ABSTRACT
YORITOIvlO MIGHT HAVE LED A LIFE OF LEISURE.-Yoritomo, who destroyed the Taira clan and established the foundation of the Minamoto Dynasty, was the third son of Y oshitomo, who had ruined himself by fighting with Kiyomori of the Taira clan in the war of Heiji. After the war of Hogen, when Yoritomo was only eleven years of age, Y oshitomo was promoted to the post of Left Chief of Imperial Guard and allowed to proceed to the Imperial Court to serve Princess Toshiko, who was the sister of the Emperor Go-shirakawa and the second empress of the reigning emperor. She was a vain, elegant woman and the leader of the fashion of the time. Once, when the Empress Kinko visited the Toshiko Palace, she wore a long crimson overdress and gay kimono with a pattern of red sumach and maple leaves. The sleeves were tenfold. Toshoko had found out what her visitor was going to wear and prepared white clothes with tenfold sleeves for herself. The lady attendants of the two also vied with each other in their gorgeous clothes. Yoritomo was placed in this Court atmosphere at the age of eleven. If the war of Heiji had not occurred, and if Yoshitomo, his father, had not been defeated, the son would have led an indolent Court life and been nothing more than an ordinary nobleman of elegant taste. But, fortunately for him, Yoshitomo was defeated and the little noble of twelve years old had to escape through the Omi Pass. He rode off under cover of darkness, killing the men who pursued him, but was separated from Yoshitomo's party and concealed himself among the peasants. He was finally captured by Munekiyo of the Taira family, who was moved to pity by his youth, and saved the boy from his death penalty. He was exiled to Hojo in the province of Izu. How he spent his life in Izu, how he raised his army, and how he conquered the Taira clan is well known.
