Fujiwara no Yasuhira

Japanese: 藤原泰衡 - ふじわらのやすひら

Year of death: Bunji 5.9 (1189)
Year of birth: 1155
A military commander in the late Heian period. The second son of Fujiwara Hidehira. His mother was the daughter of Fujiwara Motonari, a junior assistant minister of the Ministry of the People. Some historical documents state that he died at the age of 25. His name was Kojiro. After his father's death in 1187, he succeeded him as the governor of Mutsu and Dewa. On April 30, the fifth year of the same year, he attacked and killed Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who was under his father's protection, at the behest of Minamoto no Yoritomo, but was not forgiven and was pursued and defeated by Yoritomo. He tried to escape to Idejima (Hokkaido), but was killed by his retainer Kawada Jiro at Nie-saku in Hinai County (Odate City) on the way. His head was delivered to Yoritomo, but was returned and enshrined in the Konjikido Hall of Chusonji Temple. His ears and nose had been cut off, and there were nail marks on his forehead, indicating that he had been decapitated. The head had long been said to be that of Tadahira, but it was later determined to be that of Yasuhira based on the marks left by the decapitation.

(Naomasa Oishi)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：文治5.9(1189)
生年：久寿2(1155)
平安末期の武将。藤原秀衡の次男。母は民部少輔藤原基成の娘。25歳死亡とする史料もある。小次郎という。文治3(1187)年父の死後,その跡を継ぎ,陸奥・出羽押領使。同5年閏4月30日,源頼朝の意を受けて,父が保護した源義経を攻め殺したが,許されず,頼朝の追討をうけて敗北し,夷狄島(北海道)へ逃れようとして,途中,肥内郡贄柵(大館市)で郎従の河田次郎に殺された。その首は頼朝のもとに届けられたが,返されて,中尊寺金色堂におさめられた。耳,鼻が削がれ,額に釘を打った跡があり,梟首されたことが分かる。この首は長く忠衡のものと伝えられていたが,梟首の跡などから泰衡のものと判明した。

(大石直正)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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