The Zenkunen War ( 前 九年 の 役 Zenkunen-no-eki , “The First Nine- Year War”; 1051-1062) is an armed conflict in Japan in the Heian period between the forces of rebel samurai in Mutsu province under the leadership of Abe-no Yoritoka and his sons Sadato and Muneto on the one hand, and government troops led by Minamoto-no Yoriyoshi and Minamoto-no Yoshiye on the other. Ended up in victory for government troops.
| Zenkunen war | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| date | 1051 - 1062 | ||
| A place | Mutsu Province | ||
| Total | government victory | ||
| Opponents | |||
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| Commanders | |||
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Summary
The scene of the fighting was the province of Mutsu, where the Japanese Emisi tribes subjugated. Historically, control over the region was carried out by an assimilated nobility from the representatives of the Emisi under the leadership of the powerful Abe family, however, the official official appointed by the central government ruled the province. In 1050, Yoritoki, the head of the Abe clan, stopped paying attention to the government-appointed governor Fujiwaru no Narito and began to levy taxes and confiscate property of his own free will. A year later, troops of the Abe clan attacked the governor's administration, and the governor himself fled to the capital for help.
In 1052, the emperor appointed the head of the Minamoto clan from the province of Kawati , Minamoto-no Yoriyoshi, both the governor and the head of the emishi. He went to the north of Japan with his son Yoshiye, where for several years he fought with the rebels with varying degrees of success.
In 1057, a big battle took place at Kyumi between the forces of Minamoto and Abe, which ended in a victory for the latter. Government commanders lost many soldiers and were forced to retreat to Mutsu. However, after 4 years, the army of the neighboring province of Deva, the Kiyohara clan, came to their aid. Due to this, in 1062, the combined forces of the Minamoto and Kiyohara clans were able to storm the main enemy stronghold and capture the enemy commanders alive.
The Zenkunen war became a stepping stone to strengthen the position of the Minamoto samurai family in the imperial court and among the samurai nobility of eastern Japan. In addition, the active role of the Kiyohara clan provided him with the status of the de facto ruler of northern Japan.