Sanadaraisha built on the site of a battle on Mt. Ishibashi

A party of samurai camped on a mountainside south of modern day Odawara, answering the call to rise up against the Taira clan who had seized power and replaced the reigning emperor with a puppet of their own bloodline.  The opening days of the Genpei War were not good to the Minamoto clan, leaving many of their elders dead at Taira hands along with their chosen imperial heir, Prince Mochihito.  Minamoto no Yoritomo, newly ascended head of the clan and defacto military leader, called for loyal forces to regroup on Mt. Ishibashi.  He had hoped to assemble his forces and move on by now, but additional allies from Miura were delayed by flooding due to the recent heavy rains.  Instead, he and only 300 troops camped on the mountainside.

Looking down the side of Mt. Ishibashi. Nearby, Minamoto no Yoritomo fought, and lost, his first battle as head of the Minamoto clan. Today, the area is mostly orange groves and orchards.

On the night of September 14 1180, while still waiting on the reinforcements from Miura, an army of 3,000 Taira soldiers and cavalry led by Oba Kagechika launched a daring nighttime raid on the Minamoto camp.  As a storm raged, the defending Minamoto forces held for a time, but the weight of numbers against them was too great.  One of Yoritomo’s officers, Sanada Yoichi, bravely lead a group of 15 cavalry out to attack a group of 75 Taira cavalry.  They briefly held the upper hand, but all were struck down.  In the end, only Yoritomo and a few advisers escaped, returning briefly to exile before once again attempting to raise an army to challenge the Taira.  Of course, those who know their Japanese history know that Minamoto no Yoritomo’s defeat at his first battle was only a minor setback, as less than ten years later the Taira would be all but extinct and Minamoto no Yoritomo would be the first man to assume the title of Shogun.

Sanadaraisha. It is said that in 1180, Minamoto no Yoritomo, now Shogun of Japan, returned to this place and wept for the 300 loyal soldiers who fought and died for him on this site.

I went in search of this battlefield on a fine spring day recently, taking the train one station south of Odawara not far from Ishibashiyama (yama is Japanese for mountain).  Today, a lovely shrine stands on the site of the battlefield, named Sanadaraisha for  the cavalry officer killed in the battle and much of the surrounding area is covered by orange groves and orchards.  It really is a beautiful area, and in the distance, Odawara City and Odawara Castle are visible in the distance.  It is a long hike with only some pleasant scenery to find along the way, so it isn’t really a place I could recommend to just anyone.  But if you love Japanese history and you don’t mind the effort, it is something you can see.  Still, this place does have an interesting story and an important place into Japanese history.

A mountain stream runs along the roadside. The valleys along the side of Mt. Ishibashi have small farming villages scattered throughout.

As a bonus note, the opposing samurai who defeated Yoritomo was of the Oba clan, who lived at a small castle in northern Fujisawa, which I wrote about here.  Oba Kagechika didn’t get to revel in his victory for long after the battle either, as he eventually was forced to submit to the Minamoto clan and was forced to commit suicide.

Odawara as seen from Ishibashiyama, Odawara Castle rises above the rest of the city in the center.

Route 134 follows the coastline south of Odawara.