Kajiwara Kagesuke - Kajiwara Kagesuke

A military commander in the early Kamakura period. He was the eldest son of Kagetoki. He was commonly known as Genta. He served Minamoto no Yoritomo from an early age, and in 1181 (Yowa 1), he was trusted enough to be ordered to be on night duty at Yoritomo's bedroom. In the Battle of Ujigawa in 1184 (Genryaku 1), he rode the famous horse Surusumi given to him by Yoritomo and is said to have competed with Sasaki Takatsuna for the vanguard, and in the subsequent battle to pursue the Heike clan, he fought bravely at Ikuta no Mori (Chuo Ward, Kobe City). In April 1185 (Bunji 1), he was forbidden from returning east because he had been appointed Saemon no Jo without Yoritomo's permission, but it seems he was soon forgiven, and in September he traveled from Kamakura to Kyoto as an emissary to Minamoto no Yoshitsune. In 89, he participated in the Oshu Conquest, and the following year accompanied Yoritomo on his journey to Kyoto. Later, while traveling west with his father, who had been driven out of the shogunate, he was killed in battle at Kitsunegasaki in Suruga Province (Shizuoka City) on January 20, 1211. He was 39 years old when he died. He excelled in horseback archery and waka poetry.

[Takao Sugihashi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鎌倉初期の武将。景時(かげとき)の嫡長子。通称は源太(げんた)。父とともに早くから源頼朝(よりとも)に仕え、1181年（養和1）には、その寝所の宿直(とのい)を命じられるほどの信任を得た。84年（元暦1）宇治川(うじがわ)の戦いには、頼朝から与えられた名馬磨墨(するすみ)に乗り、佐々木高綱(たかつな)と先陣を争ったといわれ、続く平氏追討戦では生田森(いくたのもり)（神戸市中央区）に奮戦した。85年（文治1）4月、頼朝に無断で左衛門尉(さえもんのじょう)に任官したとして帰東を禁止されたが、まもなく許されたとみえ、9月には源義経(よしつね)への使者として鎌倉より上洛(じょうらく)している。89年奥州征伐に従軍、翌年頼朝の上洛に随行した。のち、幕府を追われた父に従って西上の途中、正治(しょうじ)2年正月20日、駿河(するが)国狐崎(きつねがさき)（静岡市）で追っ手と交戦、討ち死にした。行年39。騎射、和歌に優れた。

［杉橋隆夫］

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