September 11, 2012
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Minamoto no Yoriie (源 頼家?) (September 11, 1182 – August 14, 1204) was the second shogun (1202 – 1203) of Japan's Kamakura shogunate, and the first son of first shogun Yoritomo. His short rule was purely nominal and he died in Shuzenji, a small town in today's Izu province, assassinated by his uncle Hōjō Tokimasa. The years in which Yoriie was shogun are all within only one era name of nengō: Kennin (1201 – 1204).

 Born from Tokimasa's daughter Hōjō Masako at Hiki Yoshikazu's residence in Kamakura, Yoriie had as wet nurses the wives of powerful men like Hiki himself and Kajiwara Kagetoki, and Hiki's younger sister. Before he was born, his father Yoritomo had Hōjō Tokimasa and his men carry stones to build the Dankazura on Wakamiya Ōji to pray for the child's safe delivery. When Yoriie later himself had an heir, Ichiman, the child was also born at the Hiki mansion from Hiki's daughter Wakasa no Tsubone, a fact which further consolidated an already strong emotional bond. From this relationship Hiki gained considerable influence when Yoriie became shogun, raising the hostility of Hōjō Tokimasa, who was instead close to Yoriie's younger brother Senman (future third shogun Sanetomo), and was in his turn trying to leverage that relationship for political advantage. After his father's death in 1199, the 17 year old became head of the Minamoto clan and was appointed seii taishogun in 1202. He was however criticized for his abandonment of his father's policies, and his mother forbade him to do any political activity. On June 30, 1203 (Shōji 1, 12th day of the 4th month) his remaining powers were formally taken from him and assumed by a council of 13 elders headed by his grandfather Hōjō Tokimasa. Yoriie in turn plotted with the Hiki to subjugate the Hōjō clan but failed, was put under house arrest, forced to abdicate and eventually assassinated on July 17, 1204 in Izu. Yoriie was succeeded by his younger brother Sanetomo, the last of the Seiwa Genjiline to rule, at least nominally, over Kamakura.

Seriously ill, Yoriie proposed to name both his younger brother Sanetomo, and his young son (Hiki's grandson) Minamoto no Ichiman to succeed him; the two would split power, governing separate parts of the country. It seemed natural to them that Hiki would then be the regent, even if unofficially, of young Ichiman. Hiki suggested to Yoriie, who would be assassinated shortly afterwards by a separate faction (the Hōjō clan), that they arrange to have Sanetomo killed. Hōjō Masako, Yoriie's mother and wife of the first shogun Yoritomo, allegedly overheard the conversation.

On a pretext, Hōjō Tokimasa invited Hiki Yoshikazu to his home and assassinated him. A battle between the clans ensued, the Hiki were defeated by a coalition of the Hōjō, Wada, Miura and Hatakeyama clans and exterminated.

Yoriie had three sons, Ichiman, Kugyō, and Senju-maru, all of whom died of a violent death, victims of the power struggle that followed Yoritomo's sudden death. Ichiman (1198 - 1203) was the eldest. His mother Wakasa no Tsubone was Hiki Yoshikazu's daughter, and the child was brought up by the Hiki clan and he died in the fire that destroyed the Hiki residence. Second son Yoshinari, the only one of the three to reach adulthood, was forced to become a bonze and in 1219 murdered his uncle Sanetomo on the stone stairs at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū in the shogunal capital of Kamakura, an act for which he was himself slain on the same day. Third son Senju-maru (千寿丸 (1201 - 1214)?) was 12 when Izumi Chikahira rebelled against the Hōjō to make the child shogun. After Chikahira's defeat, the child was forced to become a bonze like his older brother Yoshinari. A year later Wada Yoshimori also rebelled but, like Chikahira, was defeated and Senju-maru died with the others of the Wada clan.