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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Matsudaira Kiyoyasu
Matsudaira Kiyoyasu (September 28, 1511 – November 29, 1535) served as the 7th lord of the Matsudaira clan during Japan's tumultuous Sengoku period. Renowned as the paternal grandfather of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of Japan's "great unifiers," Kiyoyasu expanded his clan’s influence, bringing all of northern Mikawa Province under his control after subduing the Saigo clan. His power was further symbolized by the construction of Okazaki Castle, a testament to the Matsudaira’s growing dominance.
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Matsudaira Hirotada
Matsudaira Hirotada (June 9, 1526 – April 3, 1549) was a daimyo and lord of Okazaki Castle in Mikawa Province during Japan’s turbulent Sengoku Period. He is best known as the father of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.
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Ikeda Tsuneoki
Ikeda Tsuneoki (1536 – May 18, 1584), also known as Ikeda Nobuteru, was a prominent daimyo of the Ikeda clan and a distinguished military commander during Japan's Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He served under the influential warlords Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Tsuneoki’s connection to Nobunaga began early, as his mother, Yotokuin, was Nobunaga’s wet nurse and later became a concubine to Oda Nobuhide, Nobunaga's father.
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Oda Nobutaka
Oda Nobutaka (1558–1583) was a samurai of the Oda clan, also known as Kanbe Nobutaka after being adopted as the head of the Kanbe clan, which governed the central region of Ise Province. He was the third son of Oda Nobunaga, born to a concubine named Sakashi. Nobutaka was referred to as "San Shichi," possibly because he was born on the seventh day of the third month in the Japanese lunar calendar. However, there is a theory suggesting he was born twenty days earlier than his elder brother, Oda Nobukatsu, but due to delays in reporting and the low status of his mother’s family, he was acknowledged as Nobunaga’s third son.
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Yamauchi Kazutoyo
Yamauchi Kazutoyo (also spelled Yamanouchi; 1545/1546? – November 1, 1605) was a prominent samurai and retainer who served Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi during Japan's Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. His father, Yamauchi Moritoyo, was a descendant of Fujiwara no Hidesato and a senior retainer of the Iwakura Oda clan, which opposed Oda Nobunaga. Moritoyo was also the lord of Kuroda Castle in Owari Province. Kazutoyo is especially renowned for his marriage to Yamauchi Chiyo, whose wisdom and resourcefulness played a key role in his rise to prominence.
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Saito Tatsuoki
Saito Tatsuoki (6 September 1548 - 1573) was a daimyo of Mino Province during Japan's Sengoku period and the third-generation lord of the Saito clan. He was the son of Saito Yoshitatsu and grandson of Saito Dosan. His mother was a daughter of Azai Hisamasa, making him a nephew of Azai Nagamasa and a relative of Oda Nobunaga's first wife, Nohime, who was also a daughter of Saito Dosan.
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Kyogoku Tadataka
Kyogoku Tadataka (1593–1637) was a Japanese nobleman and the head of the Kyogoku clan during the early 17th century, a pivotal time marked by the Tokugawa consolidation of power. His childhood name was Kumamaro, and he hailed from a lineage claiming descent from Emperor Uda (868–897). Tadataka was the son of Kyogoku Takatsugu and one of his concubines, with his paternal grandfather being Kyogoku Takayoshi.
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Matsudaira Naomasa
The late Muromachi period, also known as the Sengoku period, was an era of continuous conflict and upheaval, often likened to periods of chaos in Chinese history. This turbulent era was brought to an end by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who, with the support of loyal retainers, established the Edo Shogunate and became the ruler of Japan. Among Ieyasu’s descendants, Naomasa Matsudaira, his grandson, played a significant role during the Osaka Siege. He earned praise from his adversary, Nobushige Sanada (Yukimura Sanada), for his valor as a young warrior and maintained strong relations with successive Tokugawa shoguns.
