The first battle of Uji is famous and important for having opened the Genpei War

Genpei War

The was a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late-Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the fall of the Taira clan and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto Yoritomo in 1192....

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In early 1180, Prince Mochihito

Prince Mochihito

' , also known as the Takakura Prince, and as Minamoto Mochimitsu, was a son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa. He is noted for his role in starting the Genpei War....

, the Minamoto Clan's favored claimant to the Imperial Throne

Chrysanthemum Throne

The is the English term used to identify the throne of the Emperor of Japan. The term can refer to very specific seating, such as the takamikura throne in the Shishin-den at Kyoto Imperial Palace....

, was chased by Taira forces to the Mii-dera

Mii-dera

', formally called ', is a Buddhist temple located at the foot of Mount Hiei, in the city of Ōtsu, in Shiga Prefecture. It is only a short distance from both Kyoto, and Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake. The head temple of the Tendai Jimon sect, it is something of a sister temple to Enryakuji, at...

, a temple just outside Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

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Due to the interference of a Mii-dera monk with Taira sympathies, the Minamoto army arrived too late to help defend the temple.

Minamoto no Yorimasa

Minamoto no Yorimasa

' was a prominent Japanese poet whose works appeared in various anthologies. He served eight different emperors in his long career, holding posts such as hyōgo no kami...

 led Prince Mochihito

Prince Mochihito

' , also known as the Takakura Prince, and as Minamoto Mochimitsu, was a son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa. He is noted for his role in starting the Genpei War....

, along with the Minamoto army and a number of warrior monks

Sohei

were Buddhist warrior monks of feudal Japan. At certain points of history they held considerable power, obliging the imperial and military governments to collaborate....

 from Mii-dera, south towards Nara

Nara, Nara

is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...

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They crossed the Uji River, just outside the Byodoin, and tore up the planks of the bridge behind them to prevent the Taira following them.

Three warrior monks in particular are named in the Heike Monogatari: Gochin no Tajima

Gochin no Tajima

Gochiin no Tajima , called Tajima the arrow-cutter, was a warrior monk from Miidera who fought alongside the Minamoto clan forces, and many of his fellow Miidera monks at the Battle of Uji in 1180....

, Tsutsui Jomyo Meishu

Tsutsui Jomyo Meishu

Tsutsui no Jōmyō Meishū was a warrior monk, or sōhei, from Mii-dera, who fought alongside Minamoto no Yorimasa and his fellow monks at the Battle of Uji in 1180, defending the Byōdō-in and Prince Mochihito from the Taira clan....

, and Ichirai Hoshi

Ichirai Hoshi

Ichirai Hōshi was a Japanese warrior monk who supported the Minamoto clan of samurai against their rivals, the Taira clan.He is most well known for his part in the battle of Uji...

. These three, along with the other monks of Mii-dera, fought with bow and arrow, a variety of swords and daggers, and naginata

Naginata

The naginata is one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades in the form of a pole weapon. Naginata were originally used by the samurai class in feudal Japan, and naginata were also used by ashigaru and sōhei .-Description:A naginata consists of a wooden shaft with a curved...

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However, the Taira forces began to ford the river, and caught up with the Minamoto. Yorimasa tried to help the Prince get away, but was struck with an arrow.

He committed seppuku

Seppuku

is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...

, setting a ritual precedent of committing suicide rather than surrendering, which would be honored up into World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. This is the first known historical incident of this form of seppuku.

The Prince was captured and killed shortly afterwards by the Taira warriors.