 Soga brothers killing Kudō Suketsune by Utagawa Hiroshige | |
| Native name | 曾我兄弟の仇討ち |
|---|---|
| English name | Revenge of the Soga Brothers |
| Date | June 28, 1193 |
| Venue | Fuji no Makigari |
| Location | Kamino, Fujino, Shizuoka Prefecture |
| Type | Revenge attack, assassination attempt |
| Cause | Murder of Kawazu Sukeyasu |
| Target | Kudō Suketsune and Minamoto no Yoritomo |
| Patron(s) | Hōjō Tokimasa |
| Organised by | The Soga brothers (Soga Sukenari and Tokimune) |
| Participants | 2 |
| Outcome | Revenge successful |
| Casualties | |
| Soga brothers: 2 | |
| Kamakura shogunate: 3+ | |
| Deaths | 5+ |
| Non-fatal injuries | 18+ |
| Arrests | Soga Tokimune apprehended by Gosho no Gorōmaru |
| Accused | Soga brothers |
| Sentence | Soga Tokimune sentenced to death |
The Revenge of the Soga Brothers (曾我兄弟の仇討ち, Soga kyōdai no adauchi) was a vengeance incident on June 28, 1193, during the Fuji no Makigari hunting event arranged by shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo. The Soga brothers, Soga Sukenari and Tokimune assassinated Kudō Suketsune, the killer of their biological father. The incident included a failed assassination attempt on the shogun, and resulted in many deaths and injuries of unrelated participants. It is known as one of the three major adauchi vendetta incidents in Japan, alongside Akō vendetta (by the 47 Rōnin) and the Igagoe vendetta.[1] The incident is recorded in the historical chronicle Azuma Kagami and the epic tale of Soga Monogatari, and has been popularized in popular culture.
Caused by Kudō Suketsune's accidental killing of Soga brothers' father Kawazu Sukeyasu due to an inheritance disagreement unrelated to Sukeyasu, the Soga brothers assassinated Suketsune during the Fuji no Makigari hunting event. The brothers decided to conduct a massacre to gain attention, and subsequently defeated ten samurai, which became known as jūbangiri ("slashing of ten"). The brothers then slashed countless other samurai to the point that the number of victims is said to be unknown in Soga Monogatari. Sukenari was killed in battle and Tokimune set off to assassinate the shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo, but was apprehended at the shogun's mansion. Tokimune was then questioned and executed for the crimes.
There is a theory that Hōjō Tokimasa was the mastermind behind this incident and the attempted assassination on the shogun.
- ^ Ono (2004). Jinbutsudenkojiten Kodai・Chuseihen (人物伝小辞典 古代・中世編). Japan: Tokyodo Shuppan. p. 186. ISBN 4490106467.