Gosho no Gorōmaru
Gosho no Gorōmaru (御所 五郎丸) was a samurai warlord of the late Heian and early Kamakura period. He is best known for saving the shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo during the Revenge of the Soga Brothers incident in 1193. In kabuki drama he is known as Gosho no Gorozō. His "imina" is Shigemune (重宗) but he is best known by his "azana" Gorōmaru. Life. According to "Hengaku Kihan", Gorōmaru was born in Heian-kyō c. 1165. He lived near Mount Hiei, but left the capital at the age of 16 after avenging his mentor's death, and moved  to live at Amari Manor with Ichijō Tadayori in Kai Province before serving Yoritomo. It is said that Gorōmaru joined Yoritomo after Yoritomo killed Tadayori in 1184. In May 1193, Gorōmaru, who had become a close retainer to shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, participated in the grand hunting event Fuji no Makigari held by Yoritomo. On May 28 of the same year, the Soga brothers took their revenge and killed Kudō Suketsune on the last night of Fuji no Makigari. After the brothers killed ten other participants, the elder brother Soga Sukenari was shot by Suketsune's subordinate Nitta Tadatsune. The  younger brother Soga Tokimune killed all the samurai one by one who attempted to stop him, and broke into Yoritomo's living quarters. However, Gorōmaru, who was in Yoritomo's bedchamber, took Tokimune down on his own, thus ending the massacre and saving the shogun from a possible assassination attempt. Gorōmaru is said to have been a tough warrior who was an excellent horse-rider, and a man of valor with the strength of 75 people. "Jūbankiri" further describes Gorōmaru saying, "He is eighteen years old, but has the strength of eighty-five people". In "Soga Monogatari", it is written  that Gorōmaru put a women's "usuginu" (a thin robe) over his "haramaki" armor, supposedly dressing as a woman catching Tokimune off guard. It is said that this was against the morals of samurai ("bushido"), and Gorōmaru was exiled from Kamakura to Yagoshima in Kai Province. However, the Kamakura period "Azuma Kagami" and the early version of "Soga Monogatari" do not mention Gorōmaru dressing as a woman, and this was most likely added later for dramatization. Genealogy. The Gosho family is a branch of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful family of Japanese regents and court nobility, founded by Fujiwara no  Kamatari in the 7th century. Gosho no Gorōmaru's ancestors were "shinkan" government officials of Atsuta Shrine in Owari Province. They took the name Gosho from the Atsuta Palace ("Atsuta Gosho") that they lived in as the acting governor ("daikan") of the shrine and its territory. The descendants of Gorōmaru are the illustrious family of Usa, Buzen Province (currently Fukuoka and Ōita Prefecture) who descended to Kyushu in 1196 with the Governor of Buzen and Bungo Provinces and Defense Commissioner of the West, Ōtomo Yoshinao, who was also a "gokenin" of Yoritomo. Later, they served in several positions such as  magistrate general ("sōbugyō") or administrator general ("sōkengyō") of the Atsuta Shrine. In 1334, they succeeded the court rank of Senior Sixth Rank and the position of grand officer of divine offerings ("ōuchibito"), a position passed down from generation to generation in the Moribe no "Sukune" clan, and in 1470, they were promoted to Fifth Rank "shohishiki". Historic sites. The remains of Gorōmaru's mansion can be found at Gosho no Gorōmaru Park located in Gosho-ga-oka, Koshigoe, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. There is a stone monument and large stones, which are said to be the garden stones of the mansion . The place name of Gosho-ga-oka derives from Gorōmaru's mansion. There is also Gosho Tanuki Park nearby in Gosho, Koshigoe. In Goshoyama-chō, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, there is a tombstone of Gosho no Gorōmaru, which is protected by the local Goshoyama-chō-kai. It is said that Gorōmaru lived in the Goshoyama area. The tomb shrine was built by 80 city residents and took a year to complete. There is a tombstone of Gosho no Gorōmaru in Yagoshima, Minami-Alps, Yamanashi Prefecture. In front of the tomb is a temple dedicated to Kannon, with a statue of Kannon  Bodhisattva, which is said to protect Gosho no Gorōmaru. Locals hold an annual memorial service for Gorōmaru at the end of August. In popular culture. Theater. Gorōmaru appears in noh and kabuki ""Sogamono"" (曽我もの) as an important supporting character in the Revenge of the Soga Brothers. Art. Gosho no Gorōmaru has been the subject of several "ukiyo-e" paintings. The most famous include the following: