Taira No Takakiyo
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Taira no Takakiyo (平高清/ Taira no Rokudai 平六代, 1173 – March 3, 1199) was a member of the ruling
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 ...
from the late
Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...
to 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 was the son of
Taira no Koremori (1158 – 1184) was one of the Taira clan's commanders and military lord during the Genpei War of the late Heian period of Japanese history. He was the only child of Taira no Shigemori, who was the eldest regent and heir of Taira no Kiyomori. ...
and grandson 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 Japan, in 1118 as the first son of Taira ...
.


Life

He was given the childhood name, “Rokudai” (meaning sixth generation in Japanese), as he was the sixth direct descendant of Taira no Masamori. He was also referred to as Rokudaimaru. His real name was Takakiyo, as recorded in the Koya Shunjuu Henen Shuuroku, a written historical chronicle of Koya Mountain. However, “The Tale of Heike” referred to him as Rokudai, thus he is generally referred to as such. In 1183, the Taira clan had made the decision to flee the Kyoto before the Minamoto no Yoshinaka led attack on the capital. Rokudai's mother (Taira no Koremori's wife), who was very much comfortable in the capital, could not tolerate the thought of leaving the capital and escaping. Therefore, Koremori left his wife and children in the capital and fled with the rest of the Taira clan to the western part of Japan. Koremori asked his wife to look after his children and that she ought to remarry should she wish to. Rokudai and his mother hid in Shobudani,
Wakayama Wakayama may refer to: * Wakayama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan * Wakayama (city), the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture, Japan * Wakayama Station, a train station in Wakayama, Wakayama * Wakayama University, a national university in Wakayama, ...
, north of a mountain temple called Daikakuji. However, in December 1185, shortly after the demise of the Taira clan, a search led by
Hojo Tokimasa Hojo or Hōjō may refer to: Hojo or HoJo: *Howard Johnson's, a U.S. chain of restaurants and hotels *A nickname for a number of people named Howard Johnson *A nickname for Howard Jones (British musician), an synthpop singer, musician and songwr ...
led to the discovery and subsequent arrest of Rokudai. As he was the last surviving male member 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 ...
, he was sent to be executed and have his head sent 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 ...
. The great monk
Mongaku Mongaku (文覚) was a Japanese samurai and Shingon Buddhist priest of the late Heian and early Kamakura period. He was a close associate of shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, having contributed to the declaration of the Genpei War. Myōe was the discip ...
, feeling sorry for the poor child, rode to the capital,
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 successfully pleaded mercy and that Rokudai placed in his custody. Mongaku then raced to Senbon-no-matsubara, the site of the supposed execution and delivered the letter of clemency to the executioner. It is commonly thought that Rokudai's mother, after the death of Koremori, remarried
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 trusted confidant Yoshida Tsunefusa to help spare the life of her precious son. In 1189, Rokudai cuts off his hair and represents Myokaku. In 1194, making a request through Ooe no Hirotomo, Rokudai was able to speak to Minamoto no Yoritomo and tells him that he is escaping treachery and is becoming a monk. However, upon seeing Rokudai's wise plan, Yoritomo began feeling a sense of danger, but did not follow his intuition and allowed Rokudai to enter monkhood and appointed him to a special position at a temple. Rokudai intensively trained as a monk by travelling across the country. He first went to Koya Mountain, where his father had spent a considerable amount of time, in an attempt to retrace his father's footsteps. In 1199, Yoritomo died, and Rokudai was arrested at his home in Nijo Inokuma, and exiled to
Oki province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan consisted of the Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan, located off the coast of the provinces of Izumo Province, Izumo and Hōki Province, Hōki. The area is now Oki District, Shimane, Oki District in moder ...
. He is charged of treason, for planning an attack (known as the Incident at Sansaemon) on
Minamoto no Yoriie was the second ''shōgun'' (1202–1203) of Japan's Kamakura shogunate, and the first son of first shōgun Yoritomo. His Dharma name was Hokke-in-dono Kingo Da'i Zengo (法華院殿金吾大禅閤). Life Minamoto no Yoriie was born to Hōj ...
, son of the former
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 ...
. A few months later he was executed at Tagoshi River.


References

{{reflist People of the Heian period People of the Kamakura period Taira clan Buddhist clergy of the Kamakura period