Gosannen War

Gosannen War
Part of Clan disputes of the Mutsu province, Tōhoku region, Japan
Result	Disputes settled; restored order

Belligerents Forces of various branches of Kiyohara clan Forces of Minamoto no Yoshiie
Governor of Mutsu provinceCommanders and leaders Kiyohara no Iehira
Kiyohara no Takahira
Others Minamoto no Yoshiie
Fujiwara no Kiyohira

The Gosannen War (後三年合戦, gosannen kassen), also known as the Later Three-Year War, was fought in the late 1080s in Japan's

History

The Gosannen War was part of a long struggle for power within the warrior clans of the time.

The Gosannen kassen arose because of a series of quarrels within the Kiyohara clan (sometimes referred to as "Kiyowara"). The long-standing disturbances were intractable. When Minamoto no Yoshiie, who became Governor of Mutsu province in 1083, tried to calm the fighting which continued between Kiyohara no Masahira, Iehira, and Narihira.^[2]

Negotiations were not successful; and so Yoshiie used his own forces to stop the fighting. He was helped by Fujiwara no Kiyohira. In the end, Iehira and Narihira were killed.^[2]

During the siege of Kanezawa, 1086–1089, Yoshiie avoided an ambush by noticing a flock of birds take flight from a forest.^[3][4]

In art

Much of the war is depicted in an

.

See also

• Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa
• Zenkunen War

References

1. ^ Varley, H. Paul. (1994). Warriors of Japan as Portrayed in the War Tales, pp. 40-45.
2. ^
   ISBN 0804705232
   .
3. ISBN 1854095234
   .
4. ISBN 0026205408
   .
5. ^ Varley, p. 41.

Further reading

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