Yoshiie No Minamoto was a Military leader of the late Heian period.
Background
Yoshiie No Minamoto was born in 1039. He was the eldest son of the warrior Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, and as the ceremony inducting him into manhood in 1045 was held at the Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine south of Kyoto, he is also referred to as Hachiman Taro.
Career
He joined his father in helping to put down the revolt in the province of Mutsu led by Abe no Yoritoki and Abe’s sons, Sadato and Muneto, the so-called Earlier Nine Years’ War, which lasted from 1051 to 1062, and in reward for his services was named Dewa-no-kami, political head of the province of Dewa.
In 1075, with the death of his father, he became the leader of the Minamoto (Genji) family. During the years from 1083 to 1087, when a struggle raged between two powerful families of northern Japan, those of Kiyohara no Iehira and Fujiwara no Kiyohira—the so-called Later Three Years' War—Minamoto no Yoshiie sided with Fujiwara no Kiyohira and succeeded in bringing the fighting to an end. As a result, the Minamoto were able to establish a base of power in the provinces of Mutsu and Dewa, the present-day Tohoku region.
Personality
He was one of the most admired heroes of the time and was the first member of the warrior class to be admitted at court.