The Tale of the Seiwa Genji - 清和源氏物語

manuel

What a new timeline!?!?

Well yes !

What about your timeline about King John I of France?

Not dead,just on temporary hiatus. I still have ideas for it, but the TL was so big in terms of ideas and storyline, almost like a Druon's book that I decided to pause it.

Then why another TL?

I decided to do 2-3 TLs on various subjects before coming back to my magnum opus (oh yeah!). These are kind of "training timelines", so I can develop better writing skills . I also plan to better spend my time on a timeline (quality vs quantity).

The Seiwa what !?!?

The tale of the Seiwa Genji, Genji is the Chinese reading of the kanji characters of Minamoto family (源氏), the rest can be read here : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiwa_Genji

What are the Kanji characters in the title for ?

They mean Seiwa Genji Monogatari, which means "the tale of the Seiwa Genji". I basically put the characters Seiwa Genji (清和源氏) with "Monogatari" (物語) which signifies tale, story.

France...to Japan !?!?

I always loved Japan and watching NHK Taiga dramas and playing Shogun 2 definitively convinced me to write a Japanese TL. But I must say French history is one of the best in the West.

How far do you plan taking this ?

Till.....oh wait you shall see. At least to the 1250's. But really if it really sucks I'll just stop the TL. I am not going to bother you with useless words.

Frequency of updates ?

Hebdomadairement, or for those of you who prefer Saxon peasant tongue (just kidding) , weekly . Seriously, I'll just update when I have the time but try to do it in a weekly manner.

When will you start your other TLs ?

When I'll be ready I guess...

Then what's this timeline about?

It is about the famed samurai Minamoto no Kuro Yoshitsune (full name) and his incoming struggles .

Why him ?

Because he was a great warrior with potential and had different vision for Japan, a vision different from his brother Yoritomo and I felt so attached to the character after watching the Taiga drama Yoshitsune (2005) that I thought he deserved a better fate and perhaps alternate history could give it.

When do you start ?

Just now, wait you'll see..

Plausibility check ?

I have a POD.Now if it isn't plausible, just tell me, I'll just terminate the TL.


 

manuel


THE SEIWA GENJI MONOGATARI
or the Tale of the Seiwa Genji

​

​
The voices of the monks of the Kurama-dera reciting sutras echo the dissatisfaction of some. Despite the flowering of the gentian flowers, one must still find his path. Those who don’t, get lost and disappear, like snow melt by the sun. Their traces fade away but impregnate the soil. Those who forge their own path will have their name remembered just like heroes of yore.​


Introduction

The Taira , by their palace intrigue and cunning moves having confined the venerable cloistered emperor Go-Shirakawa ; forced their will upon Emperor Takakura and denying Prince Mochihito’s rights to the throne had committed a terrible offense against the Imperial House .

Instead of Prince Mochihito,Taira no Kiyomori installed his own grandson prince Tokohito at the age of two as emperor under the name of Antoku in 1180. Prince Mochihito had no choice, but to call to arms all members of the Minamoto clan. The Minamoto clan did rise up and fought the Taira clan in an epic conflict, the Genpei War (1180-1185), which saw the demise of the Taira and Kiyomori’s dreams shattered to dust scattered by the winds of Genji victory.

But while victory and prosperity where finally at hand for the Minamoto, discord among the clan rose.

It wasn’t the first time. During the Genpei War, Minamoto (Kiso) no Yoshinaka, after being humiliated by Minamoto no Yoritomo decided to beat the Taira on his own and establish himself as head of the Minamoto clan. However his arrogance and pillaging of Heian-kyō drew the wrath of the cloistered emperor and of his cousins and he was killed at the battle of Awazu in 1185.

It seems as the same fate would fall on the great Minamoto no Kuro Yoshitsune, an able general, the main artisan of the Minamoto victory. His new tactics attracted the disapproval of many of Yoritomo’s retainers beginning with Kajiwara no Kagetoki. His good relations with the Imperial Court as well with the Fujiwara in Oshu made Yoritomo distrustful towards his young brother. Despite being a fine samurai, Yoshitsune didn’t receive the credit he deserved in Kamakura, only the Imperial Court, his retinue and honest folk seemed to appreciate the young man.

But the rift between Yoshitsune and his brother happened when Yoshitsune accepted to receive Imperial offices without Yoritomo’s approval despite the fact that Yoritomo didn’t even rewarded his brother for his brilliant victory at Dan no Ura. In the summer of 1185, Yoritomo declared Yoshitsune a traitor and decided to wage war on him. He ordered Minamoto no Noriyori, his other brother, to lead a campaign against Yoshitsune, but he refused to fight his friend, companion-in-arms and above all fellow brother for an unjust reason.

As a result he was sent in exile at the Shuzen-ji Temple in Izu. Yoshitsune learned all of this and in November requested Imperial authorization to attack his brother from the cloistered emperor, Go-Shirakawa. He was joined by Minamoto no Yukiie, his uncle who was previously allied with Yoshinaka. But word from a strong army sent by Kamakura reached Heian-kyō and the allied relatives agreed to flee to Kyushu, but where blocked in Settsu by samurai loyal to Yoritomo. When the army from Kamakura reached Heian-kyō, the cloistered emperor changed his mind and declared Yoshitsune and Yukiie an “Imperial enemies” at the request of Yoritomo

Yoshitsune in order to escape Yoritomo’s samurai disguised himself as a mountain monk with his retinue. He had nothing to win in Kyoto with the Imperial Court under pressure from Yoritomo and his lover Shizuka Gozen captured. Shizuka will later give birth to a boy from Yoshitsune while in Yoritomo’s custody; the baby was killed by Yoritomo’s men. Meanwhile Yoshitsune found asylum in Oshu, among the Fujiwara. His old protector Fujiwara no Hidehira refused to send him back to Kamakura despite Yoritomo’s demands.

The wise Hidehira resisted Yoritmo’s pression and provided provisions for Yoshitsune in his testament. He ordered his heir Yasuhira, to shelter Yoshitsune and named him a general and governor of Mutsu province. But once Hidehira died (1187), Yasuhira first refused to apply his father’s provisions and then after several threatening letters from Yoritomo, he resolved himself to destroy the source of his uneasiness...​
 
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manuel

Chapter 1: Treacherous Attack

June 15th, 1189


Fujiwara no Motonari’s mansion near the Koromo river, in the outskirts of Hiraizumi, Mutsu Province.

Everything went so fast. Yoshitsune was discussing with his vassals what he expected for the future. Perhaps, he could have a return in favour in Hiraizumi. Fujiwara no Tadahira, Yasuhira’s younger brother in his last letters assured him that he would convince his brother that obeying to Yoritomo’s demands will only lead the Fujiwara to their demise and that their late father Hidehira had expressed his last wishes for the sake of the clan’s survival. But suddenly, some cries were heard. Ise no Saburo, “the Crab”, an ex-samurai turned bandit,now vassal of Yoshitsune, a veteran of the Heiji Rebellion came running.

“My LORD, my LORD !!!!!”, someone cried in the hallway.

“What is it Saburo ?” asked Yoshitsune.

 “My lord, men from the Fujiwara clan are attacking us !!!!”, cried Saburo.

 “What!!!”, exclaimed everyone except Yoshitsune.

 Benkei came afterwards to confirm Saburo’s report. Meanwhile war cries and men charging were heard.

 “My lord they are surrounding us and attacking us right now!”

 “All right everyone”, said Yoshitsune, “to your posts and defend this mansion at all cost!!”

 “Aye!!!” replied everyone in a single chorus.

 A few seconds later, Fujiwara no Motonari arrived wearing a cuirass and holding a sword.

 “It is my cousin, Yasuhira who is attacking us!”

 “Why ?”,asked Gonnotō no Kanefusa, a loyal retainer of Yoshitsune.

 “We don’t know, but it is treacherous from his part !!”, said Motonari

 Yoshitsune asked his squire, Kisanta to help him with his armour and joined the melee.

 He encouraged his men and killed himself more than a dozen of enemies. But, Yasuhira's men were far more numerous and had the upper hand. One by one Yoshitsune witnessed his vassals fall. First was Suruga Jiro, an ex-boat captain, then Saburo with his famous smile, too happy to die fighting for his lord, turned his sword against him. He before had taken the life of six men in a row.

Then Kisanta was shot from arrow, while he made of his body a living armor for his liege. Motonari was already dead, his body riddled by naginata blows. Only Yoshitsune, Benkei,Kataoka and Kanefusa remained facing an ocean of foes. Kanefusa was badly injured, but refused to die from an enemy’s hit.

“Benkei!!!”, called Yoshitsune

 “My Lord!!”, replied Benkei as he cut through the enemy’s lines.

 “Here I am”, announced Benkei

 “Please report our situation!!” asked Yoshitsune

 “My lord we lost everyone, Wasinoo, Mashio, the Suzuki brothers, Suruga Jiro, Fujiwara no Motonari, Kisanta,Ise no Saburo and all of your retinue!!! Only you, I , Kanefusa and Kataoka remain!! If you should die before me wait for me at Shide Mountain, if I should die first I shall wait at the River of the Three Ways”, reported Benkei

 “Very well!”, said Yoshitsune.

 While they were speaking they stood side by side trying to push any enemy that came.

 “Benkei! Where is my wife ?!”, Yoshitsune asked between a clash of swords.

 “Hrrrr, my lord, in the main hall with her attendant!”and he killed another foe.

“Well, Benkei we shall make our ways!!”

 “Very well, my lord!”

 Benkei then began to recite a verse:

 “Though one of us may die before the other,
Wait for me my lord,
Where the road to hell branches off.”

 Touched by Benkei’s words Yoshitsune replied:

 “Join me in the next world
And the next,
Until we mount to paradise
On a purple clould.”

 Yoshitsune ordered Kanefusa to follow him to the main hall.

Benkei wept and along Kataoka charged the enemy.

Yoshitsune expected the end to draw near…
​
 

manuel

Captain Orange said:
Subscribed.

Will Yoshitsune survive this time? I hope so.

All hail the rightful Shogun! :D
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Yes, but my POD given the time and the samurai ethos can be a bit controversial. But, yes the premise of this TL is the survival of Yoshitsune.This update was basically a recall of OTL, next update will be about the POD. The verse recited by Yoshitsune and Benkei at the end of the update are from the "Yoshitsune Monogatari".

Thanks for the subscription !!!
 

WhatIsAUserName

This is an interesting idea during a still-volatile period of Japanese history. It seems like a tall order for Yoshitsune to overcome his brother in Kamakura, but not impossible. I'll wait for the divergence before making any further judgment.
 

manuel

WhatIsAUserName said:
This is an interesting idea during a still-volatile period of Japanese history. It seems like a tall order for Yoshitsune to overcome his brother in Kamakura, but not impossible. I'll wait for the divergence before making any further judgment.
Click to expand...

Thank you for according your attention to this
TL. Yes, it will be challenge for Yoshitsune to beat the war machine of his brother, but I really hope I can make him someone greater than OTL in a plausible manner.
 

manuel

Captain Orange said:
Where's Tomoe Gozen, by the way?
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OTL, they are many versions of what happened to her after the battle of Awazu. Some say she died, other say she married and became a nun. In the NHK drama Yoshitsune, which quite well researched by the way. Tomoe survives the battle and marries off a woodcutter. She becomes almost anonymous and it is towards the end that Yoshitsune recognizes her in a forest. In this timeline, I kept the same fate for Tomoe. Why she lives and how her choice is linked to Yoshitsune will be covered in next update.
 

mlp

Interesting update. Interesting TL in general. Will be looking forward on what comes up next.
 
Avrorrange

Avrorrange

manuel said:
Thank you for according your attention to this
TL. Yes, it will be challenge for Yoshitsune to beat the war machine of his brother, but I really hope I can make him someone greater than OTL in a plausible manner.
Click to expand...

I suspect there would be no mercy for his older brother considering what his brother has done to his son.
 

manuel

Chapter 2: Live, Fight and Become

​


Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Gonnotō Kanefusa hurriedly marched through the hallway. Kanefusa tried to follow his lord’s face to pierce its meaning but couldn’t. Yoshitsune looked anxious, frustrated and fearful all at the same time.As they walked Yoshitsune held firmly his dagger. It was a gift he had received from the abbot of Kurama. It was forged by Sanjō Kokaji and christened “Ima-no tsurugi” . He then began to talk for the first time since they left Benkei and Kataoka, midway on to the path for the main hall.

“The moment has come to kill myself”, said Yoshitsune bluntly with a calm tone that betrayed his earlier emotions. “How shall I do it?” he asked.

 “People are still praising Satō Tadonobu’s seppuku in the capital”, replied Kanefusa

 “Then I shall do the same, I better slit it wide and profound”

After finishing their march through a hallway, Yoshitsune arrived at the main hall. He was surprised to see his wife, Lady Sato seated with her female attendant nearby. She looked determined, as if she had prepared something big and important. No expression of horror or panic could be found on her face. Such calm contrasted with the battle outside. Yoshitsune himself was surprised by her attitude. Kanefusa shared the same the surprise of Yoshitsune.

 “Are you all right?” asked Yoshitsune

 “I am fine my lord, even in this hour of great despair”, said Lady Sato

 “Very well. Then I want you to leave this place immediately and to go to Hidehira’s widow or to his father in law. They are respected people and I doubt Yasuhira will take action against them. They shall even arrange your return to Kamakura if you wish. I doubt my brother will move against a defenceless widow. Even when I depart and in the next world, I will be worried that you are grieving in this cruel world with no one to protect you. Remember that everything comes from deeds of our previous life, so do not mourn foolishly.”

 “My lord, ever since your brother, my lord Yoritomo arranged our marriage, I was unhappy about the prospect of living with an unhappy husband because of this forced union. I knew your heart belong to another one, but now that I know you more and since we left Heian-kyō, I have been ready to die for you. I was sure something of the sort will occur here because of the plots of your brother, so I am not frightened now. Please, make haste and kill me……”

 A long silence occurred as Yoshitsune and Kanefusa watched Lady Sato

 “But, I have one last request my lord as your wife.”

 “What is it?” asked Yoshitsune

 Cries from Benkei and Kataoka could be heard outside, they were spending their last forces now on the enemy.

 “My lord”, added Lay Sato. “I urge you to live instead of dying with all your retainers here.”

 “What !!”, said Yoshitsune and Kanefusa

 “My lord, I know you are a brave man, who did his best to serve his lord brother and to bring him victory. You were also generous with everyone and respected by your vassals and enemies. But dying here will arrange nothing. Didn’t you have a new vision about the rule of lands. Not the vision of your brother, where reason and power rule the vassals but with empathy and bonds, something you learned with the late Kiyomori".

 “I had that vision, but it seems that fate has turned against me and that my life must end here.”

 “That should be foolish of you, what about Hidehira’s wishes that you participate in the protection of his domains against your land-hungry brother?
What about everything you fought about so far? Would abandoned everything to Yoritomo, would you just capitulate to him!!”

 Kanefusa looked confused and Yoshitsune seemed plunged into reflections triggered by his wife’s remarks.

 Lady Sato for her part didn’t stop to look at Yoshitsune’s face.

 “Remember the time when you convinced Lady Tomoe in Heian-kyō, when she was glaring at Yosinaka’s head. Didn’t you urge her to live despite the loss of her lover? And now what about her? She found her path; she is living peacefully in Kaga. The same should it be for you. I am doing the same thing you did to Lady Tomoe.”

 She then respectfully bowed her head from her seiza position and proclaimed:

 “My lord, I insist that you realized your dream about ruling the lands!!! Do not let the death of your comrades plunge you into despair. Live, fight and become the ruler, my lord!!! PLEASE, PLEASE!!!"

 The clash of swords were now louder and nearer than ever, when a sudden cry was heard.

 Lady Sato, Yoshitsune and Kanefusa didn’t know, but Kataoka had just slit his belly open. He was badly injured and incapable of fighting and resolved to the ultimate solution.

 Only Benkei was left to hold the line.

 Yoshitsune turned to Kanefusa.

 “What do you think Kanefusa? Speak frankly.”

 “My lord, there are a lot of truths in what Lady Sato said, if there is still a chance in this world then you should take it. But you have the last word on it my lord.”

 “But if I flee , leaving you here, wouldn’t be that shameful and treacherous from my part ?”

 “My lord”, said Lady Sato “I don’t think it would be shameful to live on and to avenge your vassals from their unjust death, find your way, my lord!!”

 Yoshitsune was confused; he didn’t really know what to do. Would he carry on with his wish to commit seppuku, or just follow his wife’s advice? It would have been nobler of his part to follow his comrades into death, but to end his path, to let his son’s murderer triumph over the Minamoto clan. Yes, he told the same thing to Lady Tomoe when she was in a situation similar to his, so why not follow his very own teachings?

 He thought deeply despite the noises outside.

 Yoshitsune turned towards Kanefusa.

 “Kanefusa, what do you think if I leave you, but that I swear on my life and honour that I shall avenge every single one of you ?”

 “My lord, then I would be happy to depart this world knowing that my lord is trying to recover our lost glory.”

 “Well then”, said Lady Sato, turning to Kanefusa, “Do your duty, now that I have the assurance that my lord will find his way.”

 Kanefusa’s eyes became clouded with tears; he looked upon Yoshitsune, seeing an approval. Yoshitsune nodded. The sorry retainer move towards Lady Sato, when her attendant who had listen to the conversation in silence, came forward.

“Please sir Kanefusa. Kill me first; it is only proper that vassals, retainers and attendants alike should die before their master or lady.”

 Lady Sato approved of her words and Kanefusa; his heart teared apart by his sadness, slit the attendant’s throat and then moved to Lady Sato and did the same. But while she was losing her breath of life, Lady Sato uttered the following words : “Fly like the crane and escape the…arrows…live..live..Yoshi….tsune. Even when enduring death, Lady Sato remained constant in her wishes to see her husband lived and continue to fight despite the circumstances.

“My lord, I am deeply sorry!!”

 “Don’t worry Kanefusa you did your duty”.

 “My lord , don’t worry about us, I can still Benkei last struggles, it only a matter of time before Yasuhira’s men are here. Do what your wife said….(sobs)…fly high like the crane, escape the deadly arrows, follow the winds, but never forget where you first made nest.”

 “Don’t worry Kanefusa, I shall fly like the crane and escape my enemies and forever grief your loss.”

 Should he had stayed there Yoshitsune would have probably fallen apart in tears and rejoined his fellow comrades. But he swiftly turned his back on Kanefusa and marched away toward the back of the mansion.

 “My lord, go to the stables, there are a few horses left there I believe that you should make your way out of this hell with that …”

 “Thank you Kanefusa, thus even in your last moments you continue to provide your lord with valuable advices!”

 “FAREWELL, MY LORD!!!”

 As Yoshitsune became out of his sight, Kanefusa committed seppuku, crying and looking towards a roof that had begun to burn.

 Benkei , his body badly injured, riddle with arrows was still standing. When the soldiers approached him, he was already dead and just collapsed. He thus earned respect from his foes, having died standing up and because of his brave resistance; he paved the way for his lord’s survival.

 Yoshitsune for his part rushed to the stables, rushing for his life.


​
 
Avrorrange

Avrorrange

I don't know much about Japanese history,but didn't you indicate that most of the powerful figures of the Minamoto clan dislikes Yoshitsune because of jealousy?Would he have the power-base to raise an army with nothing other than his name?
 

manuel

darthfanta said:
I don't know much about Japanese history,but didn't you indicate that most of the powerful figures of the Minamoto clan dislikes Yoshitsune because of jealousy?Would he have the power-base to raise an army with nothing other than his name?
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I think there some regions in the west who don't look kindly on the rule by Kantō barbarians. And yes, he is disliked by the Minamoto clan, but he should do like Minamoto no Yoshitaka and create his own "faction " of the clan, it is not like everyone enjoyed the rule of Kamakura.

EDIT : Plus the support of a another faction...
 
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