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
-
Asano Nagaakira
Asano Nagaakira (March 18, 1586 – October 16, 1632) was a Japanese samurai and daimyō of the early Edo period. He initially ruled Wakayama Domain before being transferred to the Hiroshima Domain, where his family would remain until the Meiji Restoration.
-
Takigawa Kazumasu
Takigawa Kazumasu (1525 – October 21, 1586), also known as Takikawa Sakon or Sakonshogen, was a prominent samurai and daimyō of the Sengoku period. He served as a loyal retainer and military commander under Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His biological son, Toshimasu, was adopted by Maeda Toshihisa, the elder brother of Maeda Toshiie, and Kazumasu served alongside Toshiie in Nobunaga’s campaigns.
-
Sanada Yukitaka
Sanada Yukitaka (c. 1512 – June 8, 1574) was a renowned samurai warrior of the Sengoku period, best known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen." He was the father of Sanada Nobutsuna and Sanada Masayuki, as well as the grandfather of the legendary Sanada Yukimura, who later served the Toyotomi clan.
-
Torii Mototada
Torii Mototada (1539 – September 8, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and daimyo who lived through the Sengoku and late Azuchi–Momoyama periods. A loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he is best remembered for his heroic last stand at the Siege of Fushimi, an event that played a crucial role in shaping Japanese history.
-
Toyotomi Hideyori
Toyotomi Hideyori (August 28, 1593 – June 4, 1615) was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first unified Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was Oda Nobunaga's niece.
-
Okubo Tadanori
Okubo Tadanori (January 13, 1842 – August 10, 1897) was the 9th daimyo of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture) during the late Edo period. Before the Meiji Restoration, he held the courtesy title of Kaga no Kami.
-
Okubo Tadayo
Okubo Tadayo (1532 – October 28, 1594) was a samurai general who served Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Azuchi–Momoyama period and later became the daimyo of Odawara Domain in the early Edo period.
-
Araki Murashige
Araki Murashige (1535 – June 20, 1586) was a samurai and retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, the head of the powerful Settsu-Ikeda clan in Settsu Province. Initially serving under Katsumasa, he aligned himself with Oda Nobunaga after Nobunaga’s successful campaign to establish control over Kyoto.
