Gochin no Tajima

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An ivory carving of Gochin no Tajima currently in The Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester.
An ivory carving of Gochin no Tajima currently in The Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester.

'Gochi-in Tajima (五智院但馬), called Tajima the arrow-cutter, was a warrior monk from Miidera who fought alongside the Minamoto Clan forces, and many of his fellow Miidera monks at the Battle of Uji in 1180.

The bridge over the Uji River was torn up by Tajima's fellow sohei, but the attacking Taira forces were still firing arrows, and were still threatening to cross the river. Tajima is said to have stood upon the bridge and, spinning his naginata, deflected many if not most of the arrows that came his way.

According to the Heike Monogatari,

"Then Gochi-in Tajima, throwing away the sheath of his long naginata, strode forth alone on to the bridge, whereupon the Heike straightaway shot at him fast and furious. Tajima, not at all perturbed, ducking to avoid the higher ones and leaping up over those that flew low, cut through those that flew straight with his whirring naginata, so that even the enemy looked on in admiration. Thus it was that he was dubbed 'Tajima the arrow-cutter'."

According to the Tale of Heike text, Tajima was listed as one of the samurai supporters of prince Mochihito, and not as a warrior monk, as he appears in most of the English sources.

[edit] References