Kajiwara Kagetoki

A military commander in the early Kamakura period. He was nicknamed Heizo. He was a descendant of the Kamakura clan, a powerful clan in Sagami Province (Kanagawa Prefecture). His father was Kagekiyo (some say Kagenaga), and his mother was the daughter of Ono Takakane of the Yokoyama clan. In August 1180 (Jisho 4), he participated in the Battle of Ishibashiyama as a member of the Taira clan's Oba Kagechika, but he secretly cooperated with Minamoto no Yoritomo and saved the country from crisis. He was also praised as "a man of skill in language, even though he was not involved in writing" (Azuma Kagami), and after submitting to him, he gained Yoritomo's trust and played an active role as a military commander who was a close aide to the Kamakura Shogun (Yoritomo). In 82 (Juei 1), he was the magistrate for the birth ceremony of Yoriie, and the following year, he killed Kazusa no Suke Hirotsune on Yoritomo's secret orders, and then went west as military magistrate in the campaign to pursue the Taira clan. During this time, he is said to have come into conflict with Minamoto no Yoshitsune over his proposal for a "reverse yagura" strategy, and eventually drove him from power. In 84 (Genryaku 1), he was appointed Shugo of Harima and Mimasaka, and built up his influence in the western provinces. He also held important positions in the shogunate, such as Samurai Dokoro Shoshi and Umaya Betto, and later took the position of Samurai Dokoro Betto from Wada Yoshimori, and demonstrated his ability as the center of control of the Gokenin. Although Kagetoki's position was praised as "the main warrior of Kamakura" (Gukansho), he was also strongly resented by the Hojo clan and other influential vassals, and on October 20, 1299 (Shoji 1), after the death of Yoritomo, he was finally overthrown and fled Kamakura. In January of the following year, he attempted to support Takeda Ariyoshi, a relative of the Genji Shogun, and oppose the shogunate, but was stopped at Kiyomigaseki in Suruga Province (now Shizuoka City) and was killed in battle along with his entire family at nearby Kitsunegasaki.

[Takao Sugihashi]

"The Kamakura Shogunate: The People Who Carried Its Government" by Yasuda Motohisa (1971, Shinjinbutsu Oraisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鎌倉初期の武将。通称は平三(へいぞう)。相模(さがみ)国（神奈川県）の豪族鎌倉氏の流。父は景清(かげきよ)（一説に景長(かげなが)）、母は横山党小野孝兼(たかかね)の女(むすめ)。1180年（治承4）8月、石橋山(いしばしやま)の戦いでは平氏方の大庭景親(おおばかげちか)の手に属して参戦したが、源頼朝(よりとも)に内応しその危機を救った。また「文筆に携わらずと雖(いえど)も言語を巧みにするの士也(なり)」（『吾妻鏡(あづまかがみ)』）と評され、服属後は頼朝の信任を得、鎌倉殿(どの)（頼朝）側近の武将として活躍した。82年（寿永1）頼家(よりいえ)誕生の儀を奉行(ぶぎょう)、翌年には頼朝の密命により上総介広常(かずさのすけひろつね)を殺害、さらに平氏追討戦では軍奉行(いくさぶぎょう)として西上、この間、「逆櫓(さかろ)」の献策をめぐって源義経(よしつね)と対立を生じたといい、ついには彼を失脚に追い込んだ。84年（元暦1）播磨(はりま)、美作(みまさか)の守護に任じられ、西国にも勢力を築く一方、侍所所司(さむらいどころしょし)、厩別当(うまやべっとう)など幕府の要職につき、のちには和田義盛(よしもり)より侍所別当の職を奪い、御家人(ごけにん)統制の中心として敏腕を振るった。景時の立場は「鎌倉ノ本体ノ武士」（『愚管抄(ぐかんしょう)』）と称揚されたが、北条氏をはじめ有力御家人(ごけにん)の反感も強く、頼朝死後の99年（正治1）10月20日、ついに失脚して鎌倉を退去、翌年正月、源氏将軍の同族武田有義(ありよし)を擁立して幕府に対抗しようと西上の途中、駿河(するが)国清見関(きよみがせき)（静岡市）で阻止され、付近の狐崎(きつねがさき)に一族もろとも戦死した。

［杉橋隆夫］

『安田元久著『鎌倉幕府　その政権を担った人々』（1971・新人物往来社）』

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