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Shimokōbe Yukihira

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Shimokōbe Yukihira
Shimokōbe Yukihira
Shimokōbe Yukihira
Bornunknown, probably twelfth century
Diedunknown, but no earlier than 1195
AllegianceMinamoto clan, later Kamakura shogunate
Battles/warsGenpei War (Shida Yoshihiro Incident) and Ōshū War
RelationsFujiwara no Hidesato (remote ancestor), Shimokōbe Yukiyoshi (father), Shimokōbe Masayoshi (brother)

Shimokōbe Yukihira (下河辺行平, dates unknown) was a Japanese samurai of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. He was one of the closest retainers of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first Kamakura shōgun, and was a personal tutor to the second, Minamoto no Yoriie.

Life[edit]

The birth date of Shimokōbe Yukihira, a samurai[1] of the late Heian[2] and early Kamakura periods,[1] is unknown.[1] He was the administrator (ja) Shimokōbe Manor [ja] in Katsushika District [ja], Shimōsa Province[1] (modern Ibaraki Prefecture,[3] specifically the area corresponding to Koga City and its environs[4]) and was the son of Shimokōbe Yukiyoshi [ja][4] and the elder brother of Shimokōbe Masayoshi [ja].[3] His clan were descendants of Fujiwara no Hidesato.[5]

He was initially a vassal of the Taira clan,[6] but when Prince Mochihito and Minamoto no Yorimasa had their call to arms, it was Yukihira who brought the word to his lord Minamoto no Yoritomo,[4] and he joined Yoritomo when he called his banners.[2] It was during Yoritomo's retreat to Awa Province following the Battle of Ishibashiyama that Yukihira added his forces to Yoritomo's.[6] He was a trusted retainer of Yoritomo, and in Yōwa 1 (1181) was selected as one of his personal bodyguards (寝所近辺祗候衆).[5] He was a prominent gokenin.[5]

He fought valiantly in the Jishō-Juei War,[1] including the defeat of Shida Yoshihiro (ja),[6] and the invasion of Ōshū [ja].[7] He reputedly had tremendous martial skill,[3] particularly with the bow,[4] demonstrating his skill frequently in yabusame, yumi-hajime (弓始) and deer-hunting.[4] He later taught archery to Minamoto no Yoriie.[1]

In Kenkyū 6 (1195) he was accepted as a member of Yoritomo's household (ja),[1] but his activities in the Hatakeyama Shigetada incident (ja) and later are uncertain.[5] The date of his death is unknown.[2]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

Works cited[edit]

  • Hosokawa, Ryōichi (1998). "Shimokōbe Yukihira" 下河辺行平. World Encyclopedia (in Japanese). Heibonsha. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
  • "Shimokōbe Yukihira" 下河辺行平. Nihon Jinmei Daijiten Plus (in Japanese). Kodansha. 2015. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
  • Sawano, Izumi (1994). "Shimokōbe Yukihira" 下河辺行平. Asahi Nihon Rekishi Jinbutsu Jiten (in Japanese). Asahi Shinbun-sha. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
  • Suzuki, Keizō (1983). "Buke kojitsu". Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典 (in Japanese). Vol. 5. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten. pp. 246–248. OCLC 11917421.