The third war was more accurately a one-night armed conflict known
as the Hôgen Conflict (1156), usually characterized as a factional dispute
at court. The emperor and one Fujiwara faction, backed by factions of the
Taira and Minamoto, fought the retired emperor and another faction of the
Fujiwara, backed by yet other factions of the Taira and Minamoto families.
The fourth war, the Heiji Conflict (1159–1160), was, like the Hôgen Con-
flict, a matter of political rivalries within the court. However, the main dif-
ference was that Taira and Minamoto were clearly fighting each other. By
the end of the conflict, Minamoto no Yoshitomo had lost to Taira no Ki-
yomori, who then became a dominant figure with unprecedented influence
at court. At any rate, the most striking features of these armed conflicts are
the small forces, numbering only a few hundred, and the use of a single
mounted warrior as the basic fighting unit. In addition, night attacks and
setting fires have become effective tactics, given the smaller number of war-
riors participating in fighting. These characteristics remained common un-
til the next great conflict between the Minamoto and the Taira.
Between 1180 and 1185 Japan experienced its first countrywide civil
war, the Genpei War, between Minamoto supporters led by Minamoto no
Yoritomo, and Taira supporters led by Taira no Kiyomori and his succes-
sors. The war erupted as a result of a succession dispute at court. A dis-
gruntled Prince Mochihito, who was passed over for the title of emperor,
issued a call to arms to Minamoto warriors to rise against the Taira, who
supported and protected the court. Although the two competing forces are
usually identified as Taira (also Heike) and Minamoto (also Genji), there
were Taira warriors in the Minamoto camp and vice versa. For Minamoto
no Yoritomo, the war against the Taira was for the sake of reviving his lin-
eage of the Minamoto and establishing an independent coalition of war-
riors in the eastern provinces led by him and his descendants. For warriors
supporting Yoritomo, more than anything else it was a war for benefits that
came in the form of land rewards. The Genpei War, therefore, could be la-
beled as a political and economic war, of which the originally unplanned
result was the formation of a distinct self-governed society of professional
warriors. Leading this society of warriors was the bakufu, its shôgun (mil-
itary general), and regents.
Although a new political institution, the Kamakura bakufu did not in-
troduce any major innovations in methods of warfare, even when threat-
ened by foreign invaders. Japan’s refusal to become a tributary state to the
Chinese court and the decapitation of Chinese messengers who came to
convince the Japanese to submit to the Chinese court led to two massive in-
vasions by Mongol forces in 1274 and 1281. The Japanese forces were able
to defeat the Mongols, who, according to Chinese sources, ran short on ar-
rows and lacked effective coordination. The well-known tales of divine186 Japan