, also known as , was a Japanese warrior of the early 13th century, and the son of Wada Yoshimori

Wada Yoshimori

was an early Kamakura period military commander. A gokenin of the Kamakura shogunate, he was the first director of the Samurai-dokoro.He was the son of Miura Yoshiaki and grandson of Sugimoto Yoshimune, making him a descendant of the Heike. Among his sons were Wada Yoshinao, Asahina Yoshihide, and...

. His name (also written with the characters ) stems from the fact he used to live in . Though very likely a historical figure, Yoshihide appears in literature and in Kabuki

Kabuki

is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...

 as a somewhat superhuman legendary character. According to these, his mother was famous amazon Tomoe Gozen

Tomoe Gozen

, pronounced , was a late twelfth-century concubine of Minamoto no Yoshinaka.Tomoe was a rare female samurai warrior , known for her bravery and strength...

, and he had superhuman strength which he used to accomplish a number of stunning feats.

Yoshihide's feats

Asahina's name is associated with some incredible feats. According to the Azuma Kagami

Azuma Kagami

The , or "mirror of the east", is a Japanese medieval text that chronicles events of the Kamakura Shogunate from Minamoto no Yoritomo's rebellion against the Taira clan in Izokuni of 1180 to Munetaka Shinnō and his return to Kyoto in 1266...

, he and future shogun Minamoto no Yoriie

Minamoto no Yoriie

was the second shogun of Japan's Kamakura shogunate, and the first son of first shogun Yoritomo.- Life :Born from Tokimasa's daughter Hōjō Masako at Hiki Yoshikazu's residence in Kamakura, Yoriie had as wet nurses the wives of powerful men like Hiki himself and Kajiwara Kagetoki, and Hiki's...

, who were good friends, one day were together in Kotsubo

Kotsubo

Kotsubo is a small fishing village in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is half way between Zushi and the old Japanese capital of Kamakura...

. Yoriie said he had heard what a good swimmer Yoshihide was, and challenged him to give a demonstration of his prowess. Immediately, Asahina jumped into the sea and soon re-emerged with two or three sharks in his fists. Asahina is also mentioned in the Soga Monogatari as having competed for strength with Soga Goro Tokimune.

Finally and most famously, he is said to have opened the Asaina Pass

Kamakura's Seven Entrances

The city of Kamakura, Kanagawa in Japan, is closed off on three sides by very steep hills and on the fourth by the sea: before the construction of several modern tunnels and roads, the so-called Seven Entrances , or were its main links to the rest of the world...

 by himself in one night, thus giving this extremely important pass his name.

War against the Hōjō, defeat and escape to Korea

A retainer of Minamoto no Yoriie

Minamoto no Yoriie

was the second shogun of Japan's Kamakura shogunate, and the first son of first shogun Yoritomo.- Life :Born from Tokimasa's daughter Hōjō Masako at Hiki Yoshikazu's residence in Kamakura, Yoriie had as wet nurses the wives of powerful men like Hiki himself and Kajiwara Kagetoki, and Hiki's...

, Yoshihide fought alongside his father and Yoriie in a revolt against the Hōjō

Hojo clan

See the late Hōjō clan for the Hōjō clan of the Sengoku Period.The in the history of Japan was a family who controlled the hereditary title of shikken of the Kamakura Shogunate. In practice, the family had actual governmental power, many times dictatorial, rather than Kamakura shoguns, or the...

 in 1213. It was he who raided and burned the Ōkura Bakufu

Okura Bakufu

(also called is the name of shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo's first government. It took its name from the location in Kamakura, Kanagawa prefecture, where Yoritomo's palace used to stand. Ōkura in Kamakura is defined as the area comprised between Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, the Asaina Pass, the Namerigawa...

, seat of Minamoto no Yoritomo

Minamoto no Yoritomo

was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199.-Early life and exile :Yoritomo was the third son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, heir of the Minamoto clan, and his official wife, a daughter of Fujiwara no Suenori, who was a member of the...

's government. Defeated, according to the Azuma Kagami the 38-year-old Yoshihide fled to Awa no Kuni with 500 horsemen. From this moment, his whereabouts are unknown but, according to the Wada family records , he fled first to Awa no Kuni, and then to Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

.