Siege of Shirakawa-den

Siege of Shirakawa-den
Part of the Hōgen Rebellion
Date July 1156 Location Shirakawa Palace, Kyoto, Japan Result Palace burnt to ground
Belligerents
Minamoto clan in support of Emperor Sutoku	Taira clan in support of Emperor Go-Shirakawa
Commanders and leaders
Minamoto no Tameyoshi, Taira no Tadamasa	Taira no Kiyomori, Minamoto no Yoshitomo

The siege of the Shirakawa-den was the central event of the Hōgen Rebellion, a succession dispute which broke out after the death of the cloistered Emperor Toba. The conflict grew to involve the Fujiwara, Minamoto, and Taira clans, all major powers of the period.

The palace was attacked by Taira no Kiyomori and Minamoto no Yoshitomo and defended by Yoshitomo's father, Minamoto no Tameyoshi, along with Minamoto no Tametomo and Taira no Tadamasa. Though a rivalry was beginning to grow between the Minamoto and Taira clans, loyalties were still far more mixed than they would be in the Genpei War of the 1180s, several decades later.

The samurai on both sides exchanged arrows in a number of archery duels before the palace was set aflame and the defenders were defeated.

References

• Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.