Uprisings Spread the Genpei War beyond Kyoto

In 1180, Prince Mochihito, a son of retired emperor Go-Shirakawa, called on warriors to oppose Taira rule. Minamoto no Yorimasa supported him, but their force failed to secure its position near Kyoto. Mochihito and Yorimasa died following the fighting at Uji in the fifth month. The call nevertheless reached warriors beyond the capital and supplied a royal claim under which opposition could gather.

Yoritomo rose in Izu in the eighth month. An initial attack on Yamaki Kanetaka was followed by defeat at Ishibashiyama, forcing Yoritomo to escape across the sea to the Bōsō Peninsula. Support from eastern warrior groups allowed him to rebuild his force and enter Kamakura in the tenth month. The movement now had a territorial base from which followers could seek recognition of holdings and organize service.

Other forces arose separately, including Yoshinaka’s in Shinano. They did not begin as a single army under Yoritomo’s command. A Taira expedition withdrew from the Fuji River confrontation in the tenth month, while resistance and mobilization continued in several regions. Roads, crossings and the ability to bring local warriors together determined where each coalition could operate.

The uprisings made the war larger than a struggle over officials and residences in Kyoto. Kiyomori’s death in 1181 did not end his family’s forces, and conflicts among the Taira’s opponents also continued. The military outcome was decided through further campaigns, culminating at Dan-no-ura in 1185. In 1180, the change was the spread of armed opposition and the creation of regional bases, rather than the immediate overthrow of the Taira.