Hello and welcome to the history of Japan podcast, episode 150, The Birth of the Samurai, Part 5.

Before we get into it this week, I have a correction for last week,

thanks to alert listener Ayame for catching it.

During our discussion of the geography of Kyoto,

I mistakenly referred to the river running through Kyoto as the Sumida River.

The Sumida is, of course, in Tokyo, the river that bisects Kyoto is the Kamo River.

So now you all have knowledge firsthand of my geographic dyslexia.

Thanks again to Ayyama if you're pointing that out.

Sorry for the mix-up.

Let's get into it.

So we last left the stars of our story in very different places. The Fujiwara in the north

are aggressively minding their own business, while the Tyra, led by Kiomori, are the current

kings of the hill. The Minamoto, meanwhile, can vest their faith in the better tomorrow in the

personage of a 12-year-old boy, who is currently living as a hostage among Tyra allies.

So, a person going in with no prior knowledge could be forgiven for assuming that this is it.

The Tyra have wrapped up the fight for control of the samurai class.

Certainly, Kiyomori was at the top of his game.

After defeating the Minamoto in the Haji Rebellion,

Kiyomori spent the next decade consolidating his power over the Koto Imperial Court.

The most obvious example is his decision to marry Tyra relatives, specifically his

sister-in-law and daughter, two members of the imperial clan, thereby hoping to ensure that

somewhere down the line an emperor with some Tyra ancestry would plant his imperial hindquarters

...