General Minamoto no Yoshitomo served as the head of the Minamoto clan during the Heian Period and was the father of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura Shogunate.
Situated in the tranquil Mihama Cho region on the Chita Peninsula, approximately 35 kilometers south of Nagoya City, stands the Omido-ji Temple, a mid-seventh-century temple of the Shingon Buddhist sect. Also known as Noma Daibo, this ancient temple gained notoriety as the location where the renowned warrior Minamoto no Yoshitomo, father of the first Kamakura Shogun, Yoritomo, and Yoshitsune, met his demise.
In 1159, the once-close Minamoto and Taira clans had become bitter enemies following Yoshitomo's defeat in the Heiji Rebellion. Fleeing the capital, Kyoto, Yoshitomo sought refuge in modern-day Aichi Prefecture and stayed in the village of Noma at the residence of Osada Tadamune. Unfortunately, one of his retainers' fathers-in-law betrayed Yoshitomo for a reward, leading to a fatal attack on him during a bath.
Caught defenseless and unarmed, Yoshitomo's last words, uttered while surrounded by enemies, were "If I had even a wooden sword,..." before he was slain. His head was taken and washed in a nearby pond known as Chi No Ike, or Pond of Blood. The remnants of the bathhouse still exist, and the gravesite, enclosed by a low stone wall, is situated alongside the temple's main hall.
Visitors leave offerings of wooden swords at the noble warriors' grave, believing that dedicating a sword will lead to answered prayers. Consequently, the grave is adorned with various wooden swords.
The main worship hall, Kyakuden, at Noma Daibo is designated an Important Cultural Property, while the Bonsho Prayer Hall is a Prefectural Cultural asset. Of particular note is the entranceway to the Prayer Hall, which was once part of the reception hall at Momoyama Castle.
Between the Kyakuden and Bonsho halls stand a gate erected in 1190 by Yoritomo in memory of his slain father and a drum tower built by the Fifth Kamakura Shogun, Fujiwara Yoritsugu, in honor of his ancestor.
Noma Daibo maintains a somewhat eerie ambiance as the site where historical events unfolded. Not much appears to have changed in the approximately 860 years since Minamoto No Yoshitomo sought sanctuary here, only to tragically lose his life.
See also
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Honda Masazumi
Masazumi was the eldest son of Honda Masanobu. From a young age, he served Tokugawa Ieyasu alongside his father, taking part in the affairs of the Tokugawa house and gradually gaining experience in both military and administrative matters. At the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Masazumi was part of the core Tokugawa forces, a clear sign of the high level of trust Ieyasu placed in him. After the campaign ended, he was given a highly sensitive assignment—serving in the guard of the defeated Ishida Mitsunari, one of Tokugawa’s principal enemies—an obligation that required exceptional reliability and caution.
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Hojo Shigetoki
Hōjō Shigetoki, the third son of Hōjō Yoshitoki, was still very young—only five years old—when his grandfather Tokimasa became the first member of the Hōjō clan to assume the position of shogunal regent.
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Hojo Masako
Masako was one of the most influential and powerful political figures of the era of military rule in Japan. She was the daughter of Hōjō Tokimasa and the wife of Minamoto no Yoritomo.
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Hojo Soun
Hōjō Nagaudji was one of the prominent military commanders of the late Muromachi period. Thanks to a successful marriage alliance and skillful use of political intrigue, he managed to concentrate full power over the provinces of Suruga, Izu, and Sagami in his own hands. His origins remain unclear, but there is a possibility that he was connected to the Heiji clan of Ise Province, since early in his life he bore the name Ise Shinkurō.
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Hirano Nagayasu
From an early age, Hirano Nagayasu was in the service of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, since Nagayasu’s father, Nagaharu, had faithfully served Hideyoshi during Hideyoshi’s own childhood. Thus, the connection between the Hirano family and the Toyotomi house was established long before Hideyoshi’s rise to power and took the form of hereditary vassal loyalty.
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Hattori Hanzo
Hattori Hanzō, also known by the name Hattori Masanari, was the third son of Hattori Yasunaga, a samurai who served the Matsudaira clan. In his childhood he was called Tigachi Hanzō. His father held the highest rank in the shinobi hierarchy, that of jōnin, and Hanzō followed in his father’s footsteps, choosing the same path.
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Hatano Hideharu
Hatano Hideharu was the eldest son of Hatano Harumichi, the head of the Hatano clan. However, in childhood he was adopted by his uncle, Hatano Motohide, and was therefore formally regarded as Motohide’s heir. From the time of Hideharu’s grandfather, Hatano Tanemichi, the Hatano clan had been a vassal of the powerful Miyoshi house, which exerted considerable influence over the Ashikaga shoguns and effectively shaped the political situation in the region. Early in his career, Hideharu served Miyoshi Nagayoshi and, judging by surviving records, held a fairly high position within his lord’s hierarchy, as he was among the select group invited to the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Ōgimachi in 1557.
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Fukushima Masanori
Fukushima Masanori, a samurai from Owari Province, served Toyotomi Hideyoshi and took part in the Battle of Shizugatake, where he distinguished himself so conspicuously that he was awarded the honorary title of one of the “Seven Spears of Shizugatake,” meaning the warriors who had shown the greatest valor in the battle. As a reward for his courage and martial prowess, he was granted land producing an income of 5,000 koku of rice.
