Shimizu no kanja Yoshitaka was a samurai warrior from the late Heian period of Japan. The eldest son of Yoshinaka of Kiso, Minamoto clan. In his eleventh year, he was sent to Minamoto no Yoritomo as a hostage in order to avoid the conflict between his father and Yoritomo. According to traditions, Yoshitaka fell in love with Ōhime, the eldest daughter of Yoritomo. Later years, as a result of the discord between Yoshinaka and Yoritomo, the latter defeated the former. Three month later from the killing of his father, Yoshitaka fled, but captured and executed at a riverbed of Iruma River. In later years, many works featuring Yoshitaka were made, including A Tale of Kiso Yoshitaka (or Shimizu no kanja) in Otogi-zōshi, Raigōajarikaisoden by Takizawa Bakin, and some Noh songs. Yoshitaka has been said to be handsome.

Overview

Shimizu no kanja Yoshitaka was a samurai warrior from the late Heian period of Japan. The eldest son of Yoshinaka of Kiso, Minamoto clan. In his eleventh year, he was sent to Minamoto no Yoritomo as a hostage in order to avoid the conflict between his father and Yoritomo. According to traditions, Yoshitaka fell in love with Ōhime, the eldest daughter of Yoritomo. Later years, as a result of the discord between Yoshinaka and Yoritomo, the latter defeated the former. Three month later from the killing of his father, Yoshitaka fled, but captured and executed at a riverbed of Iruma River. In later years, many works featuring Yoshitaka were made, including A Tale of Kiso Yoshitaka (or Shimizu no kanja) in Otogi-zōshi, Raigōajarikaisoden by Takizawa Bakin, and some Noh songs. Yoshitaka has been said to be handsome. Primary Source "I heard that Kanja, the son of Yoshinaka, fled. It would not be the fact." - this is the only contemporary primary source of Yoshitaka's time. This short reference is described on an article of a winter day of the 2nd year of Juei in Kikki, the diary of a noble man Furuda Tsunehisa. Yoshitaka's biographical information written in decades later are found in some historical tales and chlonologies including Azuma kagami, The Tale of the Heike, Genpei Jōsuiki. His biographical facts are ambiguous due to lack of historical sources. Even his name is ambiguous. "Yoshitaka" is none less than the name which is called in Azuma kagami. In some version of the Tale of the Heike he is called "Shimizu no kanja Yoshishige". In a different version of the Tale of the Heike, he is called "Yoshimoto". In also Sompi bunmyaku, he is called "Yoshimoto". It is possible that fictitious stories are mingled with the historical sources.

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