Tokiwa Gozen
Encyclopedia
Tokiwa Gozen (1123 – c. 1180), or Lady Tokiwa, was a Japanese noblewoman of the late Heian period
and mother of the great samurai general Minamoto no Yoshitsune
. Sources disagree as to whether she was a concubine or wife to Minamoto no Yoshitomo
, to whom she bore three sons, of which the youngest was Yoshitsune.
She was later captured by Taira no Kiyomori
, who she served as a concubine in exchange for assurances of the safety of her family. After leaving Kiyomori, Tokiwa married Fujiwara no Naganari.
Lady Tokiwa is primarily associated, in literature and art, with an incident in which she fled through the snow, protecting her three young sons within her robes, during the 1160 Heiji Rebellion
.
She is also known as Hotoke
Gozen, or Lady Buddha.
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
and mother of the great samurai general Minamoto no Yoshitsune
Minamoto no Yoshitsune
was a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and the third and final son and child that Yoshitomo would father with Tokiwa Gozen. Yoshitsune's older brother Minamoto no Yoritomo founded the Kamakura...
. Sources disagree as to whether she was a concubine or wife to Minamoto no Yoshitomo
Minamoto no Yoshitomo
was the head of the Minamoto clan and a general of the late Heian period of Japanese history. His son Minamoto no Yoritomo became shogun and founded the Kamakura Shogunate, the first shogunate in the history of Japan.-Hōgen Rebellion:...
, to whom she bore three sons, of which the youngest was Yoshitsune.
She was later captured by Taira no Kiyomori
Taira no Kiyomori
was a general of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan.After the death of his father Taira no Tadamori in 1153, Kiyomori assumed control of the Taira clan and ambitiously entered the political realm in which he...
, who she served as a concubine in exchange for assurances of the safety of her family. After leaving Kiyomori, Tokiwa married Fujiwara no Naganari.
Lady Tokiwa is primarily associated, in literature and art, with an incident in which she fled through the snow, protecting her three young sons within her robes, during the 1160 Heiji Rebellion
Heiji Rebellion
The was a short civil war fought in order to resolve a dispute about political power. The Heiji no ran encompassed clashes between rival subjects of the cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan in 1159. It was preceded by the Hōgen Rebellion in 1156...
.
She is also known as Hotoke
Hotoke
The Japanese noun Note that the very same kanji 仏 in modern Japanese can be also read futsu, but is often used as an abbreviation for the word "furansu", or France...
Gozen, or Lady Buddha.