Battle of Mizushima

Battle of Mizushima
	Part of the Genpei War
Date	November 17, 1183
Location	Mizushima, Bitchu Province
Result	Taira victory
Belligerents
Minamoto clan	Taira clan
Commanders and leaders
Yada Yoshiyasu	Taira no Shigehira; Taira no Tomomori; Taira no Noritsune

The naval battle of Mizushima took place on 17 November 1183. One of the most important bases of the Taira was Yashima, a small island off the coast of Shikoku. In November 1183, Minamoto no Yoshinaka sent an army to cross the Inland Sea to Yashima, but they were caught by the Taira just offshore of Mizushima (水島), a small island of Bitchu Province, just off Honshū. The Taira tied their ships together, and placed planks across them to form a flat fighting surface.^[2]

The battle began with archers loosing a rain of arrows upon the Minamoto boats; when the boats were close enough, daggers and swords were drawn, and the two sides engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Finally, the Taira, who had brought fully equipped horses on their ships, swam to the shore with their steeds, and routed the remaining Minamoto warriors.

References

^ Sansom, George (1958). A History of Japan to 1334. Stanford University Press. p. 296. ISBN 0804705232.
^ Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. Cassell & Co. p. 202. ISBN 1854095234.

34°35′N 133°46′E / 34.583°N 133.767°E / 34.583; 133.767

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[Sansom-1] Sansom, George (1958). A History of Japan to 1334. Stanford University Press. p. 296. ISBN 0804705232.

[Turnbull2-2] Turnbull, Stephen (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. Cassell & Co. p. 202. ISBN 1854095234.

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