Sasaki Takatsuna - Sasaki Takatsuna

A military commander in the early Kamakura period. Hideyoshi's fourth son. Sadatsuna's younger brother. After the Heiji Rebellion (1159), he left his father and brother and lived in Kyoto, but in 1180 (Jisho 4), when he heard that Minamoto no Yoritomo had raised an army, he rushed to join him and fought in various places, achieving military success. In particular, in 1184 (Genryaku 1), he joined Minamoto no Yoshitsune's army in pursuit of Kiso Yoshinaka, and is famous for riding the famous horse Ikezuki (Ikezuki, Ikezuki) given to him by Yoritomo, and competing for the vanguard at the Uji River with Kajiwara Kagesue, who was riding Surusumi. After that, he accompanied Yoshitsune to Shikoku to pursue the Taira clan, and due to his military achievements he was appointed as the guardian of Nagato (Yamaguchi Prefecture) and was appointed as Saemon-no-jo, but in 1895 (Kenkyu 6) he handed over his family name to his son Shigetsuna and entered Mount Koya, where he took the name Sainyu. His subsequent whereabouts are unknown.

[Eiji Nitta]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鎌倉初期の武将。秀義(ひでよし)の四男。定綱(さだつな)の弟。平治(へいじ)の乱（1159）後、父や兄と別れて京都に住したが、1180年（治承4）源頼朝(よりとも)の挙兵を聞いて馳(は)せ参じ、諸所に転戦して戦功をたてた。とくに84年（元暦1）源義経(よしつね)の木曽義仲(きそよしなか)追討軍に加わり、頼朝から与えられた名馬生唼(いけずき)（生食、池月）に乗って、磨墨(するすみ)に乗った梶原景季(かじわらかげすえ)と宇治川で先陣を争った話は名高い。その後、義経に従って平氏追討に四国に赴き、戦功によって長門(ながと)（山口県）の守護に補せられ、左衛門尉(さえもんのじょう)に任ぜられたが、95年（建久6）家を子重綱(しげつな)に譲って高野山(こうやさん)に入り、西入(さいにゅう)と号した。その後の事跡は不明。

［新田英治］

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