The Dissension between Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Minamoto no Tametomo Depicted in “The Tale of Hōgen”

Abstract

This article aims to study the dissension between brother warriors Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Minamoto no Tametomo in “The Tale of Hōgen.” The study found that unbelief in a successor of the Minamoto clan led to dissension between the brothers. When they confronted each other in a war, Yoshitomo attempted to show his power, as he was an elder brother and was the heir of the Minamoto clan. Meanwhile, though Tametomo realized that Yoshitomo was elder, he disrespected his brother as the heir to the Minamoto clan. Furthermore, the story of the Ōba brothers after their confrontation also reflects that being aware of and fulfilling their roles as brothers in supporting each other are more important than building a reputation. This issue points out that the reason why Yoshitomo was not respected in the role of successor to the Minamoto clan was that he left his brotherhood to pursue his own aspirations. This resulted not only in bringing dissension to the clan, but it also led to incredulity among the loyal warriors. Consequently, the power of the Minamoto clan deteriorated finally.