Gosho no Gorōmaru

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In this Japanese name, the surname is Gosho.
Gosho no Gorōmaru
御所五郎丸
Gosho Gorômaru, from the series Butterflies and Plovers Kill Ten (Chô chidori jûban kiri).jpg
Chô chidori jûbankiri: Gosho no Gorōmaru by Kunichi Toyohara
Bornc. 1165
Heian-kyō, Japan
DiedUnknown, after 1193
NationalityJapanese
Other namesShigemune
Occupationsamurai warlord

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.[1] 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 in Kai Province before serving Yoritomo. It is said that Gorōmaru joined Yoritomo after Yoritomo killed Tadayori in 1184.[2]

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.[3]

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.[3]

Gosho no Gorōmaru with Minamoto no Yoritomo by Utagawa Yoshiume

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.[3] Jūbankiri further describes Gorōmaru saying, "He is eighteen years old, but has the strength of eighty-five people".[4]

Gosho no Gorōmaru capturing Soga Tokimune by Sharaku

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.[5]

Gosho no Gorōmaru by Utagawa Toyokuni

Genealogy[]

The Gosho family is a branch of the Fujiwara clan,[6] 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 daikan (acting head) of the shrine.[7]

The descendants of Gorōmaru are the illustrious family of Usa, Buzen Province (currently Fukuoka and Ōita Prefecture). They descended to Kyushu in 1196 with the new Governor of Buzen and Bungo Provinces and Defense Commissioner of the West, Ōtomo Yoshinao, who was also a gokenin of Yoritomo.[7][8] Later, they served in several positions such as the sōbugyō (head of shrine administrators), sōbugyō (head of magistrates) of the Atsuta Shrine. In 1334, they succeeded the position of Senior Sixth Rank ōuchibito, a position passed down from generation to generation in the no Sukune clan, and in 1470, they were promoted to Fifth Rank shohishiki.[9]

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.[10][11] There is also Gosho Tanuki Park nearby in Gosho, Koshigoe.[12]

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.[1]

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.[5]

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.[13]

  • "Soga Moyōtateshi no Gosho-zome" (曽我綉侠御所染), commonly known as "Gosho no Gorozō", the protagonist Gosho no Gorozō is modeled after Gosho no Gorōmaru.[14]
  • "Soga Kyōgen" (曽我狂言) is a story about the Revenge of Soga Brothers in which Gosho no Gorozō is a supporting character.[15]

Film[]

Art[]

Gosho no Gorōmaru has been the subject of several ukiyo-e paintings. The most famous include the following:

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "TV Tokyo: Gosho no Goromaru no Haka｜Nov 28, 2020｜Shutsubotsu! Ado Machikku Tengoku (テレビ東京：御所五郎丸の墓｜2020年11月28日｜出没！アド街ック天国)". TV Tokyo (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-03-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ Hengaku Kihan (扁額軌範) (in Japanese). Kyoto: Shintaido. 1821.
  3. ^ a b c Ichiko, Teiji (1966). Soga Monogatari - Iwanami Koten Bungakutaikei 88 (曽我物語　岩波古典文学大系88) (in Japanese). Iwanami Shoten. pp. 362–363.
  4. ^ Jūbankiri (十番切) (in Japanese). Vol. 5, 5th paragraph. Meisei University.
  5. ^ a b "Kamakura Gosho no Goromaru no Haka". Yamanashi Prefecture Minami-Alps City (山梨県 南アルプス市 -自然と文化が調和した幸せ創造都市-) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-03-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Fujiwara Shizoku Seishi Ichiran (藤原氏族姓氏一覧) (in Japanese). Japan: Toeikai. 1991. pp. 130, Gosho.
  7. ^ a b Ota, Akira (1942). Seishi Kakei Daijiten, Volume 3 (姓氏家系大辞典、第3巻) (in Japanese). Kokuminsha. pp. 41, Gosho.
  8. ^ Odawara City (1998). Odawara-shi-shi (小田原市史). Odawara City.
  9. ^ Ota, Akira (1942). Seishi Kakei Daijiten, Volume 6 (姓氏家系大辞典、第6巻) (in Japanese). Kokuminsha. pp. 482–483, Moribe.
  10. ^ Inoue, Rokuro (1991). Toki no nagare Tsu-mura no nagare (時のながれ　津村の流れ) (in Japanese). Inoue Rokuro. p. 36.
  11. ^ Board of Education, Kamakura City (2009). Kamakura Kodomo Fudoki, 13th edition (かまくら子ども風土記　第13版) (in Japanese). Kamakura City Education Center. p. 183.
  12. ^ Kamakura City Green Basic Plan (鎌倉市緑の基本計画) (in Japanese). Kamakura City. 2011. p. 196.
  13. ^ "Jubankiri Column (十番切　コラム)". Meisei University (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-03-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Encyclopedia Nipponica (日本大百科全書). Shogakukan. 1998. Soga Moyōtateshi no Gosho-zome (曽我綉侠御所染). ISBN 4-09-906721-1.
  15. ^ "Approaching the charm of "Gosho no Gorozō" where the spirit of the Kabuki artist can be seen through (Kabuki sakusha no seishin ga sukete mieru "Gosho no Gorozō" no miryoku ni semaru)". Waraku Web (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-03-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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