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The 'Heiji Rebellion' () was fought between rival subjects of the cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan in 1159.^[1] It was preceded by Hōgen Rebellion in 1156.^[2] In many ways, this struggle is seen as a direct outcome of that earlier armed dispute.
Early in 1160 (or late 1159, by the lunar calendar), Taira no Kiyomori, head of the Taira clan and supporter of Emperor Nijō, left Kyoto with his family, on a personal pilgrimage. This left his enemies, Fujiwara no Nobuyori and the Minamoto clan, a perfect opportunity to effect an uprising. In the Siege of Sanjō Palace, Nobuyori and his Minamoto allies abducted the former emperor Emperor Go-Shirakawa and Emperor Nijo and set fire to the Palace.
Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Fujiwara no Nobuyori placed Go-Shirakawa under house arrest and killed his retainer, the scholar Fujiwara no Michinori. Nobuyori had himself declared imperial chancellor, and began to see his plans for political power fall into place.
However, the Minamoto did not plan well enough, militarily, and were unprepared to defend the city against Kiyomori's return. Upon his return, the Minamoto made no decisive moves and hesitated.
Kiyomori, who returned to Kyoto, offered to surrender to Nobuyori. However, this was a plot. While Nobuyori was careless, Kiyomori let the Emperor Nijo and the former emperor Go-shirakawa escape to Kiyomori's side.
Kiyomori received an imperial grant from the Emperor for attacking Yoshitomo and Nobuyori. Taira no Shigemori (the eldest son of Kiyomori) led 3,000 cavalry and attacked the Imperial Palace where Yoshitomo and Nobuyori were holed up. Nobuyori ran away immediately, but Minamoto no Yoshihira (the eldest son of Yoshitomo) fought back and a fierce battle ensued. Yoshihira fought hard and chased Shigemori within the Imperial Palace.
The Taira force retreated and the Minamoto force left the Imperial Palace in pursuit. This was a plot of Kiyomori. A detached Taira force occupied the Imperial Palace. The Minamoto force was cut off from the way of retreat. The Minamoto force charged at Rokuhara of a base of Kiyomori. It became a fierce battle, but finally the Minamoto force fled in disorderly retreat.
Ultimately, Taira no Kiyomori defeated Yoshitomo, killed his two eldest sons and Nobuyori, and released Go-Shirakawa. Yoshitomo was eventually betrayed and killed by a retainer while escaping from Kyoto in Owari.
Afterwards, Taira no Kiyomori banished Yoshitomo's son Minamoto no Yoritomo, seized Minamoto wealth and land, and eventually formed the first samurai dominated government, led by the Taira, in the history of Japan.
The Kamakura period epic ''Tale of Heiji'' is about the exploits of the samurai that participated in the Heiji Rebellion. Together with the ''Tale of Hōgen'' and the ''Tale of Heike'', they describe the rise and fall of the Minamoto and Taira samurai clans.

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References

Notes

1. ''"Heiji"'' refers to the Japanese era name after ''"Hōgen"'' and before ''"Eiryaku,"'' which was a period spanning the years from 1159 through 1160.
2. ''"Hōgen"'' refers to the Japanese era name after ''"Kyūju"'' and before ''"Heiji,"'' which was a period spanning the years from 1156 through 1159.''

References

★ Kitagawa, Hiroshi and Bruce T. Tsuchida, eds. (1975). ''The Tale of the Heike.'' Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press. ISBN 0-86008-128-1