimune
** Hara Kojirō
** Risshi
* Stepbrothers:
**
Soga Suketsuna
* Concubine:
Tora Gozen
In popular culture
Filmography
* ''Soga Kyōdai Fuji no Yashū'' (
曽我兄弟 富士の夜襲) (1956)
Toei, Soga Sukenari portrayed by
Chiyonosuke Azuma
TV series
* ''
Kusa Moeru
is a 1979 Japanese television series. It is the 17th NHK taiga drama.
It is also the first Taiga drama to standardize the use of modern language in dialogue starting with this one onward. On the other hand, characters did not use first names to ...
'' (1979)
NHK
, also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee.
NHK ope ...
Taiga drama
is the name NHK gives to the annual year-long historical drama television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white ''Hana no Shōgai'', starring kabuki actor Onoe Shoroku II and Awashima Chikage, the network regul ...
, Soga Sukenari portrayed by
Kiyotaka Mitsugi
* ''
The 13 Lords of the Shogun'' (2022)
NHK
, also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee.
NHK ope ...
Taiga drama
is the name NHK gives to the annual year-long historical drama television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white ''Hana no Shōgai'', starring kabuki actor Onoe Shoroku II and Awashima Chikage, the network regul ...
, Soga Sukenari portrayed by
Kazuya Tanabe
Theater
Soga Sukenari appears in
noh and
kabuki
is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...
in the ''Sogamono'' plays, which are based on the Revenge of the Soga Brothers incident.
* ''"Soga Kyōgen"'' (曽我狂言) is a story about the Revenge of Soga brothers.
* ''"Soga Moyōtateshi no Gosho-zome"'' (曽我綉侠御所染) is a story about the Soga brothers and the protagonist
Gosho no Gorozō.
Art
Soga Sukenari has been the subject of several ''
ukiyo-e
is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock printing, woodblock prints and Nikuhitsu-ga, paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes ...
'' paintings. The most famous include the following:
*
''Eiyū Sanjū Rokkasen: Soga Jyūrō'' (1894) by
Toshihide Migita
, also known as Oju Toshihide or Toshihide was a Japanese artist, creating work in traditional ukiyo-e prints and painting in the Western syle.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric ''et al.'' (2005). "Migita Toshihide" in ''Japan Encyclopedia,'' p. 628.
Migi ...
* ''
Soga Gorō and Soga Jyūrō'' (1860) by
Utagawa Kunisada
*
''Dai Nihon Meisho Kagami; Tokyo Kaika Kyoga Meisho; Kokoku Nijushiko; Shinryu Nijushi Toki: Soga Gorō and Soga Jyūrō'' by
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (; 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. 1000.
Yoshitoshi ha ...
Gallery
File:NDL-DC 1310427-Utagawa Kunisada-曽我五郎・曽我十郎-万延1-crd.jpg, ''Soga Gorō and Soga Jyūrō'' by Utagawa Kunisada
File:Compiled Album from Four Series- A Mirror of Famous Generals of Japan; Comic Pictures of Famous Places in Civilizing Tokyo; Twenty-four Accomplishments in Imperial Japan; Twenty-four Hours LACMA M.84.31.30 (25 of 35).jpg, ''Soga Gorō and Soga Jyūrō'' by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (; 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. 1000.
Yoshitoshi ha ...
File:Fuji no sono Soga kyodai hommo o togeru zu 冨士裾野曽我兄弟本望遂圖 (Moor at the Foot of Mt Fuji- Picture of the Soga Brothers Achieving their Avowed Wish) (BM 1915,0823,0.919.1-3).jpg, ''Moor at the Foot of Mt Fuji- Soga Brothers Achieving their Avowed Wish'' by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (, ; 1 January 1798 – 14 April 1861) was one of the last great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric ''et al'' (2005). "Kuniyoshi" in He was a member of the Utaga ...
File:Sogano jūrō sukenari soga no gorō tokimune tegoshi no sukuna LCCN2008660470.jpg, ''Soga Sukenari and Tokimune with Tegoshi no Sukuna'' by Utagawa Kunisada
See also
*
Revenge of the Soga Brothers
*
Soga clan (Sagami Province)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soga, Sukenari
1172 births
1193 deaths
People of the Kamakura period
12th-century Japanese people
Kabuki characters
Deified Japanese men