Tsugunobu Sato

Background

Tsugunobu Sato was born in Mutsu (Iwate Prefecture). He was the son of Motoharu Shinobu.

Career

He served Yoshitsune Minamoto with his younger brother, Tadanobu. The two brothers and Morimasa Kamata and Mitsumasa Kamata were called the Four Henchmen of Yoshitsune.

He was appointed an officer of the Imperial Palace Guard at the recommendation of Yoshitsune. In the battle at Yashima, he was wounded by Noritsune Taira when he was shielding Yoshitsune. He was overwhelmed and about to be decapitated by Noritsune but was saved by Tadanobu. Tsugunobu, however, died of wounds soon afterward.

Tsugunobu was buried in Mure, Kagawa, by Taira no Noritsune himself.

Connections

Father:

Motoharu Shinobu

Brother:

Tadanobu

References

• The Tales of the Heike Translations from the Asian Classics The Tales of the Heike is one of the most influential works in Japanese literature and culture, remaining even today a crucial source for fiction, drama, and popular media. Originally written in the mid-thirteenth century, it features a cast of vivid characters and chronicles the epic Genpei war, a civil conflict that marked the end of the power of the Heike and changed the course of Japanese history.
• Legends of the Samurai
  1995